Is your local Praxis test center closed due to Covid-19? Or do you simply feel uncomfortable going to a test center in light of the pandemic? If your answer to either of these questions is “yes,” I have some good news. ETS, the makers of the Praxis exam, currently offer Praxis at Home, a service that allows you to take a real Praxis exam and receive a valid score report.
Which Praxis exams can be taken at home?
In addition to the three-part Praxis Core Exam, there are roughly a hundred Praxis II exams. So which of these can you take? Well, first, Praxis Core Reading, Math, and Writing are all available in “Praxis at Home” form. Second, at the time of this writing, slightly under half of the Praxis II exams are available to be taken at home. ETS is prioritizing the most commonly taken Praxis II tests, including the Praxis PLT (Principles of Learning and Teaching) series and the Praxis Elementary Education set of tests. More commonly taken subject tests for areas such as math, physical education, special education, and social studies are also available.
The flip side of this, of course, is which Praxis exams can’t be taken at home. Less commonly licensed subject areas such as foreign languages, business, or psychology are absent from the Praxis at Home lineup at the time of this writing. However, ETS has indicated that they may add more tests to their list of Praxis at Home assessments.
To see if the Praxis test (or tests) that you need to take are currently available as a home test, check ETS’s official list of Praxis at Home exams.
How do you register for and schedule your Praxis at Home test?
To take a Praxis at Home test, register for your Praxis through the ETS website. You can do this much in the same way you’d register to take the Praxis in a test center.
However, there are a few differences. Most noticeably, you don’t actually schedule your test on the ETS website. Instead, you pay for the test through ETS, and then receive an email from ProctorU, the partner company that schedules and supervises the Praxis at Home tests for ETS.
The email from ProctorU will come within one business day of your registration with ETS, and usually comes immediately. This email gives you your login to the ProctorU website, and instructions on how to schedule your exam and connect with a ProctorU exam supervisor on test day.
Detailed instructions on registration and booking can be found on the official Praxis website.
What are the software and hardware requirements?
The Praxis at Home can be taken either on a Windows or Mac OS computer. You will need a microphone, speakers, and webcam. The microphone and speakers cannot be a headset; headwear of any kind is forbidden during the test unless it’s worn for religious purposes.
You’ll also need to pass the automated ProctorU equipment check, which tests your computer to make sure it has a fully compatible operating system, sufficient Internet speed, properly working audio and video equipment, and so on.
Finally, you’ll need to download and install the special ETS browser to be used with the test.
For details on the technology requirements and the system check, see the official equipment page for the Praxis at Home.
How is the test administered?
On test day, you’ll connect to your ProctorU exam supervisor (ProctorU provides instructions on how to do this). Your exam supervisor will speak to you through voice and text chat, walk you through the security check, and take control of your computer so that they can log in to your ETS browser and launch your test.
The security check requires you to physically turn your camera so that your proctor can see your entire testing room. They will make sure you have no prohibited items in your immediate testing area—your desk and anything within an arm’s reach. If you do have a prohibited item or device nearby, don’t worry—you won’t be disqualified from taking the test. Instead, you’ll simply be asked to remove any disallowed items before the test begins. You’ll also need to hold your ID up to the camera. The acceptable ID documents for Praxis at Home are the same ones you’d need to take the traditional Praxis.
You’ll be allowed to take notes on a small whiteboard, or on a sheet of paper inside a clear plastic sleeve. In either case, notes are taken with a dry erase marker. If you don’t have a dry erase marker on test day, you can use a permanent marker and erase the marks with alcohol swabs. You will be required to erase all of your notes at the end of the test, holding up your notes to the camera to show the proctor that you’ve erased everything.
When will I receive my scores?
Praxis at Home scores are received and sent to schools and teacher licensing boards in the same way as test center Praxis scores. Kristin outlines that process in this post on score reports.
Are you planning to take the Praxis at Home test? Let us know your experiences!
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