What Is the Praxis Exam Pass Rate?

With the pressure to pass the Praxis exams, you may be wondering what the Praxis exam pass rate could be. How many people retake the exams? Here are some things that you should know about the Praxis exam pass rate.

Praxis Exam Pass Rate

For the latest data collected, the Praxis exam pass rate was 89.6%. This number has been decreasing over the years and continues to be in decline. The data shows that there is a noteworthy gap in scores between those who pass and those who fail, meaning that those who pass do significantly better than those who fail. It’s less common for someone to fail by only a few points.

Factors Contributing to the Pass Rate

With the number of people passing the exam on the decline, you may be wondering why? What factors contribute to the increasing number of people who need to retake the exam? Some of these factors could be:

  1. There are no prerequisites to take the exam. Some people choose to take the Praxis exams after college even though they weren’t planning on going into teaching. Therefore, they aren’t as prepared to take the exam.
  2. States are increasing the score needed to pass in their state. With the increased score needed to pass, there are less and less people passing the exam. (Pass rates differ by state. Each state sets their own passing score, so the rates differ by state. In general, the passing rate is higher for the exam than the passing rate is for each state.)
  3. The exam is becoming more difficult. The exams are updated on a regular basis to reflect the latest information in each industry. This could lead to exams that are harder for test takers.
  4. There is an increasing number of people taking the exam. Not only do education majors take the exam, but others who consider going into education take it, too.

Factors Contributing to Passing Scores

On the other hand, there are several factors for the high percentage of people who pass the exam. Studies have shown that the people are more likely to pass the Praxis exam the first time have higher college grades, higher SAT scores, and are more likely to have more challenging coursework in college. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to spend copious amounts of time studying and reviewing the material, too.

No matter how high or how low the Praxis exam pass rate may be, it’s still up to you to do your best and get the scores that you need. Take plenty of time to study the material and complete practice exams.

What do you think about the Praxis exam pass rate? Is the percentage higher or lower than you expected? Why? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

By the way, sign up for our 1 Week Free Trial to try out Magoosh Praxis Prep!

Author

  • Jamie Goodwin

    Jamie graduated from Brigham Young University- Idaho with a degree in English Education. She spent several years teaching and tutoring students at the elementary, high school, and college level. She currently works as a contract writer and curriculum developer for online education courses. In her free time, she enjoys running and spending time with her boys!

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7 Responses to What Is the Praxis Exam Pass Rate?

  1. B April 19, 2018 at 2:22 PM #

    I studied my butt off for the core math exam. Feeling confident, I went in and failed. The time allowed is ridiculously slim. The problems were like nothing I studied or a very complicated version thereof. I feel like it is a money making scheme. I now have to pay another $90 to retake it. This seems to many, many people. Few text takers ever state it was an easy text unless they are admittedly good in math. I admit, it’s not my favorite but I studied hard and long, felt very prepared, and the test was very different from anything ets or any other site suggested it to be. I don’t believe the stats.

    • Magoosh Test Prep Expert
      Magoosh Test Prep Expert April 20, 2018 at 3:48 PM #

      Hi there,

      Thank you for sharing your experience, and I’m so sorry about this. We hear from a lot of students with similar frustrations. After working hard and studying for the test, you should absolutely be able to pass. The only thing that I can say is that I understand your frustration, and please remember that the Praxis test does not determine whether or not you will be a high quality teacher and mentor. It is testing specific skills and knowledge, but teaching is so much more than that! I know it’s frustrating, but try to remember why you entered this profession and all of the great qualities that will make you an awesome teacher. Now that you’ve taken the test, you know what to expect and can prepare more efficiently. Good luck!

      • Keyon Murray July 10, 2020 at 2:08 PM #

        I took the exam after studying as well and it was nothing comparable to the practice test. It’s difficult to pass when the practice exam doesn’t prepare you for the actual exam. I recently took it a second time after putting more
        Time and money into practicing, but once again the exam doesn’t reflect the two practice materials I reviewed.

        • Magoosh Test Prep Expert
          Magoosh Test Prep Expert July 24, 2020 at 1:35 PM #

          Hi Keyon, I’m so sorry to hear about this experience. Which practice materials were you using?

    • Jen June 23, 2018 at 11:50 PM #

      I know it’s frustrating but I believe the pass rate. I’m 25, the last math course I took was statistics and that was 7 years ago. I had over a 4.0 gpa and yet I failed one semester of geometry freshman year of HS. I am not good at math, yet I passed the praxis math exam on my first try without studying but barely I got a 159.
      It is a basic skills exam, if you fail it’s important to see where your weakness was and study that the most.
      I do think books aren’t always helpful so maybe getting a tutor would be better.
      Good luck 🙂

      • Magoosh Test Prep Expert
        Magoosh Test Prep Expert June 26, 2018 at 1:09 PM #

        Thanks for weighing in with some good thoughts and advice, Jen. 🙂

    • jessica January 26, 2019 at 11:56 PM #

      I am really quite terrible in math, I took all subjects at once and was so afraid that I was going to have to retake just the math. math ended up being my highest score, as a 189/200 (raw score). I know it depends on the test version but I didi think the math was easy. is this the math section you were talking about.


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