edTPA exam-day guide
edTPA · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Working laptop, charger, and a backup device or plan
edTPA is completed and submitted electronically through your Pearson edTPA account - there is no test center. Use a reliable computer with a stable internet connection, keep the charger plugged in, and know your fallback (another device, a different network, or campus lab) if upload fails.
Your edTPA account login credentials
Confirm you can log in to your edTPA/Pearson account before submission day. If you have forgotten the password, reset it early - do not discover the problem an hour before the deadline.
All three completed task commentaries
Task 1 (Planning), Task 2 (Instruction), Task 3 (Assessment) commentaries finished, spell-checked, and read once out loud for clarity. Scorers only see what you wrote, so make the reasoning explicit and tied to evidence in your artifacts.
Selected video clips that play correctly
Confirm each clip opens and plays on a different device, meets your handbook's time limits, and is continuous and unedited as required. Check the audio is audible.
Signed permission/release forms on file
Confirm releases are collected and stored locally for every student and adult who appears in video or whose work you include. These are retained by you/your program and are generally not uploaded - confirm your handbook's requirement.
Files named, formatted, and sized per your handbook
Convert documents and video to accepted formats, apply the required file-naming convention, and verify each file is under the size limit. Exact format and size limits vary by handbook - check the current one.
Backup copies in at least two places
Keep your complete portfolio on the laptop plus a cloud folder or external drive. If a file is corrupted or a device fails, you can still submit.
Rubric self-check sheet
Print or open the rubrics for your specific handbook and do a final pass: for each rubric, point to the sentence or artifact that earns the score. This catches missing commentary prompts faster than re-reading everything.
Payment method for the submission fee
A submission fee applies. The current amount and accepted payment methods should be confirmed with Pearson/your preparation program before you sit down to upload.
Written confirmation of your deadline and submission window
Deadlines are set by your state, program, or provider, and time zones matter. Confirm the exact date, time, and time zone with your program coordinator - do not rely on a classmate's recollection.
Support contacts at hand
Have your program coordinator's email/phone and the edTPA customer-support contact saved, in case of login, upload, or file-format problems.
Plan the day
Lock content, not prose. Finish any outstanding Task 3 commentary, trim or re-select video to meet time limits, and verify every artifact appears in the commentary. Run the rubric self-check and fix any prompt you did not answer. Confirm the deadline, time zone, and fee with your program. Convert and rename all files now - not the night before.
Assemble the complete file set in one folder, in task order. Re-verify word/page limits, de-identification (no student last names, school, or district identifying details unless your handbook permits), and that permission forms are on file. Confirm your login works. Charge devices and note support contacts. Plan to submit in the morning, not at the cutoff.
Log in early and confirm your account and handbook are correct. Upload task by task, checking after each file that it appears attached and correctly named. Do not refresh or close the browser mid-upload. Submit as early in the day as you can - build in a buffer for technical failure.
Watch each upload to completion, then verify the confirmation page and any confirmation email. Take a screenshot of the confirmation and the submission status in your account. Note the score-report date. If anything fails, stop and contact support before the deadline rather than re-uploading blindly.
Keep your backup copies and confirmation artifacts until scores post. If a task does not pass, ask your program whether task-level retake is available and what the fee and window are - these policies are set by the provider and your state, so confirm rather than assume.
Rules to check
You must be the sole author. Cooperating teachers, supervisors, and peers may support your teaching but may not write your commentary, select your evidence, or upload on your behalf.
De-identify your materials: use pseudonyms and remove student last names and identifying school/district details, per your handbook's requirements.
Do not include students in video or student work without the required signed permission/release forms on file. Keep forms locally; they are generally not part of the submission - verify with your handbook.
Video must be continuous and unedited, within your handbook's time limits, with no added captions, music, or splicing that the handbook does not allow.
Respect all length limits - commentary word/page limits and file size limits. Material beyond the limit may not be read or scored.
Submit by your program's or state's deadline. Late or incomplete submissions may not be scored; the exact consequence is provider-specific, so confirm in advance.
Your required passing score is set by your state or preparation program, not by edTPA. Confirm the number, how scores are reported, and whether task-level retakes are allowed before you submit.
Do not post your edTPA prompts, commentary, or artifacts publicly or share them with candidates who have not yet completed the assessment; treat the handbooks and rubrics as confidential assessment materials.