Praxis Audiology study guide
Praxis Audiology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Praxis Audiology exam is an ETS Praxis subject assessment used within the Praxis teacher-certification program. ETS describes Praxis as assessing core teaching skills and subject knowledge for educator licensing in the United States, and each state sets its own requirements for which tests candidates must take, so candidates should confirm the specific test and score requirements with their state before registering. The Praxis Audiology study guide has 5 sections and about 1,378 words.
01Foundations and Professional Practice
The foundational domain tests whether you know what audiologists may and may not do, and the ethical and legal scaffolding around practice. Know the ASHA scope-of-practice categories: prevention, identification/assessment, intervention, and rehabilitation of hearing, balance, and related disorders.
330 words, about 2 min02Prevention and Identification of Auditory Disorders
This domain covers etiology, prevention, and early identification. Know noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL): typically a 3–6 kHz notch, worse at 4 kHz, with recovery at 8 kHz; metabolic and mechanical mechanisms; the equal-energy (3 dB exchange rate) and equal-pressure (5 dB) rules.
294 words, about 1 min03Assessment of Auditory Function
Know transducer corrections, calibration concepts, and interpretation. Air-bone gaps indicate conductive components; no gap with elevated thresholds indicates sensorineural.
267 words, about 1 min04Intervention and Management of Auditory Disorders
Know hearing aid styles, fitting formulas (e.g., NAL-NL2, DSL), verification (real-ear measures, speech mapping), and validation (questionnaires). Traps include confusing verification (does the output match targets?) with validation (does the patient benefit?).
230 words, about 1 min05Pediatric and Educational Audiology
Know developmental milestones for auditory behavior (e.g., startle to sound in infancy, localization, word recognition), and the test battery by age: ABR/OAE for infants, VRA around 6 months to 2–3 years, play audiometry around 2–5 years, conventional audiometry after about 5 years. Traps include relying on a single test and forgetting that behavioral thresholds in young children can be elevated by attention or maturation, not just hearing loss.
257 words, about 1 min