Praxis SpEd Foundational

ETS describes it as the test for licensure to practice as a special educator at any grade level from kindergarten through grade 12. Because it is not a grade-band-specific test, candidates preparing for elementary, middle, or high school special education roles may all encounter it - but confirm your state's requirement list before registering.

The Praxis site lists the fee for Special Education: Foundational Knowledge (5355) at $130.00. Plan for the possibility of more than one attempt, and check the ETS Praxis site at the point of registration for current pricing, since fees and any associated service charges are set by ETS and can change.

We do not have a verified figure. The ETS pages we retrieved state the test's purpose and price but say nothing about item count or time limit, so both fields are left blank here rather than guessed. The free Study Companion for 5355 and the Praxis Information Bulletin carry the current format details.

Passing scores are set by states and educator preparation programs, not by ETS, and they differ across jurisdictions. ETS maintains a passing-scores-by-state lookup on the Praxis site. Note your state's exact number, and check whether your preparation program imposes a higher exit requirement than the state license does.

Retakes go through the normal ETS registration system, and the governing rules - including any waiting period between attempts - are published in the Praxis Information Bulletin rather than on the test's landing page. We have not verified the current retake terms, so read the Information Bulletin before re-registering.

ETS publishes the official content outline in the free Study Companion, and that outline is the only reliable syllabus. Broadly, the test targets the foundational professional knowledge a beginning special educator needs rather than a single academic subject or grade band. Check any third-party domain weighting, including ours, against that document.

That varies by state. Each state sets its own certification requirements, which may combine several Praxis tests, coursework, and supervised field experience. Use the Praxis state requirements lookup to see exactly which tests your state uses before assuming 5355 alone completes your application file.

Studying vocabulary in isolation. Applied items reward knowing how a concept actually plays out in an IEP meeting, a co-taught lesson, or a transition plan. Build a cycle of outline review, practice questions with written rationales, and honest error analysis instead of rereading notes you already recognize.

Start with the Study Companion outline, then sit one practice test cold to find your real weak areas. Spend most of your remaining time on those, rotating short review blocks with practice sets and explaining each missed rationale aloud. Save a final full-length practice test for the last week before your appointment.