Praxis Speech & Theatre study guide
Praxis Speech & Theatre · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Praxis Speech & Theatre is an ETS Praxis subject assessment used by states and educator preparation programs as one part of the licensure pathway for prospective speech, communication, and theatre teachers. Candidates typically take it after completing or while finishing a teacher-preparation program, and should confirm with their state licensing agency which test code and passing score apply to them, since each state sets its own requirements. The exam is organized into two content halves of roughly equal weight: Speech, covering communication theory, public speaking, interpersonal and group communication, and argumentation; and Theatre, covering acting, directing, theatre history and literature, design and technical production, and classroom pedagogy. Preparation should be built from the test outline and free study companions published in the ETS Praxis prep resources, then reinforced with timed practice on constructed responses and content review in whichever half is weaker. Topics on this exam: Speech and Theatre. The Praxis Speech & Theatre study guide has 2 sections and about 652 words.
01Speech: Foundations of Public Speaking and Communication Theory
The Speech domain asks you to reason about communication as a process, not just a performance. Be ready to name and apply the classic models: the linear model (sender → message → channel → receiver, with noise), the interactive model (adds feedback and fields of experience), and the transactional model (simultaneous sending and receiving, meaning co-created). Questions often describe a scenario and ask which model or concept it illustrates. Audience analysis : demographic, situational, and attitudinal analysis; adapting topic, language, and evidence to the audience.
336 words, about 2 min02Theatre: Performance, Production, and Dramatic Literature
The Theatre domain spans dramatic literature, acting theory, directing, design, and production process. Expect questions that connect a concept to a practical production decision. Dramatic structure : exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement; Aristotle's poetics (plot, character, thought, diction, music, spectacle). Genre : tragedy, comedy, farce, melodrama, tragicomedy; conventions of each.
316 words, about 2 min