The Praxis Core test has three primary subject areas: reading, writing, and mathematics. You can take each of these tests separately in two-hour sessions, or take them all in one five-hour session. The Core Writing test assesses both informative/explanatory writing and argumentative writing. There will be one writing task for each of the two writing types. In addition to the Praxis essay questions, selected-response questions will assess research strategies and abilities to revise and improve text. Skills assessed are important for college and career readiness and align with the Common Core State Standards for Writing. The Praxis Writing test does not measure an individual's disposition toward teaching or potential for success, nor does it measure your actual teaching ability.
Practice tests give you a better idea of the topics you have mastered and those you should keep studying.
Praxis Writing Test Structure
The Praxis Core Writing test has two content categories:
Text Types, Purposes, and Production
Language and Research Skills for Writing
The topics for the argumentative and informative/explanatory essays attempt to present situations that are familiar to all educated people; no topic will require specialized knowledge other than an understanding of how to write effectively in English.
Content Categories
Approximate Number of Questions
Approximate Percentage of Exam
Text types, purposes, and production
6-12 selected-response 2 essays
60%
Language and research skills for writing
28-34 selected-response
40%
Multiple-Choice Section
The selected-response, or multiple-choice, section will include 40 questions to be answered in a 40-minute time period. There are four question types covered:
Error identification
Sentence correction
Revision in context
Research skills
Many of the selected-response questions will begin with 'which of the following.' Take a look at our example below.
Which of the following is red in color?
(A) Blueberry
(B) Cucumber
(C) Strawberry
(D) Corn
How do you think you would respond to this question? While this one is purposely obvious for demonstrative purposes, the ones on the Praxis writing test may be tricky. Here are some steps you can follow to select the correct answer.
Focus on the choices given. We know that there are other red fruits and vegetables out there, but they are not listed.
Eliminate the obviously wrong answers. You know that blueberries are blue, and cucumbers are green. Without overthinking the possibility of all of the various types of corn that may be out there, we know that corn is generally yellow. That only leaves one right answer: strawberry.
Verify your response. Try replacing 'which of the following' with your response. Does it make sense? 'A strawberry is red in color.' If you're still not quite sure, try substituting the other options to see if they make sense.
For most questions, you will respond by clicking an oval to select a single answer from a list of answer choices. However, there are some other interactive question types to be aware of:
Clicking more than one oval
Typing into an entry box
Clicking checked boxes
Clicking parts of a graphic
Clicking on sentences
Dragging and dropping answer choices into targets on the screen
Selecting answer choices from a drop-down menu
Argumentative Essay Section
The argumentative essay section will invite examinees to draw from personal experience, observation, or reading to support a position with specific reasons and examples. You have 30 minutes to complete the essay question. You will need to be able to produce an argumentative essay to support a claim using relevant and sufficient evidence. In doing so, you will need to write clearly and coherently:
Address the assigned task appropriately for an audience of educated adults
Organize and develop ideas logically, making coherent connections between them
Provide and sustain a clear focus or thesis
Use supporting reasons, examples, and details to develop clearly and logically the ideas presented
Demonstrate facility in the use of language and the ability to use a variety of sentence structures
Construct effective sentences that are generally free of errors in standard written English
Informative/Explanatory Essay Section
The Informative/Explanatory essay topic asks examinees to extract information from two provided sources to identify important concerns related to an issue. You will need to produce an informative/explanatory essay to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. You have 30 minutes to complete the essay question. The following are expected:
Write clearly and coherently
Address the assigned task appropriately for an audience of educated adults
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis
Organize and develop ideas logically, making coherent connections between them
Synthesize information from multiple sources on a subject
Integrate and attribute information from multiple sources on a subject, avoiding plagiarism
Provide and sustain clear focus or thesis
Demonstrate facility in the use of language and ability to use a variety of sentence structures
Construct effective sentences that are generally free of errors in standard written English
Preparing for the Praxis Writing Test
Setting clear goals and deadlines can help you maximize your Praxis test preparation. Here are some helpful tips to help you feel more confident on test day:
Learn what the test covers. Get familiar with the content of the exam and its format.
Assess how well you know the content. Be honest with yourself here; it's better to be over-prepared than to be under-prepared.
Collect your study materials. Use any books or notes you may have from relevant courses you may have taken.
Plan and organize your time. Once you select your test date, work your timeline backward to figure out how much time you have for review.
Praxis Core Writing Practice Tests
Take advantage of the practice tests and other Praxis resources available online. Becoming familiar with the structure of the test and questions prior to the testing day is to your advantage.
How Is the Praxis Writing Exam Scored?
The passing Praxis score is set by each state or agency requiring the test. You can find out what your state requires on the Praxis State Requirements page. Below is a breakdown of how each section is scored.
Selected-Response
The selected-response sections are scored based on the number of correct answers chosen. Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly, with no penalty or subtraction for answering a question incorrectly. Make sure you're taking a moment to carefully read and consider each question.
Argumentative Essay
The Argumentative Essay Praxis Core is scored on a scale from one to six, with six being the best score. Readers assign scores for the argumentative essay based on the following score guide.
Score of 6
Demonstrates a high degree of competence
Few minor errors
States or clearly implies the writer's position
Well-organized and developed ideas supported with examples, details, or other well-chosen reasons
Displays effective sentence variety
Generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Clearly displays facility in the use of language
Score of 5
Demonstrates clear competence
Minor errors
States or clearly implies the writer's position
Ideas are clearly organized and developed with connections made between them
Key ideas are explained and supported with relevant reasons, examples, or details
Some sentence variety displayed
Facility in the use of language displayed
Generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Score of 4
Demonstrates competence
States or implies the writer's position
Shows control in the organization and development of ideas
Some key ideas are explained, supported with adequate reasons, examples, or details
Adequate use of language
Shows control of grammar, usage, and mechanics but displays errors
Score of 3
Displays some competence
Limited in stating or implying a position
Displays limited control in the organization and development of ideas
Inadequate reasons, examples, or details to explain key ideas
Accumulation of errors in the use of language
Accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Score of 2
Seriously flawed
No clear position
Weak organization and/or very little development
Few or no examples, relevant reasons, or details
Frequent serious errors in the use of language
Frequent serious errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Score of 1
Fundamental deficiencies in writing skills
Contains serious and persistent writing errors
Incoherent
Undeveloped
Informative/Explanatory Essay
The informative/explanatory essay, or source-based essay, is scored using the same 1-6 scale as the argumentative essay and many of the criteria are similar. Graders will assign a score to the essay based on the following score guide.
Score of 6
High degree of competence
Few minor errors
Insightful and explains why the concerns are important
Supports explanation with an effective link between the two sources and well-chosen reasons, examples, or details
Ideas are organized and developed logically
Effective sentence variety
Facility in the use of language
Cites both sources when paraphrasing or quoting
Generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Score of 5
Demonstrates clear competence
Clearly explains why concerns are important, clear links between sources
Ideas are clearly organized and developed
Facility in the use of language
Cites both sources when paraphrasing or quoting
Generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Score of 4
Demonstrates competence
Adequately explains why the concerns are important
Supports explanations with some links between the two sources using adequate reasons, examples, and details
Information is incorporated from both sources to identify and explain important concerns
Shows control in the organization and development of ideas
Adequate use of language
Cites both sources when paraphrasing or quoting
Shows control of grammar, usage, and mechanics, may display errors
Score of 3
Demonstrates some competence
Limited explanation as to why the concerns are important
Incorporates only one of the sources or incorporates two sources inadequately
Limited in supporting the explanation
Limited control in the organization and development of ideas
Accumulation of errors in the use of language
Accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Cites sources when paraphrasing or quoting
Score of 2
Seriously flawed
Fails to explain why the concerns are important
Incorporates only one source weakly or fails to identify concerns regarding the issue discussed in the provided sources
Offers weak support for the explanation
Weak organization or very little development
Frequent serious errors in the use of language
Fails to cite any sources when paraphrasing or quoting
Serious errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
Score of 1
Fundamental deficiencies in writing skills
Persistent and serious writing errors
Incoherent
Undeveloped
Expert Contributor
Amanda Carpenter
Amanda Carpenter, M.S. is an ESL Teacher with 5 years of experience teaching English to students in China. She has also worked as a 5th Grade Teacher in Alabama. Amanda completed an M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction at Western Governors University.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the Praxis Core Writing?
The Praxis Core Writing test has 40 selected-choice questions and two essay questions. The essay questions will assess argumentative writing and informative/explanatory writing skills. The selected-choice questions will assess text types, purposes, production, language, and research skills.
What is the passing score for the Writing Praxis?
While the test is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the passing score is determined by the licensing state or agency. Find out your state's required scores here.
What is Praxis Core Writing?
The Praxis Writing Test measures academic skills in writing needed to prepare successfully for a career in education. All skills assessed align with Common Core State Standards for Writing and have been identified as needed for college and career readiness.
What is on the writing part of the Praxis?
The Praxis Core Writing test consists of approximately 40 selected-response questions and two essay questions. The essay section will assess both informative/explanatory writing and argumentative writing abilities. You are given 40 minutes for the selected-response questions and 30 minutes for each essay question for a total of 100 minutes of testing time.
Take a Praxis Core Writing Practice Test Online
Exam Instructions:
Complete the practice test below to test your knowledge of Praxis Core Writing.
Choose your answers below. Complete the 15 questions then click "See Results."
You have answered 0 out of 15 correctly.
The correct answers are highlighted with green below.
Use this material to answer question #2
Recent decades have witnessed an outpouring of research on the contributions of women artists. But
as is typical in the humanities, these studies have been qualitative, and consequently do not provide
a systematic evaluation of the relative importance of different women artists. A survey of the illustrations
of the work of women artists contained in textbooks of art history reveals that art historians judge Cindy
Sherman to be the greatest woman artist of the twentieth century, followed in order by Georgia O'Keeffe,
Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, and Frida Kahlo. The life cycles of these artists have differed greatly:
the conceptual Sherman, Hesse, and Kahlo all arrived at their major contributions much earlier, and
more suddenly, than the experimental O'Keeffe and Bourgeois. The contrasts are dramatic, as Sherman
produced her greatest work while in her 20s, whereas Bourgeois did not produce her greatest work
until she had passed the age of 80. The systematic measurement of this study adds a dimension to our
understanding of both the role of women in twentieth-century art and the careers of the major figures.