Praxis^® PLT: Grades K-6 Practice Test

Free Praxis PLT K-6 Practice Test and Study Guide

Once you have decided to take the Praxis PLT for grades K-6, you may feel lost at where to begin studying, luckily there are a number of resources available to help you along the way! A good starting point to prepare for the exam is determining which content areas you are confident in, which need work, and which you are new to. Taking Praxis 2 practice tests is a good way to measure where you are at so you will know what to study.

There are a number of free resources available online, including PraxisExam.org that provides practice tests and comprehensive study guides. These are great resources for finding a baseline and studying. Educational Testing Service (ETS), the company that creates the Praxis exam, offers an interactive practice test that gives you authentic test questions while simulating the real testing environment. It is recommended to take this test closer to your testing date to familiarize yourself with the testing format and to determine what you still need to work on.

Depending on when you are taking the exam, you can create a study schedule or plan to help you stay on track and attain the most amount of information before test day. The Praxis PLT K-6 Study Companion provides in depth information about what will be on the exam, how the questions are formatted, and helpful tips. You can also use a study plan that acts as a chart to measure what you have studied and need to study based on the amount of time before your testing date.

Praxis PLT Test at a Glance

Becoming an educator requires you to obtain a bachelor's degree, experience in a classroom, and a certain score on one or more Praxis exams. If you have decided to teach elementary education, your state or organization may have to take the Praxis 2 Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) for grades K-6 Praxis (also known as the Praxis 5622). Praxis II Subject Assessment tests your specific knowledge of the subject you will be teaching, while Praxis 2 Principles of Learning and Teaching exams test your understanding and application of classroom practices. The Praxis 2 differs from the Praxis 1 Core because they asses your general knowledge of reading, writing, or math instead of your skills as an educator. This exam is computer-delivered and takes 2 hours to complete. There are 74 questions in total that cover 5 different sections.

This exam consists of 74 questions which cover 5 content areas: Students as Learners, Instructional Process, Assessment, Analysis of Instructional Scenarios, and Professional Development, Leadership, and Community. This may seem intimidating, especially if you have taken an alternative education path. You may be wondering how hard the praxis PLT K-6 is. The PLT Praxis exam was created to test your knowledge of the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards and is typically taken by someone who has completed a bachelor's degree in elementary education. The questions apply specifically to the kindergarten through 6th grade range. However, there are many resources available to help you do your best on the PLT Praxis test!

Praxis 5622 Types of Questions

The Praxis 5622 has two types of questions: selected-response (multiple choice) and constructed-response (essay). 70 of the questions will be selected-response; they will be formatted in the following ways:

• A list in which you will check one or more correct answers in a box or oval
• Click parts of a graphic or sentence
• Selecting a choice from a drop-down menu
• Dragging and dropping answers to a target point on the screen

The 4 constructed-response questions will relate to two separate case history readings that provide information about a scenario and observations. The questions will then ask you how you would respond in certain situations or what you could have done differently than the case subject. You will be asked to type a response in an entry box.

Praxis 5622 Passing Score

Praxis exams are graded by taking the raw points you earn on each question and transitioning them into a 100-200 point scale. On this scale, 100 is equal to 0% and 200 is equal to 100%. Each state institution or agency has the ability to create the standards of certification, thus the passing Praxis score for your state may differ from someone in another state. The passing score for the Praxis 5622 is 160 in every state/agency except Northern Mariana Islands (MP) where the passing score is 163. On the ETS website there is a helpful tool where you can input the test you took or your state/agency to see the passing score for your area.

Tips for the Praxis PLT

Taking a test can be stressful, especially one that can affect your certification. The following steps can help you be successful on test day!

• Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the test. Attain information on what the test covers.
• Step 2: Get a baseline of how much you know and what you need to study. You can do this by taking a Praxis online practice test to see what areas you do well in and which areas you need to focus your studying on.
• Step 3: Find and utilize study materials. There are many free online resources with study guides, practice problems, and practice tests available. You can also buy or check out books at your local library on specific subjects or Praxis test. If you have taken previous classes in the subject areas, look at your saved notes/assignments.
• Step 4: Plan your study schedule. Organizing your time by determining how much time you have to study, what you need to study, and when your testing date is will help you prepare to the best of your abilities. If you focus first on what you don't know, you will have the opportunity to ingest more information than first reviewing what you already know.
• Step 5: Practice, practice, practice. By using free online resources, like PraxisExam.org, you have a number of practice questions and tests at your disposal. You can also take an interactive practice test that mirrors the real test. This will prepare you for the Praxis test day and let you know what you still need to study.
• Step 6: Understand the testing procedure, how questions will be scored, and what happens after you take the test.
• Step 7: Trust in yourself. Follow the rules, read the questions carefully, and answer to the best of your ability. You have prepared for this day and now you get to put your hard work in action!

Expert Contributor

Bryan McMahon

Bryan McMahon, M.A. is a high school biology and special education teacher in New Jersey with over 14 years of experience. He has hundreds of hours of experience tutoring aspiring teachers to take the CSET/CBEST exam suite. He has successfully passed the science and special education Praxis exams. Bryan completed a B.S. in Education from Seton Hall University and an M.A. in Teaching from Mangrove College.