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Exam Overview
The Middle School Humanities (76) test is part of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) program, administered for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by Pearson. Passing it meets the subject matter knowledge requirement for the Middle School Humanities (5–8) license.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Test code | 76 |
| Questions | 100 multiple-choice questions and 2 open-response assignments |
| Score weights | Multiple-choice section about 80% of the total score; open-response section about 20% |
| Testing time | 4 hours of testing time, plus a 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement (4 hours 15 minutes total appointment at a test center) |
| Online proctored option | 4 hours 30 minutes total appointment: 2 hours 30 minutes for multiple-choice, an optional 15-minute break, then 1 hour 30 minutes for open-response |
| Delivery | Computer-based test by appointment year-round (Monday–Saturday, excluding some holidays) at test centers in Massachusetts and nationwide, or online proctored in monthly one-week windows |
| Passing score | 240 (qualifying score set by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education) |
| Test fee | $139 |
| Unscored questions | The test may include questions that do not count toward your score |
Subareas and Score Weights
The framework has six subareas. Subareas I–IV are tested with multiple-choice questions; Subareas V and VI are each tested with one open-response assignment.
| Subarea | Objectives | Covered in this guide |
|---|---|---|
| I. Literature and Language (25%) | 0001 Literature from diverse perspectives; 0002 Informational texts; 0003 Language acquisition and reading theory and practice | Section 1 |
| II. Expressive and Receptive Communication (15%) | 0004 Writing process and writing techniques; 0005 Academic research techniques; 0006 Speaking, expressive, and receptive communication | Section 2 |
| III. History (20%) | 0007 Ancient to early modern world societies; 0008 U.S. history before 1825; 0009 U.S. history from 1825 to the present | Section 3 |
| IV. Geography, Government, and Civic Life (20%) | 0010 Physical and human geography; 0011 Government and civic life; 0012 Effective history and social science instruction | Section 4 |
| V. Integration of Knowledge and Understanding of English (10%) | 0013 Written analysis of a literary text (open-response) | Section 5 |
| VI. Integration of Knowledge and Understanding of History (10%) | 0014 Written analysis of historical sources (open-response) | Section 5 |
How the Test Is Scored
Your results are reported as a scaled score from 100 to 300, and you pass with a scaled score of 240 or higher. The scaled score combines the multiple-choice section (about 80%) and the two open-response assignments (about 20%), so a strong multiple-choice performance can offset a weaker written response, and the reverse. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every multiple-choice question.
Each open-response assignment is scored on a four-point scale (4, 3, 2, 1, with U for unscorable and B for blank) using four performance characteristics: purpose, subject matter knowledge, support, and rationale. Section 5 explains each characteristic and shows what a high-scoring response looks like.
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