NYSTCE English Language Arts (003) Test

The test is computer-based. It has 90 selected-response questions, each with four answer choices, and one constructed-response assignment. You have 195 minutes of testing time inside a three-and-a-half-hour appointment. The selected-response questions count for about 80 percent of your score and the constructed response for about 20 percent. The passing score is 520 on the NYSTCE scale of 400 to 600.

Table: NYSTCE English Language Arts (003) competencies

In the constructed response you receive a New York State grades 9-10 English Language Arts standard and a literary or informational excerpt. In about 400 to 600 words you identify a learning goal, describe how to assess students' readiness, describe an instructional strategy that builds on prior knowledge, address one likely challenge, describe a modification that meets the needs of all learners, and describe an assessment, giving a rationale where the task asks for one. Scorers rate the response from 4 to 1 for completeness, accuracy and depth of support.

• Section 1, Reading Literature and Informational Text, reviews literary analysis, American literary traditions, world literature and source material, informational text and argument analysis, and foundational U.S. documents.
• Section 2, Writing and Research, reviews argument, informative and explanatory, and narrative writing, and the research process from question to citation.
• Section 3, Speaking, Listening, and Language, reviews collaborative discussion, presentations, evaluating speakers, conventions, vocabulary, voice and mood.
• Section 4, The Constructed-Response Assignment, explains the six-part task and its scoring and gives practice prompts with model responses.
• Two full-length practice tests of 100 selected-response questions each follow the official weights, with an answer key and an explanation for every question.

Throughout the review you will see three kinds of notes. Exam Tip notes show how the test likes to ask about a topic. Memory Aid notes give a quick way to hold on to a list or distinction. Common Trap notes flag the wrong answers that catch prepared candidates.

Table: Suggested study plan

• Plan about two hours and fifteen minutes for the 90 selected-response questions and up to an hour for the constructed response.
• Many candidates write the constructed response first, while they are fresh, then turn to the selected-response questions.
• For passage questions, read the question stem first so you know what to look for in the passage.
• There is no penalty for guessing: answer every question.
• In the constructed response, label all six parts and tie every strategy to the specific excerpt and standard.
• Bring the identification NYSTCE requires and arrive early.