Exam Overview

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The Praxis Art: Content and Analysis (5135) test is a two-hour, computer-delivered test given by ETS at a test center or at home. It combines selected-response questions on studio practice and art history with three short written responses.

2 hrs

Total testing time

Selected-response questions

Constructed-response questions

100–200

Score scale

Test at a Glance

Format and logistics
Feature	Details
Test code	5135
Total time	2 hours
Part A	85 selected-response questions, about 75% of the score
Part B	3 constructed-response questions, about 25% of the score (suggested 35 minutes)
Part B timing	One 15-minute art history question and two 10-minute art-making questions
Delivery	Computer-delivered at a test center or as an at-home test
Fee	$156
Passing score	Set by each state; check the ETS state requirements page

Content Categories

Approximate share of the total score

I. Art Making (selected response) — 48%

II. Historical and Theoretical Foundations (selected response) — 27%

III. Art Analysis (constructed response) — 25%

Subareas and approximate question counts
Category	Subarea	Approx. questions
I. Art Making	A. General	11
I. Art Making	B. Media and Processes	44
II. Historical and Theoretical	A. Materials and Processes in an Art Historical Context	5
II. Historical and Theoretical	B. The Western Tradition in Art History	12
II. Historical and Theoretical	C. Art Beyond the Western Tradition	6
II. Historical and Theoretical	D. Responding to Art	7
III. Art Analysis	A. Historical and Theoretical Foundations	1 written
III. Art Analysis	B. Art Making	2 written

Question Formats

Every selected-response question has four answer choices. Some show an image of an artwork as a thumbnail that you can enlarge and zoom; you may be asked to identify a style, period, culture, process, or compositional device from it. Read every choice before answering, because many questions ask for the BEST or MOST appropriate option.

Part B asks for three short essays. The art history question asks you to choose and clearly identify a verifiable artwork from memory and analyze it with specific visual evidence. The two art-making questions ask you to discuss two of your own works, each in a different medium, explaining the idea behind the work and how your process helped express it.

Before Test Day

Photograph or scan four of your own artworks as JPG files of 3 MB or smaller and upload them in your My Praxis account no later than 3 days before your test date. Print each image on its own page and bring the printouts; you will turn them in at the end. If both art-making answers discuss works in the same medium, the second answer is not scored.

Scoring

Your correct selected-response answers and your constructed-response ratings are combined and converted to a scaled score from 100 to 200. Each constructed response is rated on a 0–3 scale, and the three responses count equally toward their quarter of the score. A response that does not clearly identify an appropriate artwork can earn no more than 1 point. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question.

Key Concept

Each state sets its own passing score and decides whether it uses this test. Confirm your state's requirement on the ETS state requirements page before you register. If you need to retake the test, you must wait 28 days from your previous attempt.

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