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Exam Overview
About the Praxis Computer Science (5652) Test
Praxis Computer Science (5652) measures whether an entry-level secondary computer science teacher has the content knowledge the subject requires. It is given by ETS (Educational Testing Service) and used by state licensing agencies; each state sets its own passing score, so check your state's requirement on the ETS website.
Test at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Test name and code | Computer Science (5652) |
| Testing time | 3 hours |
| Questions | 100 selected-response questions (some may be unscored pretest questions) |
| Question format | Select one answer, or select one or more answers where the question says so |
| Delivery | Computer delivered, at a test center or at home |
| Test fee | $130 (ETS test page) |
| Programming language | None required; code is shown in ETS pseudocode |
| Passing score | Set by each state |
Content Categories
| Category | Approx. questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. Impacts of Computing | 15 | Effects of and obstacles to computing; intellectual property, ethics, privacy, and security |
| II. Algorithms and Computational Thinking | 25 | Abstraction, patterns, decomposition, number bases, algorithm formats, analysis, searching and sorting, recursion, randomization |
| III. Programming | 30 | Control structures, operators, variables and types, correctness, procedures, events, data structures, debugging, documentation, APIs, IDEs, paradigms, OOP |
| IV. Data | 15 | Digitization, encryption and decryption, computational tools, simulation and modeling, data storage and collection |
| V. Computing Systems and Networks | 15 | Operating systems, computing systems, device communication, cloud computing, networks, security, and the Web |
What the Questions Look Like
Most questions ask you to apply knowledge: trace a code segment and choose its output, fill in /* missing code */, pick an equivalent Boolean expression, convert between binary, decimal, and hexadecimal, count comparisons in a search, choose the right data structure, or judge a scenario about privacy, licensing, or network design. Some questions ask you to select all answers that apply; the practice tests in this guide imitate that format with I/II/III statement items.
- ← assigns a value; == tests equality; ≠, ≤, ≥ are written as symbols.
- / is floating-point division unless the question says otherwise; % gives the remainder.
- Arrays start at index 0; indentation and end statements (end if, end for, end while) show structure.
- Procedures name a return type (or void) and end with end procedureName; classes use extends, new, public, and private.
Registering and Test Day
- Create an ETS account, choose Computer Science (5652), and pick a test center or at-home appointment.
- Check your state's licensing requirements and passing score before you register.
- Read the ETS ID and at-home testing requirements well before test day; the name on your ID must match your registration.
- Testing accommodations must be approved by ETS before you schedule; apply early.
Scoring
- Your number of correct answers is converted to a scaled score; your state compares it with its passing score.
- There is no penalty for wrong answers, so answer every question.
- Unscored pretest questions look like the others, so give every question your best effort.
- Your ETS account shows when scores will be reported for your test date.
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