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Exam Overview
The Praxis Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (5017) test measures whether a beginning elementary teacher can plan curriculum, design instruction, and assess student learning across the subjects taught in grades K–6. It is administered by ETS and is used by many states for elementary teacher licensure.
Exam Format
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Test name and code | Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (5017) |
| Questions | 120 selected-response questions; some are pretest items that do not count toward your score |
| Time | 130 minutes |
| Question formats | Mostly single-answer multiple choice with four options; some questions may ask you to select more than one answer, choose part of a graphic, or use drag-and-drop or drop-down menus |
| Delivery | Computer delivered, at a test center or at home (online proctored) |
| Test fee | $130 |
| Score scale | 100–200; each state sets its own passing score |
| Guessing | No penalty for wrong answers; answer every question |
Content Categories
| Category | Share of test | Approx. questions |
|---|---|---|
| I. Reading and Language Arts | 31% | about 37 |
| II. Mathematics | 26% | about 31 |
| III. Science | 16% | about 20 |
| IV. Social Studies | 14% | about 17 |
| V. Art, Music, and Physical Education | 13% | about 15 |
Every category tests both content knowledge and pedagogy. ETS lists the same kinds of skills in each subject: sequencing and organizing instruction, choosing materials and strategies, recognizing misconceptions, and selecting and interpreting assessments.
What the Questions Look Like
Most questions describe a classroom situation, such as a teacher noticing a student difficulty, planning a lesson, or reviewing student work or assessment results, and ask for the best strategy, tool, or explanation. Some ask you to analyze a sample of student work, such as identifying the error pattern in a computation or the stage of a child's spelling. Several options may sound reasonable; your job is to pick the one that fits the situation best.
Scoring
Raw scores (the number of questions answered correctly) are converted to a scaled score from 100 to 200. Unscored pretest questions are mixed in with scored ones and cannot be identified, so treat every question as if it counts.
How to Use This Information
- Spend the most study time on reading and language arts and on mathematics, which together make up more than half of the test.
- For each subject, study how to teach and assess it, not only the content.
- Practice reading scenarios carefully and asking what the student needs most right now.
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