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Exam Overview
The Praxis Music: Content and Instruction (5114) test is part of the Praxis Subject Assessments from ETS. States use it to decide whether a candidate has the musical knowledge and the teaching skills needed to begin teaching music in grades K–12. It covers general, instrumental and vocal music, so every candidate answers questions from all three areas.
Test at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Test name and code | Praxis Music: Content and Instruction (5114) |
| Administered by | ETS (Educational Testing Service) |
| Questions | 84 selected-response and 3 constructed-response (some selected-response questions may be unscored pretest items) |
| Total time | 2 hours |
| Sections | Section 1: listening (about 25 minutes, recorded excerpts); Section 2: non-listening (about 95 minutes, including the 3 constructed responses) |
| Selected-response format | Four answer choices, one best answer |
| Delivery | Computer delivered, at a test center or at home with online proctoring |
| Test fee | $156 |
| Score scale | Scaled scores (100–200); each state sets its own passing score |
Content Categories
The test has four content categories. The first three are measured by selected-response questions; the fourth is measured by the three constructed-response questions.
| Content Category | Approx. Questions | Approx. Share of Score |
|---|---|---|
| I. Music History and Theory | 32 | 29% |
| II. Performance | 24 | 21% |
| III. Instruction, Professional Issues, and Technology | 28 | 25% |
| IV. Instructional Activities (constructed response) | 3 | 25% |
About half of the test deals with music content knowledge and about half with teaching music. Notice that the three written responses carry as much weight as about 28 selected-response questions, so they deserve real practice time.
The Listening Section
Section 1 uses recorded excerpts with spoken directions. You may be asked to identify a style period, genre or world music tradition, recognize a form, cadence, meter or texture, or detect errors in pitch, rhythm, intonation, balance or articulation when a recording is compared with notation. Section 2 contains the remaining selected-response questions and the three constructed-response questions.
The Constructed-Response Questions
There is one constructed-response question each for instrumental, vocal and general music instruction, and you must answer all three. Each response is scored 0–3. Typical tasks: choose suitable repertoire or an ensemble level for an example, identify a performance challenge with measure numbers, and describe how you would rehearse or teach it. Section 4 of this guide explains how to write full-credit answers.
How This Guide Follows the Test
The content review is organized in the same four categories as the official outline. Section 1 covers history, world music and theory; Section 2 covers performance; Section 3 covers instruction, professional issues and technology; Section 4 prepares you for the constructed responses. The two practice tests follow the selected-response category weights.
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