An Overview of the Exam
Test facts, content categories, and scoring
The Praxis® School Counselor (5422) test is developed and administered by ETS. It is aligned with the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies and organized by the four components of the ASCA National Model. States and licensing agencies that use it set their own qualifying scores, so the test is one requirement for a school counseling certificate or license, alongside the state’s graduate degree, internship, and other requirements.
Test at a Glance| Feature | Details |
|---|
| Test name and code | School Counselor (5422) |
| Number of questions | 120 selected-response questions |
| Testing time | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| Question format | Most questions ask you to choose one answer from four choices; some ask you to select more than one choice, and the question tells you how many |
| Unscored questions | Some questions are being tried out and do not count toward your score; they are not identified |
| Delivery | Computer delivered, at a test center or at home with online proctoring |
| Test fee | $130 (confirm the current fee when you register) |
| Score scale | 100–200 scaled score |
| Qualifying score | Set by each state or licensing agency that uses the test |
| Framework | ASCA National Model (Define, Deliver, Manage, Assess) and ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies |
Content Categories
Official Category Weights| Content category | Approx. questions | Approx. % of test |
|---|
| I. Define | 30 | 25% |
| II. Deliver | 48 | 40% |
| III. Manage | 24 | 20% |
| IV. Assess | 18 | 15% |
Share of the 120 questions by content category
Deliver — 40%Direct and indirect student services
Define — 25%Role, development, ethics, and law
Manage — 20%Program planning, data, and measurement
Assess — 15%Program and counselor assessment
I. Define
The role of the school counselor and the ASCA National Model, the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors standards, human growth and development (lifespan, cognitive, personality, social, moral, and family systems theories), and ethical and legal issues, including the ASCA Ethical Standards, FERPA, IDEA, Section 504, the ADA, constitutional rights, duty to warn, and confidentiality.
II. Deliver
Direct student services (individual and group counseling, classroom instruction and management, educational and career planning, crisis and trauma-informed response, peer mediation, common student concerns, students of all ability levels, and interpreting achievement and college and career assessments) and indirect services (student service plans, consultation, collaboration, MTSS, and referrals).
III. Manage
Using technology to manage the program, aligning it with the school’s educational mission, designing and evaluating the program, vision and mission statements, participation, Mindsets & Behaviors, and outcome data, annual student outcome goals, the annual administrative conference, gathering data to select interventions, and basic measurement principles.
IV. Assess
Assessing the school counseling program, evaluating program effectiveness and student outcomes, using and reporting data for improvement, the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies assessment, and the reasons for assessing the program.
Scoring
Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly; there is no penalty for wrong answers, so answer every question. On a question that asks you to select more than one choice, you must select all of the correct choices, and only those, to earn credit. The raw score is converted to a scaled score from 100 to 200, which adjusts for small differences in difficulty between test editions. Your score report shows whether you met the qualifying score for the state you designated and your performance in each content category.
Passing the Test
There is no single national passing score. Check your state’s requirement on the ETS state-requirements pages or with your state education agency before you test, and aim well above it on your practice tests.
Registration and Test Day
1
Create an ETS Praxis account
Register online, choose a test center or the at-home option, and select the score recipients your state and program require; four score recipients are included with registration.
2
Request accommodations early
Testing accommodations and health-related needs must be approved by ETS before you register for a test date.
3
Prepare your ID and space
Bring acceptable, current photo identification that matches your registration name. For at-home testing, check the equipment, room, and system requirements in advance.
4
Receive your scores
Scores are posted to your ETS account on the published score-reporting date for your test date and sent to the recipients you selected.
5
Retake if needed
If you need to retest, you may take the test again after a 28-day waiting period.
Always Confirm Current Details
Fees, testing policies, qualifying scores, and score-reporting dates are set by ETS and by each state and can change. Verify them on the official Praxis website before you register.
