Start Here · 3 min read
Exam Overview
Exam Overview
The Praxis Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances (5372) test measures whether an entry-level special educator has the knowledge and judgment needed to teach students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). States and licensing agencies use it as part of special education licensure.
The test is application-focused. Most questions present a classroom, assessment, or legal scenario and ask for the most appropriate decision.
Administering Body
- Developed and administered by ETS as part of the Praxis Subject Assessments
- Taken at a test center or at home with online proctoring
- Each state sets its own passing score and decides whether it accepts the test
Test at a Glance
120
Questions
2 hrs
Testing time
5
Content categories
$130
Test fee
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Test code | 5372 |
| Format | Computer-delivered |
| Question types | Selected-response: most questions have one correct answer; some ask you to select one or more answers |
| Number of questions | 120 (some are pretest questions that do not count toward your score) |
| Testing time | 2 hours |
| Score scale | 100–200 |
| Passing score | Set by each state; check your state's requirement |
| Fee | $130 |
| Score reporting | Four free score recipients included with registration |
Content Categories
ETS divides the test into five content categories. The approximate question counts below come from the official test specifications.
| Content Category | Approx. Questions | Approx. % of Test |
|---|---|---|
| I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD | 22 | 18% |
| II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environments | 31 | 26% |
| III. Instruction | 31 | 26% |
| IV. Assessment | 20 | 17% |
| V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities | 16 | 13% |
Share of the Test by Content Category (%)
What This Means for You
Categories II and III together make up just over half of the test. Behavior planning, classroom management, and instructional decision-making deserve the largest share of your study time, but no category can be skipped.Question Characteristics
- Scenario-based classroom situations that ask for the best next step
- Data interpretation: ABC logs, interval recordings, progress-monitoring graphs, and score reports
- Legal and procedural decisions under IDEA, Section 504, and FERPA
- Questions that ask you to choose the least intrusive or most function-based intervention
Scoring
- Your raw score is the number of questions answered correctly, converted to a scaled score from 100 to 200
- There is no penalty for incorrect answers, so answer every question
- The passing score is set by each state, not by ETS
Key Takeaways for the Exam
- Focus on application, not memorization
- Identify the function of behavior before choosing an intervention
- Know IDEA timelines, discipline rules, and IEP components precisely
- Practice reading data tables and graphs quickly
Finished reading?
Next, start the first chapter.