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Exam Overview
An Overview of the Exam
The Praxis World and U.S. History: Content Knowledge (5941) test, developed and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), measures whether prospective secondary history teachers have the knowledge and skills needed for licensure. Its content reflects the standards of the National Council for the Social Studies. About half of the test covers world history and half covers United States history. It is a computer-delivered test taken in one session.
Test at a Glance
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Test name and code | World and U.S. History: Content Knowledge (5941) |
| Questions | 120 selected-response questions, equally weighted (some may be unscored pretest questions) |
| Time | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| Question format | Single-answer multiple choice with four options; many questions use passages, maps, charts, graphs, tables, cartoons, diagrams, or photographs |
| Calculator | Not provided and not needed |
| Score scale | Scaled score from 100 to 200 |
| Passing score | Set by each state or licensing agency; check the ETS state requirements page |
| Delivery | Computer delivered at a test center or at home with remote proctoring |
| Test fee | $130 (verify current fees with ETS) |
| Retakes | Allowed after a 28-day waiting period |
| Scores | Unofficial score on screen at the end of the session for most selected-response tests; official score report posted to your ETS account a few weeks later |
Content Categories and Weights
Share of Questions by Content Category
World History to 1450 C.E. — 25%About 30 questions
World History: 1450 C.E. to the Present — 25%About 30 questions
United States History to 1877 — 25%About 30 questions
United States History: 1877 to the Present — 25%About 30 questions
How the Fifth Category Works
The fifth ETS category, Historical Thinking Skills, does not add questions. About 30 of the 120 questions (25%) are classified twice: once under a content category and once under a thinking skill. A question about a Reformation pamphlet, for example, counts toward world history since 1450 and toward evaluating sources.| Category | Approx. questions | Share | Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. World History to 1450 C.E. | about 30 of 120 questions | 25% | Geography and human origins, the Neolithic Revolution, river valley and early American civilizations, the classical civilizations, the major world religions, the collapse of classical empires, new empires and the spread of Islam, and the trade networks of Afro-Eurasia. |
| 2. World History: 1450 C.E. to the Present | about 30 of 120 questions | 25% | The Renaissance and Reformation, exploration and empire, the slave trades, the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, political and industrial revolutions, imperialism, the world wars, totalitarian states and genocides, the Cold War, decolonization, and the contemporary world. |
| 3. United States History to 1877 | about 30 of 120 questions | 25% | Native North America, European colonization, colonial society, slavery, the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, the early republic, the market revolution, reform, expansion, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. |
| 4. United States History: 1877 to the Present | about 30 of 120 questions | 25% | Industrialization, immigration, the West and the New South, Populism and Progressivism, woman suffrage, imperialism and World War I, the 1920s, the Great Depression and New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, civil rights movements, and the United States since the Cold War. |
| 5. Historical Thinking Skills | about 30 questions, shared with Sections 1–4 | 25% | The five skills ETS cross-classifies with the content categories: formulating historical questions, telling primary from secondary sources, evaluating sources, building a thesis and argument, and making connections across time and place. |
How the Questions Are Written
Stimulus-based questions
Expect short excerpts from documents and speeches, data tables, maps, charts, political cartoons, and photographs, each followed by one question.
Causes, effects, and sequence
Many questions ask what led to an event, what followed from it, or which development came first.
Comparison across regions and eras
Questions compare empires, religions, revolutions, colonies, and reform movements, or ask how one development resembles another.
Historical thinking skills
About a quarter of the questions also test a skill: framing a research question, classifying or evaluating a source, judging a thesis, or weighing evidence.
Why the Test Matters
- Many states and licensing agencies require a qualifying score for a secondary history teaching license or endorsement.
- It documents command of world and United States history from ancient civilizations to the present.
- It confirms the source-analysis and reasoning skills that history teachers model for students.
- Preparing for it builds the content knowledge you will draw on in history classrooms, including advanced courses.
How to Approach the Test
Balance the four categories
Each content category carries the same weight, so a weak era costs as much as any other. Give every category study time.
Practice with sources
Read documents actively: who wrote this, when, for whom, and why. Section 5 shows the method.
Train at test pace
120 questions in 120 minutes is one minute per question. Timed practice makes that pace familiar.
Learn from explanations
After each practice test, study why the right answer is right and why each tempting choice is wrong.
Confirm Current Details
ETS and your state set fees, policies, and qualifying scores, and they can change. Check the ETS Praxis website and your state's requirements before registering.Finished reading?
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