Overview of the Exam
The Praxis II for ESL is an exam of professional knowledge and skills for teachers of ESL in the public k-12 schools in the US. The exam is required by a number of states in the US, but not by all. Each state has set its own required score on the exam, so a passing score varies by state.
The exam was developed by Educational Testing Services (ETS), the same organization that administers the SAT, GRE, TOEFL, and a number of other commonly used assessments of knowledge and skills for educational purposes. ETS offers its own study guide for the exam which can be purchased in both print and downloadable electronic forms.
The exam itself consists of two major sections. The first section asks the test taker to analyze samples of English produced by ESL learners. It is divided into three subsections:
- Oral Grammar and Vocabulary
- Pronunciation
- Writing
The second section focuses on the theory and practice of ESL teaching. The following table provides further details about the organization of the exam.
Number of Questions |
Time |
|
Section I: Analysis of Student Language Production |
||
Part A: Oral Grammar and Vocabulary |
10 |
~15 minutes |
Part B: Pronunciation |
10 |
~15 minutes |
| Part C: Writing | 10 |
~10 minutes |
| Section II: Language Theory and Teaching | 90 |
~80 minutes |
| Totals | 120 |
~120 minutes |