Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Practice Test
Frequently asked questions
How many Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators practice questions are here?+
A full bank of original Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators practice questions across the official content areas, weighted like the real exam, with explanations. Free, no signup.
What is the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators exam like?+
A multiple-choice exam. Practice by topic here, then take the full timed mock exam to gauge readiness.
Are these the real exam questions?+
No. Every question is 100% original, written from public primary sources with explanations. We never copy real exam questions or paid prep material.
Can I study in Chinese or Spanish?+
PrepPass practice is in English, 中文 and Español. The official exam is in English — switch the question language to English any time to rehearse the exact terminology you'll see on test day.
Sample practice questions
A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.
- 1. Reading
Read the passage: 'Community gardens do more than grow vegetables. They give neighbors a shared purpose, teach children where food comes from, and turn vacant lots into gathering places.' Which best states the main idea?
- a.Vegetables are difficult to grow in cities
- b.Community gardens provide benefits beyond producing food
- c.Children rarely understand where food comes from
- d.Vacant lots should be sold to developers
Answer: b
Explanation: The passage lists several benefits of community gardens beyond the vegetables themselves, making the broad statement that they provide social and educational value the main idea. The other choices focus on narrow details or ideas the passage does not support.
- 2. Reading
In the sentence 'The scientist's novel approach challenged assumptions that had gone unquestioned for decades,' the word 'novel' most nearly means:
- a.New or original
- b.Fictional
- c.Lengthy
- d.Difficult
Answer: a
Explanation: In this context 'novel' means new or original, describing a fresh approach that challenged old assumptions. Although 'novel' can also mean a work of fiction, that meaning does not fit a scientist's approach here.
- 3. Reading
Read the passage: 'Sea otters help keep kelp forests healthy. By eating sea urchins, which graze on kelp, otters prevent the urchins from destroying the underwater forest.' According to the passage, how do otters protect kelp?
- a.By eating kelp themselves
- b.By eating the sea urchins that graze on kelp
- c.By planting new kelp
- d.By scaring away larger fish
Answer: b
Explanation: The passage states that otters eat sea urchins, which would otherwise destroy the kelp, so controlling the urchin population is how otters protect the forest. This is a supporting detail stated directly in the text.
- 4. Reading
In a paragraph, a sentence begins with 'For example,' followed by a specific case. That sentence most likely functions to:
- a.Illustrate or support a preceding general statement
- b.Introduce a completely unrelated topic
- c.Summarize the entire passage
- d.Contradict the main argument
Answer: a
Explanation: The transition 'for example' signals that the sentence provides a specific illustration supporting a broader point made just before it. Recognizing how transitions signal structure is part of analyzing craft and organization.
- 5. Writing
Which sentence uses pronoun agreement correctly?
- a.Each student must bring their own pencil, or they will lose points
- b.Every teacher submitted their grades late
- c.Each student must bring his or her own pencil
- d.Neither of the boys finished their test
Answer: c
Explanation: 'Each' is singular, so it agrees with the singular 'his or her.' In formal usage tested here, singular indefinite pronouns like 'each' and 'neither' take singular pronouns rather than the plural 'their.'
- 6. Writing
Which sentence maintains parallel structure?
- a.She likes hiking, to swim, and biking
- b.She likes hiking, swimming, and biking
- c.She likes to hike, swimming, and to bike
- d.She likes hiking, swimming, and to bike
Answer: b
Explanation: Parallel structure requires items in a series to share the same grammatical form. 'Hiking, swimming, and biking' are all gerunds, so the sentence is parallel; mixing gerunds with infinitives breaks the parallelism.
- 7. Writing
In a research-based essay, the main purpose of citing a source is to:
- a.Give credit to the original author and let readers verify the information
- b.Make the essay longer
- c.Hide where the ideas came from
- d.Replace the writer's own thesis
Answer: a
Explanation: Citation credits the original author and allows readers to locate and verify the source, which supports credibility and avoids plagiarism. It is a core research and language skill, not a way to pad length or conceal sources.
- 8. Mathematics
What is 25% of 80?
- a.16
- b.18
- c.20
- d.25
Answer: c
Explanation: 25% equals one-quarter, and one-quarter of 80 is 80 divided by 4, which is 20. You can also compute 0.25 times 80 to get 20.
- 9. Mathematics
If 4 pens cost $6, how much do 10 pens cost at the same rate?
- a.$10
- b.$12
- c.$14
- d.$15
Answer: d
Explanation: Each pen costs $6 divided by 4, which is $1.50. Ten pens cost 10 times $1.50, which equals $15. Setting up the proportion 4/6 = 10/x gives the same result.
- 10. Mathematics
A rectangle has a length of 8 units and a width of 3 units. What is its area?
- a.11 square units
- b.22 square units
- c.24 square units
- d.48 square units
Answer: c
Explanation: The area of a rectangle is length times width: 8 times 3 equals 24 square units. Adding the sides instead would give perimeter-related values, not area.