How Is the Praxis II Scored?

About the Test

The Praxis II tests students on the subjects they will teach. Passing the Praxis II exam is required for teacher certification in many states, by many schools of education for graduation and by many professional organizations for membership. Passing scores vary by agency: you need to contact the appropriate one for more information about its requirements.

Multiple Choice Tests

A computer scores the multiple choice test, giving one raw score point for each correct answer. Then the raw score is converted to a scaled score; the scaled score is based on weighing the difficulty of each question answered. The Education Testing Service keeps the exact formula for weighing questions confidential.

Constructed Response Tests

Constructed response tests, such as essays or fill in the blank, are scored by people trained in Educational Testing Service standards. Two methods are used, depending on the specific Praxis II subject.

In one methodology, two scorers independently score the response to each question. If their scores differ significantly, then a third scorer is called in. In the other methodology, a different scorer rates each answer independently.

To get scores, on some tests scorer answer ratings are simply added to create the raw score. Other tests scorer ratings are multiplied by scoring weights to account for individual question difficulty, then those scores are added to get the raw score. Raw scores are converted into scaled scores based the difficulty on that edition of the test.

Resources

• Book To Help You Study for the Praxis