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Praxis English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038)
The Praxis English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038) test is a 130-question selected-response computer-delivered Praxis Subject Assessment owned and administered by ETS for prospective secondary school English Language Arts teachers; it is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes, costs USD 130, and passing (qualifying) scores are set by each state or licensing agency rather than by ETS.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions130 selected-response questions; the test may contain some questions that will not count toward the score
Testing time2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes)
ScoringNo universal passing score; a passing score is the score equal to or higher than the qualifying score set by the state or licensing agency — passing scores are not set by ETS and vary by state (ETS publishes each state's qualifying score for 5038 on its Passing Score Requirements tool)
Exam feeUSD 130 test fee (shown as the test product price on the official test page); fee waivers available for eligible candidates for one Praxis Subject Test
Prep options
Study resources for Praxis 5038
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- ETS
- Category
- Teacher Licensure
- Current version
- Praxis Subject Assessment test code 5038 (English Language Arts: Content Knowledge); current specification aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 100–200 scale in 1-point increments (Understanding Your Praxis Scores 2025-26 lists 5038 with a 100-200 possible score range, mean score 176, and average performance range 168-184)
- Format
- Computer-delivered selected-response test; taken at a test center or at home (online)
- Availability
- Offered throughout the year by appointment at a network of test centers; at-home testing is available seven days a week for test takers living in the United States, its territories, or Canada
- Results
- Scores are posted to the online account and the test taker is notified by email when the score report is ready to view (score reporting dates are published by ETS; exact turnaround varies by test date)
- Score validity
- Score reports remain available in the online account for ten years from the score reporting date; score reports include the highest score earned on each test taken on test dates within the past 10 years
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
One section of 130 selected-response questions (single-answer, select-one-or-more, numeric-entry, and other question types) covering three content categories: (1) reading, including the study of literature (stories, drama, poetry) and informational texts (literary nonfiction such as essays, biographies, and speeches); (2) use of the English language, including conventions of standard English and vocabulary development; (3) writing, speaking, and listening
Where rules vary
The test itself is uniform nationwide; each U.S. state or licensing agency decides whether it accepts test 5038 and sets its own qualifying (passing) score. At-home delivery is limited to test takers who live in the United States, its territories, or Canada.
Eligibility
No eligibility prerequisites enforced by ETS for registration; the test is intended for prospective secondary school English Language Arts teachers, and candidates must confirm their certifying state accepts test 5038
Retake policy
A retake of the same test must be scheduled at least 28 days after the previous test date (applies even if scores were canceled; violating the restriction causes cancellation of retest scores with no refund); reschedule or cancel at least 3 days before the appointment to avoid forfeiting fees (cancellation by the deadline may qualify for a 50% refund)