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Praxis Core prep

Praxis Core Writing practice

The Writing test takes 100 minutes: 40 selected-response questions in 40 minutes, then an Argumentative essay and an Informative/Explanatory essay, 30 minutes each.

The Writing test, part by part
PartTimeWhat it asks
Selected response40 minutes40 questions: usage, sentence correction, revision in context, research skills
Argumentative essay30 minutesTake a position on a topic, supported with reasons and examples from your experience, observations or reading
Informative/Explanatory essay30 minutesUse two sources to explain why an issue matters, citing both
Take the free diagnostic
Time100 minutes
EssaysScored holistically by experienced teachers
Score reportQuestion points and essay points shown separately

The selected-response questions

  • Usage: find the one underlined part with an error, or choose no error.
  • Sentence correction: choose the best version of the underlined part.
  • Revision in context: improve a draft essay's sentences, order and development.
  • Research skills: choose a research strategy, read a citation, and judge a source's relevance and credibility.

What scorers look for in the essays

ETS lists features such as the quality of the central idea, clarity, consistency of point of view, cohesiveness, the strength and logic of support, word choice and sentence structure, and correct mechanics and usage. In the Informative/Explanatory essay, scorers also look for information drawn from both sources and cited.

Try 2 questions

Question 1Usage
Choose the underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If there is no error, choose E. The new librarian [spoke] [quiet] to the students [who were] studying for exams, [so] no one else in the reading room was disturbed.
Question 2Research skills
A student is researching what daily life was like for soldiers during the Civil War and wants to include at least one primary source. Which source would meet that goal?

Next step

Take the free diagnosticStart with grammar

Questions people ask

How many essays are on the Praxis Core Writing test?

Two: an Argumentative essay and an Informative/Explanatory essay, 30 minutes each.

Do I have to cite the sources in the Informative/Explanatory essay?

Yes. ETS asks you to draw on both sources and cite the source of the information.

What score do I need to pass?

Each state or program that uses the tests sets its own passing score. Check the requirement with your state's educator licensing office or your program, or on the ETS Praxis website.