NES American Sign Language II (824) Practice Tests
Prepare for the NES American Sign Language II (824): 50 multiple-choice questions and 4 open-response assignments (4 expressive production video-recordings) in 2 hours 15 minutes, covering 2 content areas: Receptive Comprehension (40%) and Expressive Production (60%).
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NES American Sign Language II (824): Test at a Glance
Facts as published by the official test program.
The NES American Sign Language II (824) test (field 824) has 50 multiple-choice questions and 4 open-response assignments (4 expressive production video-recordings) and 2 hours and 15 minutes of testing time, not including the 15-minute tutorial. The passing score is 220.
Its subareas are Receptive Comprehension (40%), Expressive Production (60%). The official test profile lists 5 competencies across them.
NES publishes the objectives for this test but not a full framework document. The skills listed under each objective in this guide come from the Ohio OAE study guide for American Sign Language (fields 050 and 051), which uses the same competencies.
Open-response items are written (or, in the world languages, spoken) responses that are scored against the rubrics in the test profile, separately from the multiple-choice items. The percentages in the test profile include them, so a weak open response costs real points.
In round numbers, the subarea weights mean roughly this many of the 54 items: Receptive Comprehension (about 22), Expressive Production (about 32). The test profile calls the percentages approximate, so treat them as a planning guide rather than an exact count.
Passing score: A scaled score of 220 (scale 100 to 300).
NES American Sign Language II (824): Exam Blueprint
Content categories and approximate weighting from the official test framework.
1. Receptive Comprehension
40%Competencies 01–04 make up about 40% of the test. They ask you to determine essential information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language; infer information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language; analyze a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language, and more.
- Competency 0001: Determine essential information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language. Skills tested: Determine a main idea or supporting details; Identify a sequence of steps; Recognize a stated cause-and-effect relationship; Demonstrate knowledge of common idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms likely to be encountered in a signed message; Demonstrate knowledge of customary greetings, questions, or comments likely to be encountered in social situations.
- Competency 0002: Infer information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language. Skills tested: Draw conclusions based on information presented in a signed message; Predict the outcome of a situation; Determine an implied cause-and-effect relationship; Infer a signer's intent, assumptions, or point of view; Infer the relationship between participants in a conversation; Determine the tone or mood of one or more individuals.
- Competency 0003: Analyze a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language. Skills tested: Analyze the social or cultural context of a signed message (e.g., a meeting between family members, a discussion among professional colleagues); Determine the intent of one or more individuals; Analyze the assumptions of one or more individuals; Comprehend often-used figurative language in American Sign Language (e.g., metaphors, similes).
- Competency 0004: Analyze errors in a short message in American Sign Language. Skills tested: Identify errors in a short message in American Sign Language (e.g., errors of classifier choice, errors in use of nonmanual modifiers and morphemes).
2. Expressive Production
60%Competencies 05 make up about 60% of the test. They ask you to in response to an assignment, communicate an effective message in American Sign Language, using vocabulary, linguistic structures, and pragmatics appropriate for the given audience and purpose.
- Competency 0005: In response to an assignment, communicate an effective message in American Sign Language, using vocabulary, linguistic structures, and pragmatics appropriate for the given audience and purpose. Skills tested: Address all components of the assignment in an appropriate manner for the intended audience and purpose; Deliver a consistently clear, organized, and coherent message that develops the topic using specific, relevant details; Demonstrate accurate and appropriate use of American Sign Language syntax and grammatical forms, such as ASL sentence structure; pronouns (e.g., index, eye gaze, directional verbs, body shifts, reference points); listing; reduplication; classifiers; numerical incorporation; inflection; verbal aspect; verbal directionality; nonmanual modifiers and morphemes (e.g., facial expression, body position); and avoidance of English grammar and grammatical features such as forms of the verb to be, articles, and prepositions; Demonstrate a wide range of accurate, precise ASL vocabulary (e.g., semantic accuracy, avoiding excessive use of fingerspelling and circumlocution) and appropriate use of idiomatic expressions; Demonstrate a steady rate and appropriate pace of sign production in connected discourse; Demonstrate clear, correctly formed articulation of American Sign Language with appropriate use of the signing space.
Study Guide by Content Category
Use this section to plan your study time. Each topic comes from the official content categories for NES American Sign Language II (824).
Category 1 · Receptive Comprehension
About 40% of the exam- Determine essential information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language. Review Determine a main idea or supporting details; Identify a sequence of steps; Recognize a stated cause-and-effect relationship; Demonstrate knowledge of common idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms likely to be encountered in a signed message; Demonstrate knowledge of customary greetings, questions, or comments likely to be encountered in social situations.
- Infer information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language. Review Draw conclusions based on information presented in a signed message; Predict the outcome of a situation; Determine an implied cause-and-effect relationship; Infer a signer's intent, assumptions, or point of view; Infer the relationship between participants in a conversation; Determine the tone or mood of one or more individuals.
- Analyze a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language. Review Analyze the social or cultural context of a signed message (e.g., a meeting between family members, a discussion among professional colleagues); Determine the intent of one or more individuals; Analyze the assumptions of one or more individuals; Comprehend often-used figurative language in American Sign Language (e.g., metaphors, similes).
- Analyze errors in a short message in American Sign Language. Review Identify errors in a short message in American Sign Language (e.g., errors of classifier choice, errors in use of nonmanual modifiers and morphemes).
Category 2 · Expressive Production
About 60% of the exam- In response to an assignment, communicate an effective message in American Sign Language, using vocabulary, linguistic structures, and pragmatics appropriate for the given audience and purpose. Review Address all components of the assignment in an appropriate manner for the intended audience and purpose; Deliver a consistently clear, organized, and coherent message that develops the topic using specific, relevant details; Demonstrate accurate and appropriate use of American Sign Language syntax and grammatical forms, such as ASL sentence structure; pronouns (e.g., index, eye gaze, directional verbs, body shifts, reference points); listing; reduplication; classifiers; numerical incorporation; inflection; verbal aspect; verbal directionality; nonmanual modifiers and morphemes (e.g., facial expression, body position); and avoidance of English grammar and grammatical features such as forms of the verb to be, articles, and prepositions; Demonstrate a wide range of accurate, precise ASL vocabulary (e.g., semantic accuracy, avoiding excessive use of fingerspelling and circumlocution) and appropriate use of idiomatic expressions; Demonstrate a steady rate and appropriate pace of sign production in connected discourse; Demonstrate clear, correctly formed articulation of American Sign Language with appropriate use of the signing space.
- More on in response to an assignment, communicate an effective message in American Sign Language, using vocabulary, linguistic structures, and pragmatics appropriate for the given audience and purpose. Check yourself against the full competency text in the official test profile.
- More on in response to an assignment, communicate an effective message in American Sign Language, using vocabulary, linguistic structures, and pragmatics appropriate for the given audience and purpose. Check yourself against the full competency text in the official test profile.
Registration, Test Day and Scoring
- Provider
- Pearson, through your state's NES website
- Test options
- Test center or online proctored (varies by test)
- Passing score
- 220 for most tests and 240 for some (see each test page)
How to Register
- 1Confirm what you need
Your state's licensing agency decides which NES tests your credential requires. Confirm the test name and code before you register.
- 2Register on your state's NES website
Create an account on the NES site for your state, choose your test and an appointment, and pay when you register.
- 3Prepare with the official materials
Each test has a profile that lists every content domain and competency, and registration includes a practice test where one is available.
Fees
The fee is not listed on this page, so confirm the amount on the official registration page. Fees can change and can differ by state, so confirm the amount on your state's NES website when you register.
Test day
NES tests are run by Pearson and scheduled through your state's NES website. Depending on the test and the state, you can test at a test center or online with a remote proctor.
Every appointment includes 15 minutes for the tutorial and nondisclosure agreement in addition to the testing time. At a test center, restroom breaks are allowed and count against testing time. Online-proctored testing allows no breaks, apart from the optional break on tests that are split into two parts.
Read the testing policies on your state's NES website for arrival and identification requirements before your appointment.
Scoring
NES scores are reported on a scaled range. The national benchmark passing score is 220 for most NES tests and 240 for some, such as the superintendent, sign language and many K-12 and secondary subject tests, so check the passing score shown on your test's page. Your state decides which tests your credential requires and whether it applies a different passing score.
Tests with written assignments, such as the Assessment of Professional Knowledge and Essential Academic Skills Writing, are scored after testing, so score reports for those tests take longer than tests that are fully multiple-choice.
Who Takes NES American Sign Language II (824)?
Candidates seeking certification in this field. Your state's licensing agency decides which tests your credential requires, so confirm with it or your preparation program that test 824 applies to you.
Teacher candidates preparing in American Sign Language II. Use the 5 competencies as a checklist of what to review before test day.
How to Prepare for NES American Sign Language II (824)
- 1Start with the official preparation materials
Review the official NES profile for test 824. It lists each content domain and competency with its descriptive statements.
- 2Study by weight
Give the most time to Expressive Production (about 60%), but cover every category.
- 3Practice at the exam pace
You have about 2 minutes 30 seconds per item on average (2 hours and 15 minutes for 54 items). Practice at that pace so time does not decide your result.
- 4Weights guide your review
The largest subarea is Expressive Production, at 60% of the test. Spend review time in proportion to the weights, but cover every subarea.
- 5Use the competencies as a checklist
The test profile lists 5 competencies. For each one, check whether you can explain it without notes and start with the ones you cannot.
- 6Read the verb in each competency
2 of the 5 competencies begin with a verb such as Apply, Analyze, Evaluate or Demonstrate. Those signal items that ask you to use a concept in a scenario, so practice with worked examples and not only definitions.
- 7Practice the open responses
Write timed responses to the sample open-response items, then score them against the rubric in the test profile. Organization and support count as much as being right.
- 8Use the official practice materials
Registration includes a free online practice test, and the test profile includes a sample item for each competency. Work through them to learn the item style before you test.
- 9Check your state's list
A test that is offered in one state may not be offered in another, so confirm the exact test name and code with your state before you register.
NES American Sign Language II (824): Frequently Asked Questions
What is the passing score for NES American Sign Language II (824)?+
A scaled score of 220 (scale 100 to 300).
What is on NES American Sign Language II (824)?+
50 multiple-choice questions and 4 open-response assignments (4 expressive production video-recordings), in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
How many items are on NES American Sign Language II (824) and how long is it?+
50 multiple-choice questions and 4 open-response assignments (4 expressive production video-recordings), with 2 hours and 15 minutes of testing time plus a 15-minute tutorial.
Which subarea carries the most weight on field 824?+
Expressive Production, at about 60% of the test.
How many competencies are on field 824?+
The official test profile lists 5 competencies, from 0001 to 0005.
What are the open-response items on field 824?+
The test has 50 multiple-choice questions and 4 open-response assignments (4 expressive production video-recordings). Open responses are scored separately from the multiple-choice items against published rubrics, and the test profile describes each assignment.
What does the Receptive Comprehension subarea cover on NES American Sign Language II (824)?+
It makes up about 40% of the test and covers competencies 01–04: Determine essential information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language; Infer information from a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language; Analyze a variety of authentic signed messages in American Sign Language; Analyze errors in a short message in American Sign Language.
What does the Expressive Production subarea cover on NES American Sign Language II (824)?+
It makes up about 60% of the test and covers competencies 05: In response to an assignment, communicate an effective message in American Sign Language, using vocabulary, linguistic structures, and pragmatics appropriate for the given audience and purpose.
Where do the skills listed for test 824 come from?+
NES lists the objectives for test 824 on its preparation page but does not publish a full framework. The detailed skills here come from the Ohio OAE study guide for American Sign Language, which has the same competencies.
What score do I need to pass an NES test?+
The national benchmark is 220 for most NES tests and 240 for some, and the score is shown on each test's page. Your state decides which tests are required and may set its own requirements.
Do NES tests vary by state?+
Yes. Each state chooses which NES tests it uses, and fees and test options can differ, so confirm the details on your state's NES website.
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Start Practice Free →Sources: NES American Sign Language II (824) official objectives (nestest.com); OAE American Sign Language study guide (skills detail); NES test list; National Evaluation Series test list (nestest.com); NES preparation materials and test frameworks; NES correlation tables and frameworks; NES testing policies. Always confirm current requirements, fees and passing scores with the official program before you register.
ApexTeachersPrep is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by National Evaluation Series. Last reviewed: October 29, 2026.