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PRAXISCode: 5753Combined Test📚 Common Core Aligned✍ Includes 2 Essays

Praxis® Communication and Literacy
Combined (5753)
Practice Test & Study Guide

One combined session for both subtests: Reading (5714) and Writing (5724). Aligned to Common Core State Standards — includes selected-response questions, usage and grammar, revision in context, research skills, and two timed essays.

110
Questions
~185 min
Time limit
Varies
Passing score*
2
Subtests
$130
Exam fee
5714
Reading subtest
5724
Writing subtest
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Reading (5714): 56 selected-response questions, 85 minutes. Questions are based on reading passages — literary, informational, and practical texts from newspapers, magazines, journals, novels, and online articles. Three content categories: Key Ideas and Details (35%), Craft/Structure/Language Skills (30%), and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (35%). All skills aligned to Common Core State Standards for Reading.

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Writing (5724): 40 selected-response + 2 essays, 100 minutes total (3 separately timed sections). The 40-minute SR section covers usage, sentence correction, revision in context, and research skills. Then two separate 30-minute essay sections: one Argumentative essay and one Informative/Explanatory essay. Essays are read and scored holistically by experienced teachers.

📋

Source: All exam details are drawn from the official ETS Praxis Writing (5724) Study Companion and official ETS test pages for 5714 and 5753. Passing scores vary by state — always confirm at ets.org/praxis/states.

Two Subtests — One Session

The Combined (5753) allows you to take both subtests back-to-back in the same appointment. Each subtest is separately scored and can also be taken independently.

Reading

Communication and Literacy: Reading

Subtest 5714
Questions56 selected-response
Time85 minutes
FormatPassage-based SR only
Categories3 content categories
StandardsCommon Core Reading
PassagesLiterary + informational
Writing

Communication and Literacy: Writing

Subtest 5724
Questions40 SR + 2 essays
Time100 min (3 sections)
Section 140 min · 40 SR
Section 230 min · Argumentative essay
Section 330 min · Info/Expl. essay
StandardsCommon Core Writing

Combined Test at a Glance

Key facts for both subtests — color coded green for Reading and orange for Writing.

Reading questions
56
All selected-response
Reading time
85 min
~90 sec per question
Writing SR questions
40
40-minute section
Writing essays
2
30 min each
Writing total time
100 min
3 separately timed sections
Combined total
~185 min
Both subtests in one session
Registration fee
$130
Paid to ETS at registration
Score reporting
~5 wks
Separate scores per subtest

About the Praxis Communication and Literacy Combined (5753)

What you need to know before you register.

The Praxis Communication and Literacy Combined (5753) allows candidates to schedule and take both the Reading (5714) and Writing (5724) subtests in the same testing session. Both subtests can also be taken independently if desired.

Both subtests measure academic skills needed to prepare successfully for a career in education, in alignment with the Common Core State Standards for Reading and Writing respectively. Skills assessed have been identified as needed for college and career readiness, with particular emphasis on skills critical to learning and achievement in teacher preparation programs.

The Reading subtest (5714) uses 56 passage-based selected-response questions to assess reading comprehension across three content categories. The Writing subtest (5724) has a three-section structure: a 40-minute selected-response section testing grammar, usage, sentence correction, revision, and research skills; and two 30-minute essay sections requiring written responses — one Argumentative and one Informative/Explanatory.

Scores for each subtest are reported separately. States typically set independent passing score requirements for the Reading and Writing subtests. Some questions in each test may not count toward your score — these are unscored pretest items you cannot identify.

Reading Subtest (5714) — Official Blueprint

Three content categories, all passage-based. Questions draw from a wide range of literary, informational, and practical texts.

Reading Category I
Key Ideas and Details
Identifying main ideas of texts and supporting details; drawing reasonable inferences from reading passages; summarizing central arguments and key points. Questions test ability to distinguish what is explicitly stated from what must be inferred, and to trace the development of ideas through a passage.
35%
~20 questions
Reading Category II
Craft, Structure, and Language Skills
Identifying author's tone, purpose, and point of view; recognizing and interpreting text structure and organization; distinguishing word meanings in specific contexts; discerning facts from opinions; understanding how word choice and figurative language contribute to meaning and style.
30%
~17 questions
Reading Category III
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Interpreting visual media and informational graphics (diagrams, charts, maps); evaluating arguments for effectiveness and validity of evidence; analyzing and comparing ideas, themes, and situations across multiple texts; synthesizing information from diverse sources and formats.
35%
~20 questions

Writing Subtest (5724) — Three-Section Structure

The Writing subtest has three separately timed sections totaling 100 minutes. Each section tests a distinct set of writing skills.

1

Selected-Response Section — Grammar, Usage, and Research

⏱ 40 minutes · 40 questions

Usage questions: Recognize errors in grammar, structural relationships, mechanics, and idiomatic expressions. Also recognize sentences that are correct as written. Tests subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, pronoun case, verb tense, parallel structure, misplaced modifiers, run-ons and fragments, capitalization, and punctuation (commas, semicolons, apostrophes).

Sentence correction questions: Select the best way to restate an underlined phrase or sentence using standard written English. In some cases the original is correct. Tests correctness, effectiveness, clarity, and freedom from awkwardness, ambiguity, and redundancy.

Revision in context questions: Given a draft essay passage, recognize how it can be strengthened through editing and revision. Questions address development, organization, word choice, style, tone, and conventions of standard written English.

Research skills questions: Recognize effective research strategies; recognize elements of citations; assess credibility and relevance of sources; identify information relevant to a specific research task.

2

Argumentative Essay

⏱ 30 minutes

Task: Write an argumentative essay supporting a position with specific reasons and examples drawn from personal experience, observation, or reading. Topics present situations familiar to all educated people — no specialized knowledge required beyond ability to write effectively in English.

Scoring: Experienced teachers score holistically on quality of insight/central idea, clarity, consistency of point of view, cohesiveness, strength and logic of supporting information, rhetorical force, appropriateness of diction and syntax, and correctness of mechanics and usage. Take time to organize your thoughts before writing — re-read and check your response before time runs out.

3

Informative/Explanatory Essay

⏱ 30 minutes

Task: Extract information from two provided source texts to identify important concerns related to a specific issue. Synthesize and integrate information from both sources, citing each source in your essay. This essay tests not just writing skill but the ability to read, synthesize, and properly attribute information from multiple texts.

Scoring: Scored on the same holistic criteria as the Argumentative essay, plus: ability to synthesize information from both provided sources and cite this information appropriately within the essay. Drawing from only one source — or failing to cite sources — will negatively affect your score on this section.

Writing Subtest (5724) — Official Content Blueprint

Two content categories spanning both the selected-response and essay sections.

Writing Category I
Text Types, Purposes, and Production
Producing argumentative essays with relevant evidence; writing informative/explanatory essays with synthesis from multiple sources; revision — developing and strengthening writing through editing. Tests text organization, logical development of ideas, word choice for effect and precision, consistency of style and tone, and effective sentence structure. Covers both essay tasks and revision-in-context SR questions.
60%
6–12 SR + 2 essays
Writing Category II
Language and Research Skills for Writing
Language skills: grammar (subject-verb agreement, pronoun case/agreement, verb tense, parallel structure, fragments and run-ons, modifier placement, correlative conjunctions); word choice (idiomatic expressions, confused words, redundancy); mechanics (capitalization, punctuation — commas, semicolons, apostrophes). Research skills: credibility of sources, citation elements, effective research strategies, relevance of information.
40%
28–34 SR questions

Key Topics by Content Area

Specific skills and competencies drawn directly from the official ETS specifications for both subtests.

ReadingReading Comprehension Skills — All Three Categories56 questions · 85 min
Identifying the main idea and central argument of passages; distinguishing main ideas from supporting details
Drawing reasonable inferences — conclusions that follow logically from the text without being explicitly stated
Summarizing key points in the author's argument; tracing the development of ideas across a passage
Identifying the author's tone (e.g., critical, celebratory, skeptical, neutral) and purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain)
Distinguishing facts (verifiable statements) from opinions (value judgments or unsupported claims)
Identifying text structure: cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, sequence, description — how structure contributes to meaning
Determining word meaning in context: distinguishing denotation from connotation; understanding figurative language and idiomatic expressions
Interpreting visual media and informational graphics: charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, infographics embedded within or accompanying passages
Evaluating argument effectiveness: identifying claims, evidence, reasoning; assessing validity and logical fallacies
Analyzing and comparing ideas across two or more texts: identifying similar themes, conflicting arguments, and complementary evidence
Passage types: literary texts (novels, short stories), informational texts (articles, essays, nonfiction), and practical/functional texts (instructions, announcements, notices)
Source types: newspapers, magazines, academic journals, novels, online articles, and infographic-style visual information
Writing SRSelected-Response Writing Skills — Grammar, Usage, and Research40 questions · 40 min section
Subject-verb agreement: compound subjects, collective nouns, inverted sentences, indefinite pronouns
Pronoun-antecedent agreement; pronoun case (subjective vs. objective vs. possessive); intensive pronouns; vague pronoun reference
Verb tense consistency: recognizing and correcting inappropriate shifts in tense within a passage
Modifiers: misplaced and dangling modifiers; correct placement of phrases and clauses within sentences
Sentence structure: fragments and run-ons; coordinating and subordinating conjunctions; correlative conjunctions; parallel structure
Adjectives vs. adverbs: correct usage; comparative and superlative forms; errors in modification
Word choice: idiomatic expression errors; frequently confused words (affect/effect, lay/lie); wrong word usage; redundancy
Capitalization errors: proper nouns, titles, beginning of sentences, institutions
Punctuation: commas (introductory elements, non-restrictive clauses, series); semicolons (joining independent clauses); apostrophes (contractions, possessives)
No Error recognition: identifying sentences that are already correct — do not make a change when the original is best
Revision in context: improving word choice, organization, style, and tone in a draft passage; strengthening coherence and transitions
Research skills: source credibility and relevance; elements of a citation; appropriate research strategies for a given task; identifying relevant information for research
EssaysEssay Writing Criteria — Argumentative and Informative/Explanatory2 essays · 30 min each

Essays are scored holistically by experienced teachers on the following criteria:

Quality of insight / central ideaDepth and originality of your position or analysis; clarity of thesis
ClarityHow clearly you communicate your ideas to an educated reader
Consistency of point of viewMaintaining a clear, sustained perspective throughout the essay
CohesivenessHow well ideas connect; effective use of transitions and varied sentence structure
Strength and logic of supportQuality, specificity, and relevance of evidence and examples provided
Rhetorical forceOverall persuasiveness or explanatory power of the writing
Appropriateness of diction and syntaxWord choice and sentence structure appropriate for an educated adult audience
Correctness of mechanics and usageGrammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling errors that affect readability
Synthesis from sources (Info/Expl. only)Drawing information from BOTH provided sources and citing each within the essay
Address all task requirementsFully responding to every part of the essay prompt — partial responses score lower

Registration, Test Day & Scoring

Everything you need to know before and on exam day for the combined session.

Registration

Where to registerpraxis.ets.org
Exam fee$130
Testing formatsIn-person or remote
ID required2 forms of valid ID
Arrive (in-person)30 min early

Scoring

SR questionsMachine scored
EssaysHolistic score by teacher raters
Writing SR reportedSeparately from essays
Passing scoresVary by state (per subtest)
Results available~5 weeks post-test

Reading Subtest (5714)

Questions56 selected-response
Time85 minutes
Question typesPassage-based SR only
Content categories3 (see above)
StandardsCommon Core Reading

Writing Subtest (5724)

SR questions40 questions · 40 min
Essay 1Argumentative · 30 min
Essay 2Info/Explanatory · 30 min
Total writing time100 minutes
StandardsCommon Core Writing

Passing Score Requirements by State

Passing scores are set independently by each state — and are reported separately for Reading (5714) and Writing (5724).

Important: Passing score requirements vary by state or licensing agency and are set separately for the Reading and Writing subtests. A score that meets one state's requirement may not meet another's. Always verify the exact requirements for your state at ets.org/praxis/states before registering.

On the Writing subtest, points earned on the selected-response section are reported separately from points earned on the essay sections. There is no penalty for wrong answers on the selected-response questions in either subtest. Some questions are unscored pretest items that you cannot identify — treat every question equally.

How to Prepare for the Communication and Literacy Combined Exam

Strategies for both subtests — including the unique challenges of timed essays and passage-based reading comprehension.

  • The Writing subtest has THREE separately timed sections — you cannot go back between sections. The 40-minute SR section, the 30-minute Argumentative essay, and the 30-minute Informative/Explanatory essay are each timed independently. Once you move from Section 1 to Section 2, you cannot return. Budget your time within each section: for the essays, allocate 3–5 minutes to plan, 20–22 minutes to write, and 3–5 minutes to re-read and correct.
  • The Informative/Explanatory essay requires you to cite BOTH provided sources — drawing from only one will cost you points. The scoring rubric explicitly includes "ability to synthesize information from both provided sources and cite this information in the essay" as a separate evaluation criterion. Practice reading two short texts quickly, identifying the most useful information from each, and incorporating and attributing both in a coherent essay within 30 minutes.
  • Know the "No Error" option for Usage and Sentence Correction questions. Many Usage questions include "No error" as an answer choice — a significant percentage of questions use it as the correct answer. Do not assume every sentence has an error. Read the entire sentence first, then look at the underlined portions. If you cannot find a genuine error, select "No error" confidently rather than forcing a change.
  • Revision in Context questions test cohesion and logic, not just grammar. Unlike Usage questions (find the error), Revision in Context questions present draft passages and ask how to improve them. Focus on transitions, sentence combining, pronoun reference clarity, and eliminating redundancy. The question stem tells you what aspect of the passage to consider — development, organization, word choice, style, or tone — read it carefully before looking at the passage.
  • For Reading, build stamina for sustained passage-based reading across all text types. You'll answer 56 questions based on a variety of passages — literary, informational (academic articles, essays), and practical (instructions, notices). Practice reading efficiently without re-reading entire passages for each question. Use the passage text strategically — locate the relevant section for each question rather than rereading from start to finish.
  • Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (35% of Reading) includes charts, graphs, and diagrams. Don't be caught off guard by data visualization questions. Practice reading simple tables, bar charts, line graphs, and population maps quickly and accurately. These questions test whether you can extract and interpret information from non-text formats, a skill explicitly targeted by the Common Core Standards this exam aligns to.
  • Download the official ETS Study Companion for Writing (5724) and work through all sample questions with answer explanations. The companion contains sample Usage, Sentence Correction, Revision in Context, and Research Skills questions with full explanations — plus sample essay topics and guidance on essay scoring. The explanation for each wrong answer choice teaches the specific rule being tested, making it more valuable than a correct-only answer key.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers sourced from the official ETS Praxis Writing (5724) Study Companion and ETS test information pages for 5714 and 5753.

What is the Praxis Communication and Literacy Combined (5753)?+
The Combined (5753) allows you to schedule and take both the Reading (5714) and Writing (5724) subtests in the same testing session. Each subtest is separately scored. Reading: 56 SR questions, 85 minutes. Writing: 40 SR + 2 essays, 100 minutes (3 separately timed sections). Both subtests can also be taken independently.
Does the Writing subtest include essays?+
Yes. The Writing subtest (5724) has three sections: a 40-minute SR section (40 questions covering usage, sentence correction, revision, and research skills), a 30-minute Argumentative essay, and a 30-minute Informative/Explanatory essay. All three sections are separately timed — you cannot return to a previous section once you have moved on.
How are the essays scored?+
Experienced teachers score essays holistically (one score for overall quality) on: quality of insight/central idea, clarity, consistency of point of view, cohesiveness, strength and logic of supporting information, rhetorical force, diction and syntax, and mechanics. For the Informative/Explanatory essay, raters also assess your ability to synthesize information from both provided sources and cite them in the essay.
What standards are these subtests aligned to?+
Both subtests align to the Common Core State Standards — Reading (5714) to CCSS for Reading, and Writing (5724) to CCSS for Writing. Skills assessed reflect college and career readiness expectations with particular emphasis on skills critical to teacher preparation programs.
Can I take Reading and Writing separately instead of combined?+
Yes. Reading (5714) and Writing (5724) can each be taken independently or together as the Combined (5753). Taking the combined test simply means both subtests are scheduled in the same appointment. Scores are reported separately regardless of whether you register for 5753 or for the subtests individually.
What types of passages appear on the Reading subtest?+
Passages include literary texts (novels, short stories), informational texts (newspaper and magazine articles, academic essays, nonfiction), and practical/functional texts (instructions, notices, announcements). Source types include newspapers, magazines, journals, novels, online articles, and infographics. All questions are passage-based selected-response.
What is the passing score for the Praxis 5753?+
Passing scores are set independently by each state and vary. Scores are reported separately for Reading and Writing — your state may have different passing score requirements for each subtest. Always verify at ets.org/praxis/states before registering.
How much does the Praxis Communication and Literacy Combined exam cost?+
The registration fee is $130, paid to ETS at praxis.ets.org. Check the ETS website for current pricing as fees may vary by test format or any optional services.

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Sources: ETS Praxis Communication and Literacy: Writing (5724) Study Companion (official PDF, praxis.ets.org); ETS official test pages for 5714 (Communication and Literacy: Reading) and 5753 (Combined); Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts; ETS Praxis Test Schedule 2025–26. Praxis® is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS. Passing score requirements vary by state — always verify at ets.org/praxis/states.
Last Updated: May 22, 2026