PRAXISCode: 5026Early Childhood🎒 PreK–Lower Elementary2 Subtests: 5027 + 5028
Praxis® Early Childhood
Assessment (5026)
Practice Test & Study Guide
Comprehensive preparation for PreK and lower elementary teacher candidates — covering all four content areas across two subtests: Reading & Language Arts and Social Studies (5027), plus Mathematics and Science (5028).
80
Total questions
4 hrs
Total time
Varies
Passing score*
2
Subtests
$130
Exam fee
4.9 · 12,400
Start Practicing Free
No credit card. 10 questions/day free forever.
Get Free Access →See Premium PlansAdaptive IRT-based selection
Explanation for every question
Domain-level score breakdown
Timed full-length practice mode
📘
The Early Childhood Assessment (5026) consists of two subtests totaling 180 questions and 4 hours.Each subtest has 90 questions and a 2-hour time limit: Reading and Language Arts & Social Studies (5027) and Mathematics and Science (5028). Passing score requirements are set by individual states and vary by jurisdiction. Each subtest can also be taken independently.
📚
Four content areas across two subtests — designed specifically for PreK through lower elementary teachers.The 5027 subtest covers Reading & Language Arts (67%, ~60 questions) and Social Studies (33%, ~30 questions) aligned to NCTE/ILA and NCSS standards. The 5028 subtest covers Mathematics (64%, ~58 questions) and Science (36%, ~32 questions) aligned to NCTM, NSTA, and NGSS standards.
📋
Source: All exam details are drawn from the official ETS Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Study Companion. Passing scores vary by state — always confirm at ets.org/praxis/states.
Early Childhood Assessment (5026) — Test at a Glance
Key facts for the combined assessment and both individual subtests.
Test code
5026
Combined assessment
Total questions
180
90 per subtest
Total time
4 hrs
2 hours per subtest
Content areas
4
Across 2 subtests
Subtest 5027
Reading/ELA + SS
90 questions · 2 hours
Subtest 5028
Math + Science
90 questions · 2 hours
Exam fee
$130
Confirm at praxis.ets.org
Score reporting
~5 wks
Per subtest separately
About the Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026)
What you need to know before you register.
The Early Childhood Assessment (5026) is designed for candidates who possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities in early childhood instruction that are important and necessary as they prepare to enter the field of elementary education in prekindergarten and the lower elementary grades. The assessment measures content knowledge across reading and language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science.
The assessment consists of two subtests: the Early Childhood: Reading and Language Arts & Social Studies (5027) with 90 questions in 2 hours, and the Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science (5028) with 90 questions in 2 hours. Each subtest can also be taken independently. The test was developed and confirmed by an advisory panel of practicing early childhood and elementary teachers, teacher educators, and higher education specialists.
The 5027 subtest is based on the Standards for the English Language Arts (NCTE/ILA) and social studies content standards from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). The 5028 subtest is based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) standards, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
The test uses a variety of selected-response question formats, including single-answer and select-one-or-more questions. Some questions may not count toward your score — these are unscored pretest items you cannot identify, so treat every question equally.
Two Subtests at a Glance
Each subtest is separately scored and can also be scheduled independently.
Subtest 5027
Reading and Language Arts & Social Studies
Code: 5027 — can be taken independently
Questions90 selected-response
Time2 hours (120 min)
Reading & Language Arts67% · ~60 questions
Social Studies33% · ~30 questions
StandardsNCTE/ILA + NCSS
Subtest 5028
Mathematics and Science
Code: 5028 — can be taken independently
Questions90 selected-response
Time2 hours (120 min)
Mathematics64% · ~58 questions
Science36% · ~32 questions
StandardsNCTM + NSTA + NGSS
Professional Standards Alignment
The Early Childhood Assessment aligns to four separate sets of national professional standards across both subtests.
NCTE / ILA
Standards for the English Language Arts — National Council of Teachers of English and International Literacy Association
Subtest 5027 · Reading & ELA
NCSS
National Standards for Social Studies — National Council for the Social Studies
Subtest 5027 · Social Studies
NCTM
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics — National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Subtest 5028 · Mathematics
NSTA + NGSS
NSTA Science Teaching Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
Subtest 5028 · Science
Official Exam Blueprint: 4 Content Categories
The official ETS blueprint defines four content categories across the two subtests — color-coded by subject area.
Subtest 5027 — Category I
Reading and Language Arts
Emergent literacy and language acquisition; phonological and phonemic awareness; phonics, word analysis, and fluency; reading comprehension of literary and informational text; text structure and genres; point of view; writing development stages, authoring cycle, and types; digital media literacy; research process; speaking and listening; language conventions and vocabulary development.
67%
~60 questions
Subtest 5027 — Category II
Social Studies
Community, culture, and identity (self-concept, institutions, cultural perspectives); people, places, and environments (geographic concepts, map literacy, human-environment interaction); time, continuity, and change (chronological thinking, historical analysis); civics and government (civic concepts, participation, democratic structures, government forms).
33%
~30 questions
Subtest 5028 — Category III
Mathematics
Whole numbers and place value; operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) with whole numbers and problem types; fractions and decimals; algebraic thinking (patterns, properties of operations, equations with variables); geometry and shape attributes; measurement (elapsed time, money, length, area, volume, perimeter); data representation and interpretation.
64%
~58 questions
Subtest 5028 — Category IV
Science
Nature of science and engineering (basic science skills, crosscutting concepts, engineering design process); physical science (properties of matter and waves, energy, forces and motion); Earth and space science (Earth-Sun-Moon system, Earth materials, Earth systems change); life science (organism characteristics, life cycles, inherited traits, ecosystems) — all at PreK–lower elementary level.
36%
~32 questions
Key Topics by Content Category
Specific competencies drawn directly from the official ETS content specifications for all four categories.
Reading & ELAReading and Language Arts (Category I)~60 questions · 67%
Language acquisition stages: recognizing stages of oral and written language development (including spelling) in early childhood; differentiating instructional approaches for ELs, students with special needs, and gifted learners
Print awareness: environmental print, print concepts; understanding how print conveys a message; strategies to develop print awareness in emergent readers
Phonological and phonemic awareness: distinguishing phonological awareness from phonemic awareness; identifying and providing examples of phonemes, syllables, onsets, and rimes; blending, segmenting, substituting, and deleting phonemes
Phonics and word analysis: letter-sound correspondences; CVC, VC, CV syllabication patterns; spelling conventions; distinguishing sight words from decodable words; using roots and affixes to decode unfamiliar words
Fluency: definition (accuracy, rate, prosody); strategies to develop fluency (repeated reading, choral reading, selecting appropriate texts, modeling); impact of fluency on comprehension
Reading comprehension — literary text: key details, moral/theme, characters, setting, plot sequence; making inferences; summarizing; analyzing literary structure across genres (drama, poetry)
Reading comprehension — informational text: key details, central idea; text features (sidebars, hyperlinks, images); organizational structures (cause/effect, problem/solution, comparison); relationships among individuals, events, and ideas
Point of view: identifying author's point of view in various genres; comparing multiple perspectives about the same event; how point of view affects text structure
Integration of texts and media: comparing written, visual, and oral information; explaining how visual/oral elements enhance meaning; comparing literary and informational texts on the same theme
Text complexity: factors contributing to complexity (vocabulary, sentence length, images); text-leveling systems; selecting appropriate texts for readers at various levels
Writing development and process: developmental continuum (drawing to scribbling to letter strings); authoring cycle (brainstorming through publishing); types of writing (persuasive, informative/explanatory, narrative); characteristics of effective writing; digital tools for writing; research process and source credibility
Language conventions: parts of speech; sentence types (simple, compound, compound-complex); Standard English grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling; figurative language; academic, conversational, and domain-specific vocabulary; word meaning from context, syntax, roots, and affixes
Social StudiesSocial Studies (Category II)~30 questions · 33%
Community, culture, and identity: self-concept, self-awareness, and self-regulation development; how institutions (religious, academic, government) influence individual identity, beliefs, and behaviors
Cultural perspectives: how families, groups, and cultures address similar human needs; language, literature, music, and art as cultural expressions; interdependence and intradependence between cultural groups
Geographic concepts: region, measurement, directional terms, landmarks, distance, location (absolute and relative); geographic literacy (constructing and using maps, graphs, charts, technology)
Human-environment interaction: physical and human-made characteristics of places (rain forest, desert, urban/rural); interdependence of living things, environment, and economy; how economies are influenced by physical environments
Historical thinking: chronological thinking skills; analyzing historical data (timelines, maps, graphs, tables); primary vs. secondary sources; major historical movements (abolition, suffrage, Civil Rights); pre-Columbian Native American societies; European colonization and interactions with Native groups
U.S. history content: slavery's impact on political, social, and economic tensions; major events (American Revolution, Civil War, WWII) in chronological order; major historical figures; efforts to address inequalities and injustices; cultural group contributions to U.S. society
Civics and government: key civic concepts (human dignity, justice, equality, equity, tolerance, rule of law, citizenship, voting); civic participation (raising issues, informed decision-making, considering perspectives, balancing individual and group needs)
Government structures: U.S. federal government structure; concurrent powers (shared by federal and state); reserved powers; differences between monarchy, democracy, theocracy; authority of public officers (president, senators, governors, mayors)
MathematicsMathematics (Category III)~58 questions · 64%
Place value: comparing and ordering whole numbers; composing and decomposing multidigit numbers; identifying digit place and value; ten-times relationship between adjacent places; rounding; converting between numeral, expanded, and word form
Mental math strategies: patterns, math facts, composition/decomposition of numbers, compensation; selecting appropriate strategies for specific problems
Whole number operations: using concrete models, drawings, and number lines to illustrate addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; rectangular arrays, area models, and partitioning for multiplication/division; algorithms; interpreting remainders in context; problem types (adding to, taking away, comparing)
Properties of operations: commutative, associative, and distributive properties as strategies; order of operations for multistep problems; using inverse operations and repeated addition/subtraction
Fractions: multiple representations (fraction models, number lines, sets, grids, area models); unit fractions; equivalent fractions; benchmark fractions for comparison; fractions as division; fraction-decimal conversion; why the same whole must be used when comparing
Algebraic thinking: identifying, extending, and generating number, shape, and other repeating patterns; making conjectures based on patterns; representing and solving word problems with equations using a variable for the unknown
Geometry: classifying and comparing shapes by attributes; naming 2D and 3D shapes; analyzing shapes in different sizes and orientations; helping students identify shapes in their environment
Measurement and data: elapsed time, money, length, volume, and mass; perimeter and area of polygons; area as fraction of shape; relationship between area and multiplication; U.S. customary and metric unit conversions; collecting, organizing, representing, and interpreting data in various graphical formats
ScienceScience (Category IV)~32 questions · 36%
Nature of science: basic science skills (observing, describing, using tools, collecting/analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating findings); crosscutting concepts (cycles, patterns, cause and effect, systems)
Engineering design at PreK level: defining a simple problem; developing possible solutions using sketches, drawings, and physical models; comparing solutions to determine which best solves the problem
Physical science — matter: basic properties of matter (color, texture, hardness); states of matter and changes of state (solid, liquid, gas); energy and changes resulting from heating, cooling, mixing, and placing in sunlight
Physical science — waves and forces: basic properties of sound and light waves; how visible light waves compare to sound and water waves; forces and motion; effect of pushes and pulls on object motion; types of forces (gravity, friction, magnetic)
Earth and space science — Earth systems: Earth-Sun-Moon system; seasonal and daily weather patterns; daylight patterns caused by Earth's rotation and revolution; what causes the seasons; how a lunar eclipse occurs; tides; inner vs. outer planets
Earth materials: basic physical and chemical properties of sand, soil, rocks, and water; difference between rocks and minerals; fossils and how they form; fast and slow Earth changes; human impact on the environment; inside of the Earth
Life science — organisms: basic characteristics of organisms; survival needs and behaviors; structures that support growth; habitats; interdependent relationships in ecosystems; how ecosystems can be affected by human actions (e.g., clear-cutting of rain forests)
Life cycles and traits: life cycles of various organisms; inherited traits vs. learned behaviors; comparing and contrasting life cycles across species; connecting life cycles to ecosystems
Registration, Test Day & Scoring
Everything you need to know before and on exam day.
Registration
Where to registerpraxis.ets.org
Exam fee$130 (confirm at ETS)
Testing formatsIn-person or remote
Individual subtests5027 or 5028 separately
Arrive (in-person)30 min early
Scoring
Score typeScaled score
Wrong answer penaltyNone
Passing scoreVaries by state
Results available~5 weeks post-test
State requirementsets.org/praxis/states
Subtest 5027 Details
Questions90 selected-response
Time2 hours
Reading & ELA67% · ~60 questions
Social Studies33% · ~30 questions
StandardsNCTE/ILA + NCSS
Subtest 5028 Details
Questions90 selected-response
Time2 hours
Mathematics64% · ~58 questions
Science36% · ~32 questions
StandardsNCTM + NSTA + NGSS
Passing Score Requirements by State
Passing scores are set independently by each state and vary across jurisdictions.
Important: Passing score requirements for the Early Childhood Assessment (5026) are set individually by each state or licensing agency. A score that meets requirements in one state may not meet requirements in another. Passing scores are typically set separately for each subtest (5027 and 5028). Always verify the exact passing score requirements for your state at ets.org/praxis/states before registering.
Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted to a scaled score that accounts for minor difficulty differences between test editions. There is no penalty for incorrect answers — always answer every question. Some questions are unscored pretest items that you cannot identify, so treat every question equally.
Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted to a scaled score that accounts for minor difficulty differences between test editions. There is no penalty for incorrect answers — always answer every question. Some questions are unscored pretest items that you cannot identify, so treat every question equally.
How to Prepare for the Praxis Early Childhood Assessment
Strategies for all four content areas across both subtests — with emphasis on the breadth of content unique to early childhood preparation.
Reading and Language Arts (67% of the 5027) is the highest-weighted content area in the entire assessment. With approximately 60 questions, it is both the largest single category and the one requiring the broadest knowledge — from phonological awareness and phonics to comprehension, writing development, and language conventions. Prioritize this category above all others. Weakness here cannot be offset by strength in the other areas.
Understand phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics as distinct but related — and know the sequence in which they are taught. A common source of confusion on the 5027 is distinguishing these three concepts. Phonological awareness is the broad ability to hear and manipulate units of sound (words, syllables, rhymes, onsets/rimes); phonemic awareness is the specific ability to hear and manipulate individual phonemes; phonics is the connection of phonemes to letters. Know strategies for each, their role in literacy development, and importantly: what skills should be mastered before phonics instruction begins.
Mathematics is 64% of the 5028 — the foundational concepts require both content mastery and pedagogical knowledge. With approximately 58 questions, the Math category asks not just what the answers are but how young children learn them — using concrete models, drawings, number lines, rectangular arrays, area models, and physical manipulatives. Know the progression from concrete to pictorial to abstract. Be able to explain why a digit in one place represents ten times the digit to its right, and how this extends to any number of places.
For Social Studies, know U.S. history through a civic and geographic lens, not just a facts-and-dates lens. The 5027 Social Studies category (33%, ~30 questions) tests concepts appropriate for early childhood instruction — chronological thinking, civic participation, community and cultural identity, geographic concepts (absolute vs. relative location, types of maps), and major historical movements (abolition, suffrage, Civil Rights). These are tested from the perspective of how a beginning teacher would introduce them in PreK–lower elementary, not as a history exam for specialists.
For Science, know content at the PreK–lower elementary instructional level and through the inquiry/NGSS framework. Science questions (36% of 5028, ~32 questions) focus on basic properties, observable phenomena, and age-appropriate engineering design — not advanced chemistry or physics. Know the crosscutting concepts (cycles, patterns, cause and effect, systems), the three domains (Physical, Earth/Space, Life Science), and basic facts: what causes seasons, what causes tides, how a lunar eclipse occurs, the difference between rocks and minerals, what fossils are, and basic properties of matter and waves.
Work through the Study Companion's discussion questions for all four content areas. The ETS Study Companion includes extensive discussion questions for Reading/ELA, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science — covering precisely the kinds of conceptual understanding tested on the exam. These open-ended questions mirror the integrated, teacher-perspective reasoning required on the exam far better than fact-only review. Review the Math discussion questions especially carefully — many ask about pedagogical approaches that reflect exactly how 5028 math questions are framed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers sourced directly from the official ETS Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Study Companion.
Ready to Start Practicing?
Adaptive practice questions covering all four content areas across both subtests — Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science. Domain-level analytics so you know exactly where to focus.
Get Free Access — No Credit Card NeededSources: ETS Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Study Companion (official PDF, praxis.ets.org); ETS official test pages for 5026, 5027, and 5028; NCTE/ILA Standards for the English Language Arts; NCSS National Standards for Social Studies; NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics; Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). 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 10, 2026