Praxis® Early Childhood:
Mathematics and Science (5028)
Practice Test & Study Guide
Comprehensive preparation for prospective PreK and lower elementary teachers — covering Mathematics (64%) and Science (36%) aligned to NCTM, NSTA, and Next Generation Science Standards. Subtest of the Early Childhood Assessment (5026).
Start Practicing Free
No credit card. 10 questions/day free forever.
Get Free Access →See Premium PlansMathematics is the larger category at 64% (~58 questions) — most questions are framed in the context of children's learning.The official ETS Study Companion notes that most mathematics questions are posed in the context of children's learning, not as pure computational problems. Expect scenarios asking how a teacher would introduce a concept, select manipulatives, explain a procedure, or interpret a child's mathematical thinking. Content spans emergent math skills through fractions, geometry, measurement, and data — aligned to NCTM standards.
Science is 36% (~32 questions) — aligned to NSTA standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Science content spans all four domains at the PreK–lower elementary level: nature of scientific inquiry and engineering design, physical science, Earth and space science, and life science. Questions assess both content knowledge and understanding of how young children engage in scientific thinking and investigation.
Source: All exam details are drawn from the official ETS Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Study Companion, which covers both the 5027 and 5028 subtests. Passing scores vary by state — always confirm at ets.org/praxis/states.
Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science (5028) — Test at a Glance
Key facts directly from the official ETS test specifications.
About the Praxis Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science (5028)
What you need to know before you register.
The Praxis Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science (5028) is one of two subtests of the Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026), designed to assess content knowledge that prospective PreK and lower elementary teachers must have to support children's learning in mathematics and science. It can be taken independently or as part of the combined Early Childhood Assessment (5026) alongside the Reading and Language Arts & Social Studies subtest (5027).
The test measures fundamental mathematical skills and concepts central to the early childhood and early elementary curriculum, with most questions posed in the context of children's learning rather than as isolated computation problems. Mathematics (64%, ~58 questions) is aligned to NCTM standards. Science (36%, ~32 questions) is aligned to NSTA standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Questions across both content areas determine whether the test taker knows the major concepts, has the skills and tools of inquiry in the content areas, can apply knowledge in the context of children's learning, knows the structure of the content areas, and understands how content areas are interrelated. Some questions may not count toward the score.
Two Content Categories at a Glance
Mathematics is the dominant category at 64%. Both categories are assessed through the lens of early childhood teaching and children's learning.
Official Exam Blueprint
Two content categories with exact weights from the official ETS Study Companion for the Early Childhood Assessment (5026).
Key Topics by Content Category
Specific competencies drawn directly from the official ETS Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Study Companion content specifications.
Registration, Test Day & Scoring
Everything you need to know before and on exam day.
Registration
Scoring
Mathematics (Category I)
Science (Category II)
Passing Score Requirements by State
Passing scores are set individually by each state or licensing agency.
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: Mathematics and Science (5028)
Strategies aligned to the two-category structure, the teaching-context framing of mathematics questions, and the NGSS-based science content.
- Mathematics is 64% — and most questions are framed in the context of children's learning, not as pure computation. With approximately 58 questions, Category I is the dominant focus. The official ETS Study Companion is explicit: most mathematics questions are posed in the context of children's learning. Expect questions that ask how a teacher would use concrete models or drawings to explain division, what happens to a child's understanding when comparing fractions without using the same whole, or how a teacher can help students move from understanding cardinality to place value. Study the mathematical concepts AND the developmental progression of how children learn them.
- Know the emergent mathematics foundational skills — they underpin everything else. A dedicated section of the blueprint covers emergent skills (one-to-one correspondence, subitizing, conservation of number, cardinality principles, positional language, classification, patterns) that form the developmental foundation for all later mathematical learning. These concepts are tested at the instructional level — what activities develop them, what misconceptions children commonly hold, and what teachers can observe in children's mathematical behavior.
- Master fractions at the conceptual level — especially the "same whole" rule. Fraction questions in the Math category test conceptual understanding: why must the same whole be used when comparing fractions? What is a unit fraction and why does its value decrease as the denominator increases? How do you represent fractions on number lines, area models, and sets? Practice explaining these concepts as a teacher would — not just computing with fractions, but understanding and being able to demonstrate the reasoning behind the rules.
- For Science, know all four domains at the PreK–lower elementary instructional level. With approximately 32 questions, the Science category tests content knowledge across physical science, Earth and space science, life science, and engineering — but always at the level appropriate for PreK through lower elementary instruction. Know the basic vocabulary and concepts: states of matter, forms of energy (light, heat, electricity, magnetism), forces and motion, sky objects (Earth-Sun-Moon system), weather patterns, Earth materials, organism life cycles, ecosystems, and the engineering design process steps. Focus on conceptual understanding, not technical depth.
- The NGSS engineering design process is explicitly tested — know all three stages. The Science category includes a dedicated section on Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science. The engineering design process at the early childhood level involves: (1) recognizing situations where change or improvement may be possible (defining a problem), (2) developing possible solutions through sketches, drawings, and physical models, and (3) comparing and testing multiple solutions to determine which best solves the problem. These stages mirror the NGSS K-2 engineering practices and appear in scenario-based questions.
- Download the official ETS Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Study Companion — it covers both the 5027 and 5028 subtests. The Study Companion is the single most valuable preparation resource available. It contains detailed content specifications, discussion questions for all mathematics and science subtopics, and authentic sample questions with answer explanations. The mathematics discussion questions are particularly valuable because they explicitly address how children learn mathematical concepts and why specific instructional approaches are recommended — precisely the reasoning tested on the 5028.
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 mathematics and science content categories — aligned to NCTM, NSTA, and NGSS standards. Domain-level analytics so you know exactly where to focus.
Get Free Access — No Credit Card Needed