Praxisยฎ Elementary Education:
Mathematics CKT (7813)
Practice Test & Study Guide
A specialist-level mathematics exam โ 52 questions in 85 minutes across four content categories. Approximately 80% of questions assess Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT): how teachers apply mathematics knowledge to the work of instruction. This is a subtest of the Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) assessment. Four-function calculator provided. Retiring August 2028.
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Get Free Access โSee Premium PlansApproximately 80% of all questions test specialized Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT) โ not just whether you know elementary mathematics. CKT is the specialized professional knowledge teachers use specifically in the work of teaching. Per ETS, it is โnot knowledge that students are expected to learn, nor is it general knowledge of classroom management strategies or learning theory; it is content knowledge specialized to the work of teaching.โ CKT questions on the 7813 require candidates to: interpret a student's mathematical error to identify the specific misconception; evaluate a student's explanation for validity and generalizability; select the most appropriate representation or manipulative for a specific concept; identify which student work samples demonstrate the same underlying reasoning. The CKT framework was developed through a partnership between ETS and TeachingWorks at the University of Michigan.
An on-screen four-function calculator is provided โ but since ~80% of questions test teaching knowledge, most don't benefit from calculator use. The four-function calculator is available throughout the 85-minute exam. Use it for the minority of questions requiring precise numerical computation. The vast majority of 7813 questions test whether you can identify what student errors reveal, select appropriate representations, evaluate explanations, and understand why mathematical procedures work โ tasks where the calculator adds no advantage. Deep conceptual mathematical understanding is what the exam primarily tests. No personal calculators are permitted.
Elementary Education: Mathematics CKT (7813) โ Test at a Glance
Key facts confirmed from the official ETS 7811 Study Companion. The 7813 is one of four separately timed subtests of the 7811.
About the Praxis Elementary Education: Mathematics CKT (7813)
Understanding what CKT means โ and why this exam is fundamentally more rigorous than a standard mathematics content test.
The Elementary Education: Mathematics CKT (7813) is a subtest of the Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) assessment. All four subtests of the 7811 โ Reading and Language Arts (7812), Mathematics (7813), Science (7814), and Social Studies (7815) โ measure Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT): the specialized professional knowledge used specifically in the work of teaching.
The 7813 contains 52 questions (47 one-point and 5 two-point questions) administered in 85 minutes. Approximately 80% of questions measure specialized CKT โ applying mathematics content to specific teaching tasks. The remaining ~20% measure standard content knowledge of elementary mathematics itself. An on-screen four-function calculator is provided.
The CKT framework was developed through a partnership between ETS and TeachingWorks at the University of Michigan, grounded in over 25 years of research on the mathematical knowledge needed to teach effectively. The 7813 is part of the broader 7811 series that retires in August 2028, being replaced by the new Elementary Education Fundamentals series. Always verify your state's current requirement at ets.org/praxis/states.
Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT) โ 10 Teaching Tasks Tested
~80% of all questions require applying mathematics content to these teaching tasks. The 7813 also includes 6 additional mathematics-specific CKT tasks beyond the standard 10.
Four Content Categories โ Weighted Distribution
All four categories include both standard content knowledge (~20% of total) and specialized CKT questions (~80% of total). Counting and Whole Number Operations is the largest at 30%.
Official Exam Blueprint: 4 Content Categories
All content categories and question distributions confirmed from the official ETS 7811 Study Companion. ~80% of questions in every category test CKT โ applying mathematics to teaching tasks.
Key Topics and CKT Applications by Category
What the CKT framework looks like in practice for each of the four mathematics content categories โ the specific mathematical tasks of teaching the exam tests.
Registration, Test Day & Scoring
Everything you need to know before and on exam day for this independently timed subtest.
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Passing Score Requirements by State
Passing scores are set individually by each state or licensing agency for each subtest.
If you pass three subtests of the 7811 but fail one, you may retake only the failed subtest independently. There is no penalty for incorrect answers โ always answer every question. The 5 two-point questions are worth more โ prioritize them accordingly.
How to Prepare for the Praxis Elementary Education: Mathematics CKT (7813)
Strategies for the most rigorous elementary mathematics assessment โ where knowing the math is necessary but not sufficient. You must also know how to apply mathematics knowledge to professional teaching tasks.
- ~80% of questions test specialized CKT โ studying mathematics content alone is not enough preparation. This is the defining insight about the 7813. For every major topic you study, you must also ask: What are the common student misconceptions? How would I identify a misconception from student work? What would a valid vs. invalid student explanation look like? What representation or manipulative best supports this specific mathematical concept at this developmental level? What task would elicit a particular type of student thinking? Practicing content in the context of these teaching questions is the only way to genuinely prepare for the 7813.
- Category III (Fractions, Operations with Fractions, and Ratios) is the most conceptually demanding โ prepare it with the greatest depth. Per ETS, the fraction CKT questions are the hardest on the 7813 because they require knowing not just how to work with fractions but why each operation works conceptually. Know all five conceptualizations of fractions and which representations support each one. Know why the invert-and-multiply rule for fraction division works conceptually. Know the most common fraction misconceptions and be able to identify them in student work and predict how they would replicate.
- Know the two mathematics-specific CKT tasks that are unique to the 7813 โ they are the hardest question types on the exam. Task 15: given a student's mathematical error, anticipate how it would replicate across similar problems and identify multiple student work samples demonstrating the same underlying incorrect reasoning. Task 16: identify tasks where student work that seems mathematically correct might actually mask incorrect thinking. Both require deep mathematical understanding AND the ability to think from a student's perspective โ the most demanding combination on any Praxis exam.
- Category I (Counting and Whole Number Operations) is the largest at 30% โ go deeper than you think you need to on subitizing, cardinality, and counting development. Most candidates over-prepare multi-digit computation and under-prepare the foundational concepts of counting development (subitizing, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, counting principles). Know the difference between perceptual and conceptual subitizing. Know the five counting principles. Know how to identify specific counting errors from student behavior. These developmental concepts are exactly what the CKT framework targets most heavily in Category I.
- The equal sign as relational equivalence (Category IV) appears on nearly every 7813 โ it's the most commonly tested elementary algebra CKT concept. Research shows that most elementary students interpret the equal sign as "the answer comes next." The 7813 tests whether you can identify this misconception from student work (e.g., 4 + 3 = 7 + 5 = 12), evaluate whether a student's response demonstrates relational understanding, and select instructional tasks that specifically develop relational understanding of the equal sign. Know this concept in depth โ it bridges arithmetic and algebra and is one of the most important foundational mathematical concepts for elementary teachers to understand.
- Download the official ETS 7811 Study Companion and work through all sample questions and discussion topics specifically for the 7813 subtest. The Study Companion is the most realistic CKT practice available. For the mathematics subtest specifically, work through all discussion questions that ask you to evaluate student explanations, identify what errors reveal, generate counterexamples, and select appropriate representations. These are the exact cognitive tasks the exam requires. Also note: the five two-point questions on the 7813 are worth more than the one-point questions โ practice under timed conditions (85 minutes for 52 questions = approximately 98 seconds per question) so you can allocate more time to the two-point items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers sourced from the official ETS Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) Study Companion.
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Adaptive CKT-style practice questions across all four mathematics categories โ designed to test how you apply mathematical knowledge to teaching situations, not just whether you know the content. Category-level analytics so you know exactly where to focus.
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