The English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) test is designed to measure basic linguistic and pedagogical knowledge for those interested in working in the context of teaching ESOL in elementary or secondary schools. Candidates usually come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are preservice teachers who are recent graduates of an ESOL degree program, some may be experienced ESOL teachers moving from a different state, while others are current teachers who have changed from their content area of education to ESOL.

The Praxis ESOL test is categorized into six content categories of expertise, as shown in the pie chart above. Candidates are expected to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required of a beginner-level K-12 ESOL teacher. The six content categories were identified, via rigorous content analyses, by nationally recognized thought leaders in the field of TESOL and applied linguistics. Having basic knowledge in each category was deemed critical for the beginning-level ESOL teacher. ETS works in collaboration with teacher educators, higher-education content specialists, and accomplished teachers to keep the test updated and representative of current and relevant standards. ETS has aligned the questions on this test with the Standards for the Recognition of Initial TESOL Programs in P-12 ESL Teacher Education, developed by TESOL International Association and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Test takers have two hours to complete 120 multiple-choice questions, which have listening questions embedded throughout the test. For the listening questions, test takers have an opportunity to listen to a recorded prompt multiple times, taking into account time considerations. Some of the questions ask candidates to choose more than one answer, which helps to capture the breadth of a candidate’s knowledge.

This test may contain some questions that will not count toward the test taker’s total score.