Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) : Best Study Resources

So you’re taking the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam and you’re asking some of the following questions:

Where do I find a free practice test?
An exam breakdown?
How do I register for the test?

Those are all great questions, and you’ve found the right place to get them answered!

My name is Deke Parsons, and at Best in Class we’ve got the answers to all of these questions about the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam!

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge Video Overviews

Overwhelmed at the amount of study material available for the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge? This video provides helpful information regarding the different types of resources available.

This video goes over several practice problems with detailed explanations. It is a lengthy video (1 hour and 20 minutes), but you can skip over the questions you already understand.

While not specific to this exam, this video provides some excellent test-taking strategies that can be applied to any teacher certification exam.

This video goes through a handful of questions that are similar to what you might see on the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam. There is no presenter or speaker, but it is still a good preview of what to expect on the test.

First Thing to Know

The Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam is a teacher certification exam administered by Educational Testing Service that covers high school math. Many states require anyone who wants to teach mathematics at the high school level in a public school to pass the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam.

Each one of the Praxis® exams has an assigned number, and the number for the Content Knowledge: Mathematics exam is 5161. There are many different educator exams and these numbers exist to help the state keep track of the different tests.

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge Exam Breakdown

The Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam is made up of two content categories: Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, and Calculus; and Geometry, Probability and Statistics, and Discrete Mathematics. There are 60 questions (selected-response, numeric entry, or drag-and-drop), and you’ll have 150 minutes to complete the exam. You must pass the overall exam and must retake the entire examination if you fail.

What is a Passing Score

Praxis® exams are graded using scaled scores. This allows test makers to adjust scoring of each test administration to reflect question variations from test to test.

Your exam score will range from 100 – 200. The passing score for the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam varies by state, but many states require a score of 160 for certification. Visit the Praxis® State Requirements page to find your state’s passing standard.

How to Register for the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge Exam

New to Teaching?

If you are new to teaching, you’ll most likely need to complete an educator preparation program prior to taking your exam. Check here for your state’s specific certification and licensure requirements.

Once you’ve completed your state’s requirements, follow the steps below to register for your Praxis® exam.

Go to the ETS Praxis® registration page.
Click the “Create Account” link near the center of the page.
Fill in your information. Your Social Security number is not required by ETS, but it is required by some states. If you choose to leave it off and later find out your state requires it, it might be harder to register for your exam.
After you’ve created an account and logged in, click on “Register for a Praxis® Test.”
Fill in the information regarding your experience and education. Not all questions are required by ETS, but they may be required by your state.
Next, use the drop-down lists to select your state and agency. Work through the prompts to select your test administration, choose your score recipients, and pay for your test.
Print your admission ticket. It may not be required by your testing site, but it would be best to have it just in case.

Already Certified?

If you are already a certified teacher, you will use your existing ETS Praxis® account to register for the Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam.

Log in to your ETS Praxis® account.
On the ETS homepage, select “Register for a Praxis® Test.”
Review all of your personal information and background questions, making updates as needed.
Select your state and agency. Work through the remaining prompts to select your test administration, choose your score recipients, and pay for your test.

Once you pass the exam, you are qualified to teach high school mathematics!

Yay!

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) Free Practice Test

What you really want to know about the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam is how to pass the test.

One of the best ways to start learning how to pass the exam is to take a practice test. We did the research for you and found the best practice tests available for the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge.

Best Free Practice Test

240 Tutoring’s Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge Practice Test

240 Tutoring has been helping teachers pass their exams since 2011. They offer an online, completely free practice test for the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam. Each practice test will give you a free score breakdown, so you can see exactly what you need to study

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) Paid Practice Test

Best Paid Practice Test

240 Tutoring’s Online Study Guide and Practice Test

240 Tutoring also offers a full study guide that comes with a practice test. The Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) study guide has 358 questions and 140 pages of content. The questions have been developed by professionals with years of experience in the classroom and subject area experts with advanced degrees. The 240 Tutoring guide is specifically focused on getting you to pass the exam.

If you use the study guide together with practice tests, you have the best chance at passing the exam. By using feedback from your practice exam, you can spend your time studying the content you need to work on the most. So even though it’s listed as a paid practice test, it also offers a lot of other benefits.

Another added bonus is that the study guide comes with a money-back guarantee that you will pass the test.

BONUS: 240 Tutoring is a month-to-month subscription. You get all of the Praxis® study guides — including the Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam — for just one monthly price of $39.99. So subscribing to one study guide gives you access to all study guides.

Praxis®: Mathematics Content Knowledge

Runner-Up for Practice Test

Exam Edge offers practice tests for sale that focus on the Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam. You can buy a bundle of 25 practice tests. That’s a lot of good practice, although it is not the most affordable option: the full price is over $500, while even the sale price is more than $168! Also, there is no study guide or other material included — just the practice tests. You can purchase a single practice test for $21.95, but again, this doesn’t include any additional material.

Praxis® Math Practice Tests

Honorable Mention

Mometrix

This website contains some useful information about the test and provides some free practice questions. However, the free practice test is only 10 questions long. While this might be a decent starting point, you’ll probably need more practice in order to feel confident for your exam.

Praxis® II Mathematics: Content Knowledge Practice Test

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) Free Study Guide

It’s time to start studying for your Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam – but where do you even begin? With so many different resources out there, it can be difficult to narrow down the options for Praxis study guides. That’s why we did the hard part for you and found the most accurate and reliable study guides for the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam.

Best Free Study Guide

240 Tutoring’s Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) Ultimate Guide

This free study guide is a great resource. It is clear and well-organized and provides an overview of each of the domains that are included in the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam. Included in this overview are a handful of specifically chosen concepts from each domain with a few paragraphs of explanation. This is an excellent starting point for your studying!

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge Ultimate Guide

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) Paid Study Guide

Best Paid Study Guide

240 Tutoring’s Online Study Guide

240 Tutoring also offers a full study guide. The Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) Study Guide has 358 questions and 140 pages of content. The questions have been developed by professionals with years of experience in the classroom and subject area experts with advanced degrees. Most important, each question is tailored to help you pass the test. The 240 Tutoring guide is specifically focused on getting you to pass the exam.

One of the great things about 240 Tutoring is that you can use your diagnostic test results to help guide your studying. For example, if your diagnostic report indicates that you need to focus on Calculus, you can spend the majority of your time studying the corresponding sections from the study guide. Using the practice tests and study guides together to address all the areas you need to focus on is a great way to succeed.

An added bonus is that this study guide comes with a money-back guarantee that you will pass the test.

BONUS: 240 Tutoring is a month-to-month subscription. You get all of the Praxis® study guides — including the Mathematics: Content Knowledge exam — for just one monthly price of $39.99. So subscribing to one study guide gives you access to all study guides.

Praxis®️ Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161)

Runner-Up for Study Guide

Study.com

This guide provides great content coverage that includes both study guides and interactive practice tests. However, this guide can be a little overwhelming: according to the website, it would take almost 19 hours just to go through all of the included video lessons just once! Considering that you may want to study many of the sections more than once, using this study guide would be a major investment of your time.

Praxis® Mathematics – Content Knowledge (5161): Practice & Study Guide Course

Honorable Mention

Mometrix

Mometrix provides a study guide that includes comprehensive tricks and tips to pass the Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161) exam. However, the focus seems to be on how to game the system and exploit “secrets” of the test rather than on learning the content. Also, it is only available as a paper book or ebook, which can make studying less convenient for some users.

Praxis® II Study Guide & Practice Test [Prepare for the Praxis II Test]

About the Author

Deke Parsons

Dr. Deke Parsons is an award-winning author and English Ph.D. with more than 27 years of teaching, writing, and editing experience.

Content Category	Approximate Number of Questions	Approximate Percentage of Exam
Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, and Calculus	41	68%
Probability and Statistics, and Discrete Mathematics	19	32%

Praxis® Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161): Best Study Resources