So you’re taking the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) 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 Aubrey Trapp, and at Best in Class we want to help you get familiar with everything you need to know about the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications!

Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications Video Overviews

This video playlist covers some of the key concepts that will be tested on the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications:

While not specific to this exam, 240 Tutoring has free videos that cover general test taking tips and strategies that can be applied to any teacher certification exam:

First Thing to Know

Praxis® is the name for the teacher certification exam series administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). There are different Praxis® tests to measure subject-specific knowledge, and different states may have different Praxis® testing requirements. You can check the teaching licensure requirements in your state on the ETS website.

The Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) is designed to test prospective special education teachers at all grade levels.

The identification number for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications is 5354. Each Praxis® exam can be identified by the name and/or the number. Different study materials may refer to the test name or number, so it is good to be familiar with both for every Praxis test that you need to take.

Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications Exam Breakdown

The Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications is made up of five content categories. While you may be able to fail one content category and still pass the overall Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) exam, it would be best to prepare for all five categories.

Content Category Number of Questions* Percentage of Exam*
  1. Development and Characteristics of Learners
20 16%
  1. Planning and the Learning Environment
27 23%
  1. Instructions
27 23%
  1. Assessment
22 18%
  1. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities
24 20%

*Number of questions and the percentage of exam are approximate.

The Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications does not have any subtests, so you will have to take the entire test during each testing attempt.

What is a Passing Score

The passing score for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications varies by state, but is generally between 145 and 160. You can look up your state’s passing requirements on the ETS website.

Praxis® exams use a scaled scoring system, which means that the scores are adjusted to be comparable between different test forms. The scaled score is calculated from the total number of correctly answered selected-response questions.

How to Register for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications

New to Teaching?

Before registering for the Praxis®, new teachers will need to complete a certification program. Each state has its own certification process and Praxis® test requirements. You can look at the Praxis® State Requirements page on the ETS website to learn more about the specific requirements for different states. Just click on a link for any state for important information about getting started and FAQs.

Now you can register for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications. Just follow these simple steps.

  1. Create a new user account by clicking on the button in the “New User” section.
  2. Fill in the required fields. Adding your Social Security number at this time is optional, but recommended.
  3. Log in and navigate to the homepage to register for a test.
  4. Complete the additional information sections about education and experience.
  5. Select your state and agency from the drop-down lists and respond to the remaining prompts.
  6. Choose your score recipients and complete payment.
  7. Last thing! Print and save your test ticket, which may or may not be required by the testing center.

Once you pass the exam, you’ll be qualified to teach special education!

Yay!

Already Certified?

Once you have completed a teacher certification program for your state, registering for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications is easy. Just follow these simple steps!

  1. Log into your ETS with your username and password or by using the “Forgot User Name” or “Forgot Password” links to reset your information.
  2. Navigate to the homepage to register for a test.
  3. Review your personal information and update any changes.
  4. Select your state and agency from the drop-down lists and respond to the remaining prompts.
  5. Choose your score recipients and complete payment.
  6. Last thing! Print and save your test ticket, which may or may not be required by the testing center.

Once you pass the exam, you’ll be qualified to teach special education!

Yay!

Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) Free Practice Test

If you’re getting ready to take the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354), you probably really want to know if you’re going to pass. Practice tests are a great way to start studying for Praxis exams. But with so many different practice tests available, how can you know which sources are reliable?

Well, you’re in the right place! We did the research to find the absolute best practice tests for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications

Best Free Practice Test

240 Tutoring’s Diagnostic Practice Test

240 Tutoring has been helping teachers pass their exams since 2011. They offer an online, completely free practice test for Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354). This practice test will give you a free score breakdown, so you can see exactly what you need to study.

240 Tutoring Special Education (5354) practice test

Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) Paid Practice Test

Best Paid Practice Test

240 Tutoring Special Education (5354) Study Guide

240 Tutoring also offers a full study guide that comes with a practice test. Their Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications study guide includes more than 230 practice questions and 44 pages of material to help you study. So while it is a paid practice test, it offers a lot of extra benefits.

Best of all? The study guide comes with a money-back guarantee that you will pass the test.

BONUS: Since 240 Tutoring is a month-to-month subscription, you get access to all the Praxis® study guides, including the Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications, for just one monthly price of $39.99. So simply subscribing to one study guide gives you access to all study guides. If you need to take multiple Praxis exams to get certified in your subject, then this is a sweet deal!

Runner-Up for Practice Test

ETS Interactive Practice Test

The runner-up for best Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications practice test is the interactive practice test from ETS. While this is a paid resource, you can feel confident that the material is reliable and current. The practice test is also full-length, which is important for getting a feel for the length and pacing of the real exam. For a one time payment of $19.95, this could be a valuable resource to ensure that you have the best chance to pass the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications exam.

ETS Interactive Praxis® Special Education (5354) Practice Test

Honorable Mention

Teachers Test Prep Praxis® Special Education (5354) – Practice Test

We are giving an honorable mention for best Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications practice test to the free material from Teachers Test Prep. Just click on the available practice test link to begin. The only downside is that first-time users have to make a new account before using the practice test, and this can get a little complicated.

Special Education (5354) – Practice Test

Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) Free Study Guide

Are you ready to start preparing to take the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) exam, but not sure where to begin? Study guides are a great way to prepare for the exam, but with so many study guides available it can be hard to know which ones are accurate, reliable, and cost-effective.

That’s where we come in! We did the research to find the absolute best free and paid study guides for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354).

Best Free Study Guide

240 Tutoring’s Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications Ultimate Guide

In addition to their excellent paid study materials, 240 Tutoring also offers a high-quality study guide that is free to all users. The Ultimate Guide for the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications contains important test information like costs and scoring and an outline of key concepts for all five of the major content categories. The Ultimate Guide is the most useful for designing your study plan and referring back to for quick facts about the test.

Praxis® Special Education (5354) Ultimate Guide

Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) Paid Study Guide

Best Paid Study Guide

240 Tutoring’s Online Study Guide

240 Tutoring also offers a full study guide in addition to a free practice test. Their Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications study guide includes more than 230 practice questions and 44 pages of material to help you study. So while it is a paid study guide, it offers a lot of extra benefits.

Best of all? The study guide comes with a money-back guarantee that you will pass the test.

BONUS: Since 240 Tutoring is a month-to-month subscription, you get access to all the Praxis® study guides, including the Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications, for just one monthly price of $39.99. So simply subscribing to one study guide gives you access to all study guides. If you need to take multiple Praxis exams to get certified in your subject, then this is a sweet deal!

240 Tutoring Special Education (5354) study guide

Runner-Up for Study Guide

Teachers Test Prep Praxis® Special Education (5354) – Online Prep

The runner-up for best Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications study guide is the online prep course from Teachers Test Prep. Unfortunately, this is a paid resource, but you have the option to choose between two different programs depending on how much time and support you need to study. Both the Quick Core and Core Plus programs contain guided lectures, videos, and practice questions.

Teachers Test Prep – Special Education (5354)

Honorable Mention

ETS Praxis® Study Companion

Even though the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications study companion gets the honorable mention in our list, it is actually a really useful free resource. The study companion is developed by ETS, so you can be sure that the material is reliable and current for the Special Education (5354) exam. The guide also has useful information about the test and a few sample questions. Unfortunately, the study companion is really just meant as a “companion,” which means that it shouldn’t be used as your main study resource. It doesn’t include enough content to ensure that you will be able to pass the test.

ETS Praxis® Special Education (5354) Study Companion

About the Author

Aubrey Trapp

Aubrey Trapp

Aubrey is a graduate student studying chemical contaminants in marine food webs. She is interested in all things science-y and aims to improve scientific communication by making concepts accessible and fun for interdisciplinary audiences. Aubrey loves to swim, and she once visited all 34 public pools in her Texas hometown in one day.

Recommended articles:

The Ultimate Overview of the Praxis® Special Education: Core Knowledge and ApplicationsPraxis® – Questions Quick Guide | 240Tutoring

What You Must Know About Preparing For The Praxis®

Do You Know Which Praxis® Exams You Need to Take?

Everything You Need To Know About Praxis® Scores

Your Praxis® Costs & Retakes Quick Guide

How To Register For A Praxis® Exam

Praxis®: For Test Takers: Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications

Praxis® II Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications – Test Overview