Indiana Teacher Certification Tests

Indiana Uses the ETS Praxis Suite

Standard Indiana teaching-license pathways use the Praxis assessment suite administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for required content and pedagogy exams. The specific exams depend on your license type, grade band, and content area.

Register for all exams through your ETS Praxis account at praxis.ets.org. The critical setup step: add the Indiana Department of Education as an automatic score recipient using state code 7238. If you skip this, the IDOE can't verify your scores electronically and your LVIS application will stall.

Exams by License Type

Elementary (K-6):

• Elementary Education Assessment — Humanities subtest 5007 (passing: 160, $85) and STEM subtest 5008 (passing: 158, $85), or combined as 5006 ($209)
• Principles of Learning and Teaching K-6 — 5622 (passing: 160, $146)
• Teaching Reading: Elementary — 5205 (passing: 159, $156) — mandatory under the Science of Reading law

Total for K-6: approximately $472 if you take the two content subtests separately on the first attempt, or $511 if you use the combined $209 content assessment.

Secondary (5-12) — selected content areas:

• English Language Arts: 5038 (passing: 167, $120)
• Mathematics: 5165 (passing: 159, $120)
• Biology: 5236 (passing: 154, $120)
• World and U.S. History: 5941 (passing: 148, $120)
• Principles of Learning and Teaching 7-12 — 5624 (passing: 157, $146)

Total for secondary: approximately $266 for one content area plus pedagogy.

Middle School (5-9):

• English Language Arts: 5047 (passing: 161, $146)
• Mathematics: 5164 (passing: 157, $120)
• Science: 5442 (passing: 152, $120)
• Social Studies: 5589 (passing: 149, $120)

Special Education:

• Special Education: Foundational Knowledge — 5355 (passing: 145, $120)
• Plus Teaching Reading: Elementary 5205 and applicable PLT exam

All-Grades (P-12):

• Art: 5134 (passing: 158, $120)
• Music Instrumental/General: 5115 (passing: 150, $120)
• Music Vocal/General: 5116 (passing: 153, $120)
• Principles of Learning and Teaching PreK-12 — 5625 (passing: 157, $146)

The Science of Reading Exam (Praxis 5205)

Since July 2025, every candidate seeking an initial K-6 Elementary, P-3 Early Childhood, or Special Education license must pass the Praxis 5205 Teaching Reading: Elementary exam with a minimum score of 159. This $156 exam verifies training in evidence-based literacy instruction under Indiana's Science of Reading mandate.

If you meet all other requirements but haven't passed the 5205, the IDOE can issue a one-year Professional Educator License Extension (PELE) — letting you teach while you prepare for and pass the exam. The PELE is non-renewable, so you get one shot at this grace period.

The state is also funding free Keys to Literacy coursework through June 2027 to help candidates prepare. Enrollment opened July 2026.

Testing Logistics

At-home vs. test center: ETS offers both options for most Praxis exams. At-home testing uses remote proctoring through your own computer. Test center exams are administered at authorized testing centers. Both formats follow identical fee schedules and scoring.

Score delivery: Results take 7-10 business days to transmit to the IDOE. If you set recipient code 7238 during registration, scores go directly to LVIS — no additional action required.

Testing accommodations: Candidates with documented disabilities submit accommodation requests directly to ETS Disability Services before scheduling. Approved accommodations do not automatically carry over to retakes — you must re-request them for each registration.

Retake Policies

28-day waiting period: ETS enforces a mandatory 28-day gap between attempts on the same exam code. This applies to individual subtests too. If you register early or try to bypass this rule, your scores are invalidated and fees forfeited.

"Free After 3" policy: Starting with first attempts taken on or after October 1, 2025, candidates who fail the same exam code three times receive unlimited free retake vouchers. You'll be notified via email within three days of your third score release. Vouchers are valid for six months.

Praxis Bridge option: If you score within one Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) of the passing score, ETS may offer a structured online learning module as an alternative to retaking the full exam. Eligibility shows up automatically in your ETS portal after score release.

Fee waivers: Eligible college students can apply for ETS fee waivers covering up to three Praxis Core subtests or one Praxis Subject Assessment per testing year.

Planning Your Testing Sequence

Take your content exam first. It verifies you know the material you'll teach, and a passing score can also satisfy the GPA alternative for T2T admission (if your GPA falls below 3.0).

Take the pedagogy exam (PLT) second. The pedagogical content is more contextual and benefits from some exposure to education theory — even a few weeks of T2T coursework helps.

Take the Praxis 5205 (if required) when you're ready. The Science of Reading exam requires specific preparation in evidence-based literacy instruction that most non-education degree holders don't have from their undergraduate work. Consider completing the free Keys to Literacy coursework before attempting this exam.

For a complete testing matrix with every exam code, passing score, and fee mapped to each Indiana license type, the Indiana Teacher Certification Guide puts it all in one printable reference.

See more Indiana guides →