5412 · 6990 · 6991
ETS's administrator licensure exams — the Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5412), the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA 6990), and the School Superintendent Assessment (SSA 6991) — are the gate between an experienced teacher and a principal's or superintendent's office. State boards from New Jersey to Colorado require a passing scaled score before they issue an administrative certificate, and many districts will not finalize a building-leader hire until the exam clears. This page breaks down all three exams, their PSEL-aligned content, how ETS proctors them, and how to clear yours the first time.
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Which administrator test you take depends entirely on the role and the state board — here's how they compare
| Exam | Code | Role | Format | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Leadership: Administration & Supervision | 5412 | Principal / assistant principal | 120 selected-response | 2h 45m |
| School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) | 6990 | Building leader / principal | 120 SR + 4 constructed-response | 4 hours (2 sections) |
| School Superintendent Assessment (SSA) | 6991 | Superintendent / district leader | 120 SR + 3 constructed-response | 3 hours |
All three are reported on a single 100–200 scaled score and aligned to the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL). The SLLA and SSA add written constructed-response prompts where you draft realistic leadership responses — a scenario the multiple-choice-only 5412 avoids. Confirm which code your state board accepts before you register; many states accept only one.
How the Praxis 5412 — the most widely required of the three — is built
120
The 5412 is entirely multiple-choice and interactive selected-response — drop-downs, drag-and-drop, and clicking parts of a graphic. Some items are unscored pretest questions, so every question must be treated as live.
2:45
Two hours forty-five minutes of computer-delivered testing — roughly 80 seconds per question. The SLLA 6990 runs four hours across two timed sections; the SSA 6991 runs three hours.
6
Strategic, Instructional, Climate & Cultural, Ethical, Organizational, and Community Engagement Leadership — each weighted differently and drawn straight from the 2015 PSEL standards.
The SLLA 6990 adds four written constructed-response tasks and the SSA 6991 adds three. You draft a leadership response to a realistic case — a discipline conflict, a budget shortfall, a community complaint — and two trained scorers rate each one. That writing component is what trips up candidates who breeze through the selected-response sections.
Every exam reports a single scaled score from 100 to 200. There is no national pass mark — each state board sets its own cut, so a score that passes in one state may fall short in another. Constructed-response answers are scored by two independent raters, with a third resolving any disagreement greater than one point. You are not penalized for wrong answers, so leave nothing blank.
Praxis 5412 content categories — bars show each domain's official share of the scored questions
Curriculum, instruction, assessment, and teacher development — the largest domain. Expect items on supervising instruction, data-driven decisions, and professional learning.
Building an inclusive, supportive school culture; equity, student well-being, and a safe learning environment for every learner.
Vision, mission, and continuous-improvement planning. Setting and communicating goals and aligning resources to a shared direction.
Professional ethics, integrity, and legal responsibilities. Applying codes of conduct and equity principles to leadership decisions.
Operations, management, finance, and human-capital systems. Running a building or district efficiently and lawfully.
Engaging families, community partners, and stakeholders. Communication, advocacy, and shared decision-making beyond the school walls.
Instructional Leadership is the heaviest domain at roughly 23% of the 5412, so weak scoring there is hard to recover. The SLLA and SSA reorganize the same PSEL content but weight the constructed-response writing heavily — which is why candidates who are strong administrators on paper still stumble on the written sections.
Two ways to sit any of these ETS exams — and what to expect on test day
You sit the 5412, SLLA, or SSA at a Prometric or ETS test center in a quiet, monitored room. Staff verify your government-issued ID, store your belongings, and provide on-screen scratch tools. The Praxis 5412 registration fee is $130; SLLA and SSA fees are set within the School Leadership Series.
You take the exam from a private room at home through ETS's secure browser, monitored live by an authorized proctor over your webcam. Before the exam unlocks you complete an ID check, a 360° room scan, and a system test. The room must be quiet, empty, and free of notes for the full session.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches your ETS registration exactly. The proctor captures a photo and verifies you before the test begins.
A clear desk, no second monitor, no phone within reach, no notes or books, and a full webcam scan of the room. No one else may enter while you test.
Stay in frame and on-camera throughout. Reading aloud, leaving your seat, or losing connection can flag and void the session. The four-hour SLLA is a long stretch under watch.
These are licensure gates for school and district leadership
Classroom experience plus a tough, judgment-heavy exam
Difficulty: These are not knowledge-recall tests — they reward applying the right leadership judgment under a state-specific framework. Candidates routinely report that "best-answer" items where two choices both look defensible, plus the timed constructed-response writing on the SLLA and SSA, are the real hurdle. A missed cut score can stall a hiring offer or contract for months until the next administrative window opens.
The Praxis 5412, SLLA 6990, and SSA 6991 are judgment-heavy, state-specific tests sitting between you and an administrative certificate — often tied to a pending hire or contract. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted specialist who knows the PSEL framework and your state's cut score, and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us which code you need (5412, 6990, or 6991), your state and its cut score, your delivery method, and your test date. A couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline, target cut score, and the exam's constructed-response demands and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a specialist who maps the work around the PSEL domains, the written tasks, and the ETS remote-proctoring environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing scaled score is confirmed on your official ETS report. No verified result, nothing owed.
Guidance for the live ETS-proctored, room-scanned online sitting of the 5412, SLLA, or SSA.
Help navigating ETS's secure browser environment used for at-home administrator testing.
Start a pay-after-you-pass arrangement for your Praxis 5412, SLLA 6990, or SSA 6991.
See the full pay-after-you-pass arrangement, how matching works, and what to send us.
Straight answers about the Praxis 5412, SLLA 6990, and SSA 6991
Sibling Praxis and educator-licensure exams
ETS's reading, writing, and math gateway test that many educators clear before entering a preparation program.
View exam Praxis 5001The multi-subject content test most elementary teaching candidates take on the path that often leads to school leadership.
View exam Praxis 5354ETS's special-education core test — another PSEL-adjacent licensure exam for educators advancing their certification.
View exam WESTWashington's educator licensure series — a state-specific analog to Praxis for teachers and leaders.
View examGet expert help with the Praxis 5412, SLLA 6990, or SSA 6991 — no upfront fee, you settle only after your verified passing score. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.