5355 Foundational Knowledge + specialty-area tests
The Praxis Special Education tests are ETS's content exams that license you to teach students with disabilities — the gateway certification for SPED roles in most states that use Praxis. The lead test, Special Education: Foundational Knowledge (5355, formerly 5354), is paired with a family of specialty-area tests covering learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and visual impairments. With special-education teacher shortages reported nationwide, a passing score is often the single thing standing between you and a classroom that needs you. This page lays out exactly what each test measures, how it's delivered, and how to clear it the first time.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing score. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the lead test — Foundational Knowledge (5355) — is built
120
All multiple-choice, including scenario items that ask you to apply special-education law and practice to real classroom situations. No essays, no constructed-response.
120m
A single 2-hour window with no scheduled break, which works out to about one minute per question — fast enough that pacing trips up well-prepared candidates.
4
Development & learning differences, planning & instruction, assessment, and professional practice & collaboration — covering disabilities from mild to profound.
ETS replaced Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) with Special Education: Foundational Knowledge (5355). ETS states the topics covered did not change. If your state board still lists the 5354 code, confirm with your certification office which test number it currently accepts before you register.
Your raw score (number correct, with no penalty for wrong answers) is converted to a scaled score from 100 to 300. There is no single national pass mark: each state sets its own qualifying score, most landing roughly in the 145–160 range. The same scaled score can pass in one state and fall short in another.
Four content categories on 5355 — bars show each category's approximate share of the test
Designing instruction, differentiation, IEP-driven goals, evidence-based strategies, behavior management, and structuring productive, inclusive learning environments. The single largest category — roughly 38 questions.
Typical and atypical development, the characteristics of the 13 IDEA disability categories, and how individual learning differences shape educational needs — about 32 questions.
Screening, eligibility determination, formal and informal assessment tools, progress monitoring, and interpreting data to inform IEPs — roughly 27 questions.
Federal law (IDEA, Section 504, FERPA), procedural safeguards, the IEP process, ethics, and collaborating with families, general-education teachers, and related-service providers — about 23 questions.
The hardest part of 5355 for many candidates is not the pedagogy — it's the legal and procedural detail. Items on IDEA timelines, least-restrictive-environment decisions, and procedural safeguards reward precise recall, and the application scenarios force you to choose the legally correct action, not just the kind-hearted one.
Praxis groups special education into a foundational test plus specialty-area tests. Your state and license decide which you need.
| Test name | Code | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Special Education: Foundational Knowledge | 5355 | Core SPED licensure test (replaces the 5354) |
| Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications | 5354 | Legacy core test still listed by some states |
| Core Knowledge and Mild to Moderate Applications | 5543 | Generalist teachers of mild-to-moderate disabilities |
| Core Knowledge and Severe to Profound Applications | 5545 | Teachers of severe-to-profound disabilities |
| Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities | 5383 | Specific learning-disability endorsement |
| Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders & Emotional Disturbances | 5372 | EBD / emotional-disturbance endorsement |
| Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students | 5272 | Deaf/hard-of-hearing specialist endorsement |
| Teaching Students with Visual Impairments | 5282 | Visual-impairment specialist endorsement |
Test codes and the exact tests required change by state and are periodically updated by ETS. Always confirm the current code, format, and qualifying score with your state's certification office and the official ETS test page before you register.
Two ways to sit a Praxis Special Education test — and what to expect on test day
You sit the test on a workstation in a quiet, monitored Prometric center. Staff verify your government-issued ID, store your belongings in a locker, and provide an erasable noteboard. Seats fill quickly in licensure season, so book your center and date early.
ETS offers an at-home option monitored live by a human proctor through ProProctor and the ETS secure browser. You need a Windows 11+ or macOS 11+ desktop or laptop — no tablets or Chromebooks — plus a webcam, microphone, and a private, quiet room. The on-screen test is identical to the center version.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches your ETS registration exactly. The proctor captures a photo and verifies you before the secure browser unlocks the test.
A slow webcam pan of all four walls, the desk, and the floor. The work area must be clear of notes and devices, no second monitor, no phone within reach, and no one else in the room.
Stay on-camera and in frame the whole 2 hours, no scheduled break. Talking aloud, leaving the seat, looking off-screen, or losing connection can flag or void the session.
Praxis Special Education gates SPED teaching licenses in Praxis states
No exam prerequisites — but the content runs deep
Difficulty: The 5355 spans an enormous breadth — child development, every IDEA disability category, assessment, instruction, and federal law — and rewards precise legal and procedural recall under a tight one-minute-per-question pace. Candidates who teach all day but struggle to memorize statute timelines are exactly the people our help is built for.
The Praxis Special Education test stands between you and a SPED license — often with a contract start date or program deadline attached. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted specialist 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 your state, test code (5355, 5354, or a specialty test), required cut score, delivery method, and test date. A couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We confirm your state's qualifying score and timeline and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a special-education specialist who maps the work around IDEA, IEP scenarios, assessment, and the ProProctor environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing score is confirmed on your official ETS report. No verified result, nothing owed.
The at-home Praxis is watched by a live ProProctor monitor with a full room scan. See how we work discreetly within live-proctored environments.
ServiceThe ETS secure browser locks down your machine for the duration. Learn how our help adapts to locked-down, secure-browser tests like Praxis.
BookReady to start? Send your state, test code, and date and get an honest feasibility answer with no upfront fee.
Send your state, test code, and date for a pay-after-you-pass plan and an honest feasibility answer.
Straight answers about the Praxis Special Education tests
Service and sibling Praxis / teacher-licensure exams
Pair with a vetted special-education specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified passing score.
Book your help Praxis CoreThe reading, writing, and math basic-skills tests many programs require before you reach a subject test.
View exam Praxis 5901The multi-subject test for K–6 generalist licensure — a common companion certification for SPED teachers.
View exam Praxis 5331The ASHA/ETS test for SLP certification — a related-service role that works alongside special educators.
View exam CSETCalifornia's subject-matter teacher tests — the non-Praxis analog for educators licensing in CA.
View examGet expert Praxis Special Education help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing score. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.