Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623)

What is it?

What exactly is the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623)?

Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623) — Education & Teaching credential from ETS

Middle grades pedagogy test covering adolescent development, instructional planning, assessment and professional responsibilities. Offered by ETS, it is designed for candidates who need to demonstrate verified competence in the Education & Teaching field. The credential is commonly used for career entry, advancement, regulatory compliance, or employer requirements. Candidates should review the official handbook for eligibility, exam format, and scoring before registering.

The path in brief

1. Confirm you meet any eligibility or prerequisites
2. Review the official handbook and study materials
3. Register and pay through the awarding body or authorized provider
4. Schedule and take the exam (test center or online proctoring)
5. Receive your score and, if passed, your credential

Before you book

Who is eligible to sit the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623)?

Eligibility varies; many credentials are open to all, while others require coursework, work experience, or sponsorship.

Who it is for: Professionals and candidates seeking to validate Education & Teaching competence.

The test itself

What is the format of the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623)?

The Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623) is administered by ETS and runs 2 hours and contains 70 SR + 4 constructed-response questions.

The fine print

What are the retake and renewal rules for the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623)?

Proctoring & delivery

HiSET is offered in three ways: paper-based at a test centre, computer-based at a test centre and HiSET@Home under live online proctoring, with availability depending on the state. Calculators and formula sheets are supplied at test centres. The full battery in English or Spanish is permitted, and several states allow candidates to mix languages across subtests.

Retake policy

Retake rules are set per state, but a common pattern allows three attempts per subtest in a calendar year, sometimes extending to six. Several states use a favourable pricing structure in which the full fee is charged only on the first and fourth attempts while the second and third cost only the test centre or proctor fee.

Score reporting

Each of the five subtests is scored 1 to 20. To pass you must score at least 8 on every subtest, at least 2 out of 6 on the Language Arts Writing essay, and at least 45 out of 100 in total across the five. A score of 15 or higher on a subtest is treated as HiSET honours-level performance in several states.

Recertification

The credential a state issues on the strength of a passing HiSET battery is permanent and needs no renewal. Passing subtest scores are carried forward within a state-defined window while you complete the remaining subjects.

Refunds & rescheduling

Refund and reschedule windows are administered by PSI and vary by state and test centre; most centres require cancellation at least 24 hours before the appointment. Registering by phone rather than online attracts an additional fee in some states.

What it pays

How much does this credential pay?

$64,580 median for high school teachers (BLS SOC 25-2031, May 2024)

The Praxis PLT: Grades 5-9 is a licensure test for teachers of middle grades, and the closest BLS occupation is High School Teachers under SOC code 25-2031, which is the category BLS uses for teachers of grades 9-12 and the standard comparison for this family of exams on this site. The May 2024 median was $64,580 a year, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $47,330 and the highest 10 percent more than $104,670; the 25th percentile sat near $57,800 and the 75th near $83,010. BLS reported employment of 1,094,500 jobs in 2024 and projected a 2 percent decline from 2024 to 2034, with about 66,200 openings a year — a figure driven entirely by replacement need as teachers retire or leave the field. The honest reading of these numbers is that teacher pay is set by district salary schedules driven by years of service and education level, not by certification, so the PLT does not change the wage — it is the gate into a job whose compensation varies enormously by district, state and cost of living, and public-school pay is published and transparent rather than negotiated per hire. The PLT specifically is one of the pedagogical tests many states require alongside a subject-matter test, so its career value is eligibility: without the passing score the state sets, a candidate cannot be licensed to teach grades 5-9 in that state. Middle school teachers as a separate BLS category earned a $62,970 median in May 2024, slightly below the high-school figure, and we have used the 25-2031 series specified for this exam family. The growth story is flat but stable — decline in employment with tens of thousands of annual openings from turnover — which makes the licensure step the practical bottleneck rather than the demand for teachers.

Job growth.-2% projected change 2024-34 (decline), with about 66,200 openings a year, all from replacement need; teacher pay is set by district schedules and varies widely by state and cost of living.

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook - High School Teachers

Your schedule

How long should I study for it?

40-60 hours over 6-8 weeks of focused study

A realistic study plan for PLT: Grades 5-9 (5623) is 40-60 hours over six to eight weeks, because the test is a two-hour, 74-question paper that covers five content categories — three of them purely conceptual, one of them a written analysis of case histories that carries a quarter of the score — and the fastest gains come from mastering the case-study constructed-response format while covering the selected-response categories in proportion to their weight. The structure is 70 selected-response questions in roughly 70 minutes and 4 constructed-response questions in roughly 50 minutes, per the Study Companion’s pacing guidance. The selected-response content breaks into Students as Learners (22.5 percent) — human development, learning processes, diverse learners, motivation and learning environments; Instructional Process (22.5 percent) — planning, instructional strategies, questioning and communication; Assessment (15 percent) — evaluation strategies and tools; and Professional Development, Leadership and Community (15 percent) — professional practices, research and reflective practice, collaboration, and the teacher’s role in the community. The remaining 25 percent is the Analysis of Instructional Scenarios category: four constructed-response questions tied to two case histories, asking you to apply the conceptual content to a realistic classroom situation. Because the conceptual categories overlap heavily with teacher-preparation coursework, candidates coming straight from an education program should budget the lower end and weight time toward the constructed-response format; career changers or candidates without recent coursework should budget the upper end and add a structured review. The final two weeks should be full two-hour practice exams and written practice of the case-study questions under a timer, because the written portion is where most candidates lose points they could have banked.

1. Weeks 1-29-11 hrs/week

   Students as Learners and Instructional Process (45% of the selected-response score)

   • Student development and learning processes: cognitive, social, emotional and physical development in grades 5-9, and how learning happens
   • Diverse learners: differentiation, English learners, students with exceptionalities, and culturally responsive practice
   • Motivation and learning environment: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, classroom climate and management
   • Instructional process: planning instruction, instructional strategies, questioning techniques and communication
2. Weeks 3-48-10 hrs/week

   Assessment and Professional Development, Leadership and Community (30% of the selected-response score)

   • Assessment: formative and summative evaluation, assessment tools, grading and using assessment data
   • Professional development and reflective practice: self-assessment, research and its implications for teaching
   • Collaboration and community: working with colleagues, families and the school community; the teacher’s leadership role
   • Complete one full selected-response practice section and tag every miss to a category
3. Weeks 5-69-11 hrs/week

   Analysis of Instructional Scenarios — the constructed-response category (25%)

   • Learn the case-study format: two case histories, four written responses across Students as Learners and Instructional Process with some Assessment and Professional topics
   • Practise writing structured responses with a clear judgment, evidence from the case, and a rationale tied to theory
   • Use the ETS sample constructed-response questions and scoring explanations to calibrate what a full-credit answer looks like
   • Write two full case-history responses under the 50-minute timing each week
4. Weeks 7-88-10 hrs/week

   Full practice exams and gap closing

   • Two full two-hour practice exams with both sections under real timing
   • Re-tag every miss and re-drill the weakest selected-response category plus the case-study format
   • Run the official ETS study companion practice questions as the final calibration
   • Confirm the registration, the state’s required passing score, and the test-centre or at-home logistics

What to buy

Which study resources are worth paying for?

PLT: Grades 5-9 preparation is anchored by the free official ETS materials, because the Study Companion for 5623 contains the full content outline, the section timing, sample selected-response questions and constructed-response questions with scoring explanations — everything needed to understand the test before spending on anything. The exam itself costs $156 under the ETS fee schedule for tests containing constructed-response items, computer-delivered at a test centre or at home, and is offered year-round; there are no separate mandatory materials, and fee waivers are available to eligible students. Beyond the official set, the main paid options are review books from major publishers at roughly $30-50, which add structured coverage of the four conceptual categories and practice questions; online courses at roughly $50-200, which add video instruction and pacing practice; and question banks or practice-test subscriptions at roughly $30-100, which add volume and, in the better products, written-response scoring practice. The buying logic mirrors the exam structure: because 25 percent of the score is written analysis of case histories, the resource that actually grades or models constructed responses is worth more than another selected-response bank, and most candidates need one review book or course for the content plus timed practice for the format rather than a stack of materials. The footnote that anchors the comparison: prices below are list prices as of mid-2026 and change frequently, we rank nothing by commission, and the free official Study Companion should be the first download for every candidate, because it makes most of the paid products redundant at the margin. Candidates should also confirm the state’s required passing score before choosing how much to spend, since the target affects how much practice is enough.

Prices checked 2026-08 in USD before tax and change frequently; we rank nothing by commission. The ETS fee for Praxis tests containing constructed-response items is $156, and fee waivers are available to eligible students. Confirm the state-required passing score before choosing how much to spend.

What you'll face

What question types will I see?

PLT: Grades 5-9 (5623) is a two-hour, computer-delivered test with 70 selected-response questions and 4 constructed-response questions, split into roughly 70 minutes for the selected-response section and 50 minutes for the constructed-response section. The selected-response questions are conventional multiple choice testing the first four content categories — Students as Learners (22.5 percent), Instructional Process (22.5 percent), Assessment (15 percent), and Professional Development, Leadership and Community (15 percent) — and they reward both conceptual understanding of human development and learning theory and the applied vocabulary of classroom practice; distractors are usually plausible-sounding but less precise options, so precise terminology is the discriminator. The constructed-response section is the fifth category, Analysis of Instructional Scenarios, worth 25 percent: two case histories describing realistic middle-grades classroom situations, each followed by two written questions asking you to apply the conceptual content — typically one question drawing on Students as Learners, one on Instructional Process, and others touching Assessment and Professional Development. The written responses are scored by trained raters against published rubrics that reward a clear judgment, specific evidence from the case, and a rationale tied to educational theory, and partial credit is possible, so a structured answer that hits the rubric earns points even when imperfect. Raw scores convert to a scaled score on the Praxis reporting scale, and the passing score is set by the candidate’s certifying state rather than by ETS. The pacing guidance in the Study Companion is the practical limit: about a minute per selected-response item and about 12 minutes per constructed-response question. The three samples below illustrate a conceptual selected-response item, an applied selected-response item, and the constructed-response format; they are editor-written to the published Study Companion and are not live test items.

Samples are editor-written illustrations of the published blueprint, not live exam items.

Reference

What are the key facts about the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623)?

Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623) is a exam credential; awarded by ETS; the exam fee is ~$156; typical preparation is 40-60 hours over 4-6 weeks; holders typically earn $40,000-$85,000 (25-2031 median $64,580).

In short

Is the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623) worth it?

• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623) is awarded by ETS.
• Validates job-ready competence in Education & Teaching.
• Registration is through the awarding body or an authorized test provider.
• Renewal and retake policies vary — confirm before scheduling.

Worth comparing

How does the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 5-9 (5623) compare with similar credentials?

• TOEFL iBT ETS
• TOEIC Listening and Reading Test ETS

Trust

Where does this information come from?

Everything above is taken from the awarding body's own published material. Fees, question counts and domain weights are revised regularly — check the official page before you pay.

• ETS Awarding body

Research confidence: medium · Last reviewed 2026-08