Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means it's official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Pennsylvania requires assessment of candidates in General Knowledge, Professional Knowledge, and Subject Area Knowledge prior to issuance of a certificate. The information on this page provides guidance for completing these requirements. Please review this information carefully prior to completing any assessment requirement.

    Test scores are submitted electronically to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) by the test administrator. Test scores are automatically submitted to PDE when tests are taken in Pennsylvania. If not, or if taken remotely, contact the test administrator to request the scores be submitted to PDE.

    Full testing requirement exceptions apply only to out-of-state educators who meet the requirements of specific routes/conditions. All others must successfully complete Pennsylvania’s required testing.

    ​Test Registration and Study Guides

    Testing Guidelines

    • As a general rule, a candidate must take and pass the test(s) associated with the certification they are seeking to earn.
    • All PK-12 certifications, if an initial certification, must include the certification content test and the fundamental subjects test—except if dual enrolled with PK-4 or Grades 4-8 and a PK-12 certification area. The fundamental subject areas tested are addressed and embedded in the PK-4 and Grades 4-8 test modules.
    • A candidate who has a PK-4 certification seeking to add-on grades 4-8 does not have to take Grades 4-8 Module 1 (5153).  Students who are dual enrolled in a Grades PK-4 and 4-8 program will have Grades 4-8 Module 1 requirement removed at the time the application is evaluated. 
    • Programs do not need to wait on test results to appear in TIMS to complete their affirmation/recommendation. Once a program has official results in hand, they may complete their affirmation/recommendation.

    Important Note

    Basic skills testing is no longer a certification requirement in PA. However, basic skills testing remains one alternative to the 3.0 GPA certification preparation program admissions standard required by Chapter 354, Preparation of Professional Educators. A preparing institution may admit applicants if they have achieved a 2.8 GPA and qualifying scores on the Praxis Core or the PA Educator Certification Tests (PECT) Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA) basic skills tests.  For additional information about these tests, please see the Certification Test and Score Requirements link on this page.  Talk with your PA-approved program provider for additional testing options.