Overview of North Carolina Testing Requirements

How to Qualify for Licensure

For initial certification in North Carolina, all candidates (traditional and alternate routes) must:

• Complete a state-approved teacher education program.
• Pass the Praxis I® Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST®), if required.
• Pass one or more Praxis II® Subject tests for their certification area(s). 

Important Information

• Beginning with the 2012–13 testing year, ETS is administering a new version of the Latin test. The test will have a new test code: 0601. The new test covers the same content as the previous test. However, scores are reported on a different scale, so requirements will vary from previous versions. All scores for discontinued tests are reportable for 10 years from the date the test was taken. Consult the Test Requirements table for specific score requirements.
• ETS is offering several additional tests in a computer-delivered format which will be introduced throughout the testing year. Visit Test Centers and Dates to find testing centers near you. For tests available in both formats (paper and computer), the computer-delivered versions cover the same content as the paper-delivered versions and are scored on the same scale; however, the computer-delivered tests have different test codes.
  • Biology: Content Knowledge (5235) — September 2012
  • Business Education: Content Knowledge (5101) — December 2012
  • Chemistry: Content Knowledge (5245) — September 2012
  • Earth and Space Sciences: Content Knowledge (5571) — October 2012
  • Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5411) — December 2012
  • Family and Consumer Sciences (5121) — December 2012
  • General Science: Content Knowledge (5435) — September 2012
  • Library Media Specialist (5311) — February 2013
  • Physics: Content Knowledge (5265) — September 2012
  • Professional School Counselor (5421) — February 2013
  • Reading Specialist (5301)* — September 2012
  • Speech-Language Pathology (5330) — December 2012

* This test is not available in a paper-delivered format except as required for ADA accommodations.

Who Must Take the Tests?

Teacher candidates or those wishing to become certified must take The Praxis Series™ tests.

Prior to entering a teacher education program at your college or university, you may be required to take the Praxis I tests to demonstrate your qualifications. However, individuals with a total SAT® score of 1100 (Verbal and Quantitative only) are exempt from Praxis I testing requirements for teacher education program administration.

• Individuals with a total SAT score of less than 1100 (Verbal and Quantitative only), but a score of at least 550 on the Verbal test, are exempt from the PPST in Reading and Writing for teacher education program admission.
• Individuals with a total SAT score of less than 1100 (Verbal and Quantitative only), but a score of at least 550 on the Math test, are exempt from the PPST in Mathematics for teacher education program admission.

Likewise, individuals with a composite ACT® score of 24 are exempt from Praxis I testing requirements for teacher education program admission.

• Individuals with a composite ACT score of less than 24, but with a score of at least 24 on the English test, are exempt from the Praxis I tests in Reading and Writing for teacher education program admission.
• Individuals with a composite ACT score of less than 24, but a score of at least 24 on the Math test, are exempt from the Praxis I test in Mathematics for teacher education program admission.

In North Carolina, you must take the appropriate Praxis II tests for each licensure area you seek.

See also:

• About the Praxis™ Tests
• The Praxis Series™ Information Bulletin
• Prepare for a Test
• Register for a Test
• Accommodations for Test Takers with Disabilities