Praxis Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science Practice Test
Praxis Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science (5028) practice covers early mathematical reasoning and foundational science concepts. Practice-bank examples include place value, measurement, area, classifying living and nonliving things, observing weather and changes in matter, and recognizing simple circuits. These topics call for clear explanations grounded in observable evidence and age-appropriate examples.
Exam overview
About the Praxis Early Childhood: Mathematics and Science Exam
Early mathematics work includes interpreting digits by place value, counting accurately, measuring lengths, and using dimensions to find the area of a rectangle. Science questions draw on classification, comparing conditions, and explaining observations: learners may distinguish mammals, group leaves by visible traits, or identify what changes when plants receive different amounts of light. Other examples involve evaporation, precipitation, states of matter, magnets, and the parts of a simple circuit. For teaching-related decisions, connect a child’s observation to a suitable scientific concept without claiming more than the evidence supports. Practice explaining how a fair comparison isolates one condition, how categories depend on a stated characteristic, and how a calculation follows from the quantities provided.
Sample Practice Questions
Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.
Which animal is a mammal?
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Correct answer: DA rabbit is a mammal. Mammals have hair or fur and feed their young milk; frogs, salmon, and robins belong to other animal groups.
A child observes that a puddle becomes smaller after a sunny afternoon. Which process most directly explains water leaving the puddle and entering the air?
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Correct answer: BEvaporation occurs when liquid water changes into water vapor and enters the air. Warm, sunny conditions can speed up this process.
A child sorts leaves by whether their edges are smooth or jagged. What characteristic is the child using to classify them?
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Correct answer: ASmoothness or jaggedness describes the shape of a leaf's edge, so that is the sorting characteristic.
A child compares two identical plants. One receives light from a window and the other is kept in a dark cupboard. What is the main condition being changed?
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Correct answer: BThe plants are identical and the other listed conditions are held the same; the comparison changes exposure to light.
Which statement best describes how a simple electric circuit can make a small bulb light?
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Correct answer: AElectric current can flow through a complete circuit that connects the battery and bulb. A gap breaks the path and prevents the bulb from lighting.
A class sorts objects into groups that are attracted to a magnet and groups that are not. Which object is most likely to be attracted to a common classroom magnet?
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Correct answer: AIron is a magnetic material and is attracted to a common magnet. Paper, wood, and plastic are not attracted in this way.
A rectangular book cover is 8 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide. What is its area?
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Correct answer: CThe area of a rectangle is length multiplied by width: 8 × 4 = 32 square centimeters.
How to use this practice test
The free US Practice Tests practice session selects up to 20 random questions from the published bank of 50 and displays results when the session ends. Use each item to identify whether a missed response involved a calculation, a science concept, or interpretation of an observation; then explain the reasoning before retrying.
Preparation tips
- Practice stating the value of each digit in two-digit numbers, including the tens and ones represented.
- Solve rectangle-area problems by identifying length and width, keeping units such as centimeters attached to the result.
- Sort familiar objects or pictures by one visible feature at a time, and name the characteristic used for each group.
- Explain water-cycle and matter examples by tracing the observed change, such as liquid water entering the air through evaporation.
- For plant comparisons, identify the changed condition—such as light—and distinguish it from factors kept the same.