UUS Practice Tests⌕ Search
Teacher Certification · 5652

Praxis Computer Science Practice Test

Praxis Computer Science (5652) practice covers programming, data structures, algorithms, computer systems, and digital security. The available questions use scenarios involving code behavior, data organization, databases, web input, and public-key encryption. Work through these concepts by tracing program statements, selecting suitable structures, and applying computing principles to practical problems.

Exam overview

Exam providerETS Praxis
Exam code5652
CategoryTeacher Certification

About the Praxis Computer Science Exam

Computer science problem solving requires matching a task to an appropriate representation or procedure. Practice topics include interpreting indexing and runtime errors, choosing structures for sequence edits, and recognizing the sorted-data condition required by binary search. Other questions connect computing concepts to systems and data: linked file blocks rely on metadata that identifies the next block, while relational tables use primary keys to identify records. Programming tasks may require applying precise conditions, such as the Gregorian leap-year rule, or distinguishing encapsulation from other object-oriented concepts. Security scenarios test whether a learner can select the correct public key for confidential communication and prevent user-entered content from being treated as executable code. These decisions are relevant when developing, debugging, explaining, or evaluating programs and information systems.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

A web page displays information entered by users. Which practice most directly helps prevent user-provided text from being interpreted as executable HTML or script?

  1. AEscape or encode the text appropriately before inserting it into the page
  2. BStore the text in a variable with a shorter name
  3. CSort the text alphabetically before displaying it
  4. DIncrease the browser window size
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Context-appropriate output encoding ensures user-provided characters are treated as text rather than markup or executable code, reducing cross-site scripting risk.

Question 2

A program needs to repeatedly add and remove items at arbitrary positions in the middle of a sequence, while retaining a reference to the position where each operation occurs. Which structure can perform these edits without shifting all later elements?

  1. AA linked list
  2. BA fixed-size array
  3. CA binary heap
  4. DA direct-address table
Show answerCorrect answer: A

In a linked list, inserting or deleting at a known node can be done by changing links, without shifting all subsequent elements. Finding an arbitrary position may still require traversal, so the advantage assumes the location is already known.

Question 3

A language interpreter reports that an identifier is not defined when execution reaches a particular statement. Which category of error is this most commonly?

  1. AA runtime error
  2. BA sorting error
  3. CA network-layer error
  4. DA hardware compilation error
Show answerCorrect answer: A

In an interpreted or dynamically checked context, a missing identifier may be detected when the statement executes, making it a runtime error. Some languages or tools detect comparable problems earlier, so the question specifies when the report occurs.

Question 4

A system stores a file as a linked list of disk blocks. Which metadata is needed to locate the next block of that file?

  1. AA link or pointer to the next block
  2. BThe file’s display color
  3. CThe processor’s instruction register
  4. DA copy of every block’s contents inside the file name
Show answerCorrect answer: A

In linked allocation, each block or associated metadata identifies the next block in the file, allowing the system to follow the chain. Other file-allocation strategies use different metadata arrangements.

Question 5

Which property is essential for a binary search to correctly locate a target in a collection?

  1. AThe collection must be sorted according to the search order
  2. BThe collection must contain only distinct values
  3. CThe collection must be stored as a linked list
  4. DThe target must be the first or last element
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Binary search discards half of the remaining search range based on comparisons. This is valid when the collection is ordered; duplicate values do not prevent it from finding a matching value.

Question 6

In a public-key cryptosystem, which key should a sender use to encrypt a message intended only for a particular recipient?

  1. AThe sender's private key
  2. BThe sender's public key
  3. CThe recipient's public key
  4. DThe recipient's private key
Show answerCorrect answer: C

For public-key encryption, the sender encrypts with the recipient's public key. The matching private key, held by the recipient, is used to decrypt the message.

Question 7

A list contains the values [4, 7, 9, 12]. Using zero-based indexing, what value is at index 2?

  1. A4
  2. B7
  3. C9
  4. D12
Show answerCorrect answer: C

With zero-based indexing, index 0 refers to the first item, index 1 to the second, and index 2 to the third. The third value is 9.

How to use this practice test

US Practice Tests provides free practice questions for this exam. A session presents up to 20 random questions from the available bank; results appear after the session. Use missed answers to identify specific gaps, such as binary-search prerequisites, database keys, error types, or safe handling of web input, then revisit the underlying concept.

Preparation tips

  • Trace short code examples carefully, noting zero-based indexes, variable scope, and the point at which an undefined identifier causes an error.
  • Compare arrays, linked lists, and other sequence structures by how insertion, removal, and access work at different positions.
  • Practice the conditions and assumptions behind algorithms, especially the requirement that data be sorted before binary search.
  • Review relational database terminology, including primary keys and record identification, and connect it to small table examples.
  • For security scenarios, distinguish encryption with a recipient’s public key from signing, and review how output encoding prevents injected text from executing as markup or script.
Official sourceOfficial exam page ↗