Praxis Core Academic Skills For Educators: Reading Practice Test
Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5713) practice focuses on understanding informational and literary passages. Work with central ideas, supporting details, evidence-based conclusions, vocabulary in context, and the way authors organize information or develop a purpose. These skills support close reading of texts encountered in academic and educational settings.
Exam overview
About the Praxis Core Academic Skills For Educators: Reading Exam
Reading tasks require distinguishing a passage’s main point from individual examples, evaluating whether evidence supports a proposed conclusion, and recognizing limits in the information presented. You may need to infer an author’s purpose, compare ideas across a text, identify how viewpoints or details relate, and interpret words using surrounding context. Questions can also involve evaluating the relevance of a research source, understanding how a text is structured, or identifying a stated benefit and drawback. For educators, these skills help when interpreting instructional materials, reviewing research, and explaining text evidence to learners. Attend to qualifiers such as “although” and “however,” which can signal a contrast or limitation, and separate what a passage explicitly states from what it reasonably implies.
Sample Practice Questions
Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.
A passage says: “Although the play uses costumes inspired by the eighteenth century, its dialogue is written in modern language. The director says this choice helps audiences connect the characters’ dilemmas to present-day life.” What does the passage indicate about the production?
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Correct answer: BThe costumes draw on the eighteenth century, while the dialogue is modern. Together, these details show that the production combines historical and contemporary elements.
A report states: “Although the new bus route adds twelve minutes to some commuters’ trips, it connects three neighborhoods that previously had no direct service to the hospital.” What is the report’s main point about the route?
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Correct answer: BThe sentence acknowledges a cost in travel time while emphasizing improved access for three neighborhoods. This captures both sides of the statement.
A student is researching whether school gardens can affect students’ willingness to try vegetables. Which source would most directly provide evidence about that question?
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Correct answer: BA study that measures students’ food choices before and after garden participation directly addresses the proposed effect. The other sources may provide background but do not directly test the question.
Read the passage: “The shoreline survey counted fewer nests this year than last year. However, the team surveyed only the northern half of the beach this year because storms had blocked access to the southern section.” Which conclusion is best supported?
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Correct answer: BThis year’s survey covered only part of the beach, while the passage does not say that last year’s survey was similarly limited. The counts alone therefore do not support a reliable comparison for the entire shoreline.
Read the passage: “The town’s repair café opens once a month. Residents bring broken lamps, small appliances, and clothing, and volunteer mechanics help them make repairs. Organizers say the gatherings also give neighbors a chance to share practical skills.” Which statement best expresses the passage’s central idea?
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Correct answer: BThe passage describes both the practical repair help and the exchange of skills as purposes of the gathering. The other options add claims not supported by the text.
Read the sentence: “Because the archive’s records were incomplete, the researcher described the conclusion as provisional.” What does “provisional” most nearly mean in this sentence?
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Correct answer: AThe incomplete records limit certainty, so the conclusion is provisional—that is, tentative and potentially subject to revision.
Read the passage: “The observatory’s new telescope gathers more light than the older model. As a result, astronomers can observe fainter objects, though the telescope’s greater size makes it harder to transport.” Which detail identifies a drawback of the new telescope?
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Correct answer: CThe passage directly identifies portability as a drawback: the telescope’s greater size makes it harder to transport. The other options describe its capability or use.
How to use this practice test
Access the free practice bank for this exam to answer a session of up to 20 randomly selected questions from its published set of 50. After completing the session, review the results to see which responses need closer analysis. Use missed items to identify whether the difficulty involved evidence, inference, vocabulary, purpose, or organization.
Preparation tips
- For each passage, state its central idea in one sentence, then identify which details directly support it.
- When evaluating an inference, distinguish explicit evidence from assumptions and note any limits in the passage’s information.
- Use nearby phrases, contrasts, and examples to determine a word’s meaning in context before considering a familiar definition.
- For questions about organization or purpose, track transitions such as “however” and “as a result,” and connect them to the author’s point.
- When selecting a research source, match the source’s evidence and population to the exact question being investigated.