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Teacher Certification · 5905

Praxis Elementary Education: Three Subject Bundle—Science Practice Test

The science practice for Praxis Elementary Education: Three Subject Bundle—Science (5905) samples elementary-level reasoning about physical phenomena, matter, forces, light, sound, and space. Questions use familiar observations—such as a magnet interacting with different materials or the Moon’s changing appearance—to test whether you can connect evidence to a sound scientific explanation.

Exam overview

Exam providerETS Praxis
Exam code5905
CategoryTeacher Certification

About the Praxis Elementary Education: Three Subject Bundle—Science Exam

The available science questions also call for measurement, comparison, and basic quantitative reasoning. You may need to identify a fair test by controlling variables, interpret a change in an object’s observable properties, or distinguish a change in shape from a change in mass. Other examples address heat transfer, water’s expansion during freezing, static electricity, and how light interacts with opaque materials. These tasks resemble elementary science instruction, where a teacher helps students make careful observations, choose procedures that yield comparable evidence, and support conclusions with what the evidence shows. A geometry item involving garden area adds practice applying a measurement concept in context. Together, the examples emphasize clear explanations and evidence-based reasoning rather than recalling isolated terms.

Sample Practice Questions

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

Question 1

A student observes that a magnet attracts a steel paper clip but not a wooden craft stick. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. AAll objects with similar sizes are magnetic
  2. BSome materials, including steel, are attracted to magnets
  3. CWood is heavier than steel
  4. DA magnet attracts every kind of metal equally
Show answerCorrect answer: B

The observation supports the conclusion that the steel paper clip is made of a material attracted to the magnet, while the wooden stick is not. It does not establish that all metals behave the same way.

Question 2

A student places a sealed bottle of water in a freezer. After the water freezes, the bottle bulges outward. Which property of water best explains this observation?

  1. AWater expands as it freezes into ice.
  2. BWater loses all of its mass when it freezes.
  3. CIce has a lower melting point than liquid water.
  4. DFreezing causes water to become a gas.
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Water molecules form a more open arrangement in ice than in liquid water, so water expands when it freezes. In a sealed container, that expansion can push the bottle outward.

Question 3

A student notices that a metal bench feels colder than a wooden bench even though both have been outside in the same weather. Which explanation is most appropriate?

  1. AMetal transfers heat away from the student's skin more quickly than wood does
  2. BMetal is always at a lower temperature than wood
  3. CWood produces heat when someone sits on it
  4. DMetal contains cold particles, while wood contains warm particles
Show answerCorrect answer: A

At the same temperature, metal generally conducts heat away from skin more rapidly than wood, so it feels colder. The sensation does not necessarily mean the metal is at a lower temperature.

Question 4

A student wants to compare how quickly two kinds of paper towels absorb water. Which procedure would provide the fairest comparison?

  1. AUse equal-sized pieces and pour the same amount of water onto each
  2. BUse a larger piece of one towel and more water on the other
  3. CTest one towel while dry and the other after it has been soaked
  4. DUse different amounts of water and compare how wet the table becomes
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Changing only the towel type while keeping the sample size and water amount the same makes the comparison more controlled and meaningful.

Question 5

A student measures the mass of a lump of clay, shapes it into a thin disk, and measures its mass again. What result should the student expect if no clay is lost?

  1. AThe mass stays the same because shaping changes form, not the amount of clay.
  2. BThe mass doubles because the clay has more surface area.
  3. CThe mass becomes zero because the clay is no longer a lump.
  4. DThe mass decreases because shaping removes matter without removing clay.
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Changing the shape of an object does not change its mass when no material is added or removed. The clay may occupy a different shape, but the amount of matter remains the same.

Question 6

A student rubs a balloon on a wool cloth and then observes that the balloon can attract small pieces of paper. Which explanation best accounts for the attraction?

  1. ARubbing can transfer electric charge, allowing the balloon to exert an electrostatic force
  2. BThe balloon becomes magnetic and turns the paper into iron
  3. CThe balloon heats the paper until it sticks
  4. DAir pressure pushes the paper toward every balloon
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Rubbing can transfer electrons between materials, leaving the balloon electrically charged. A charged object can attract nearby small pieces of paper through electrostatic forces.

Question 7

A student shines a flashlight on a piece of opaque cardboard. What happens to light that reaches the cardboard?

  1. AMost of it passes through unchanged
  2. BIt is blocked, though some light may be reflected or absorbed
  3. CIt travels through the cardboard and bends around its edges
  4. DIt changes into sound and passes through
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Opaque materials do not transmit light through them. They can absorb or reflect some of the light, producing a shadow behind the cardboard.

How to use this practice test

Access is free. A session draws up to 20 random questions from the available bank of 50 and displays results when you finish. Use the questions to check how well you explain observations, compare materials, and evaluate simple investigation procedures; review missed items by identifying the evidence that supports the answer.

Preparation tips

  • For material-interaction questions, compare the observed result with properties such as magnetism, conductivity, and whether a material transmits or blocks light.
  • When evaluating an experiment, identify the variable being changed and keep the sample size, starting conditions, and measurement method consistent.
  • Practice explaining physical changes with evidence: track mass when clay is reshaped and connect water’s expansion on freezing to the bottle’s deformation.
  • Review basic wave ideas by relating a string’s vibration rate to pitch and distinguishing the Moon’s illuminated phase from its position in the sky.
  • Check measurement work with units and formulas, such as multiplying length by width to find the area of a rectangle.
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