What is the Praxis 7815?
The Praxis 7815, officially known as the Praxis Elementary Education 7815 - Social Studies, is a subtest of the Praxis Elementary Education: 7811 exam.
The Praxis 7815 is intended to evaluate the social and skills that are vital for an elementary school teacher. The Praxis CKT 7815 is designed to assess whether just qualified teachers have the standards-relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities believed necessary for competent professional practice at time of entry into the profession.
The subtest consists of 60 selected-response questions are based on the material typically covered in a bachelor’s degree program in elementary education. The test can be quite difficult because it includes content you may not have seen since you were in elementary or middle school. Therefore, it is important to prepare properly for this exam.
What does the Praxis 7815 consist of?
You will have 50 minutes to complete the Praxis CKT 7815. This subtest is to evaluate the knowledge and skills of aspiring educators in the field of social studies instruction. This test assesses candidates' understanding of various social studies disciplines, including history, geography, economics, political science, and sociology.
The assessment is not aligned to a particular grade or course, but it is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Social Studies.
The Social Studies Subtest is divided into the following four categories:
- History
- Government and Citizenship
- Human and Physical Geography
- Economics
History
Students comprehend chronology, various historical sources, and contributions of civilizations like China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. They explore indigenous peoples' characteristics pre-European exploration, the causes and effects of European exploration and colonization of North America, American independence through conflicts with Great Britain, and the development of the United States government. Additionally, students learn about political, economic, and social changes in the United States during the nineteenth century and significant developments in the country during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Government and Citizenship
Covers concepts of family and community, purposes and functions of government, various levels and forms of government. It explores key ideas in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, and emphasizes the characteristics of responsible citizenship.
Human and Physical Geography
Focuses on understanding location, distance, and direction. It explores physical characteristics of places, their impact on human activities and settlement patterns. It also covers human characteristics of places and how humans adapt to the physical environment. Additionally, students learn about similarities and differences among people.
Economics
Delves into understanding how human needs are met. It covers the concepts of goods and services, roles of producers and consumers, purposes of earning, spending, and saving money. Students learn about how businesses operate and explore patterns of economic activities both in the United States and globally.
Along with the content categories above, you will be required to have to demonstrate proficiency in analyzing primary and secondary sources, interpreting historical events, understanding geographic concepts, and applying economic principles. The exam also covers topics such as citizenship, government structures, cultural diversity, and global connections.
What is the passing score for the Praxis 7815?
Passing scores vary by state from 153-162. Be sure to check your state score requirements by visiting this page.
How many questions are on each of the subtests?
There are approximately 60 questions total on the Praxis CKT 7815.
- History - 16 questions
- Government and Citizenship - 16 questions
- Human and Physical Geography - 14 questions
- Economics - 14 questions
Please understand that you may have several additional questions on your test. ETS, the company that makes the exam, will often field test new items on the exams. You will never know which test items count toward your score and which items are being field tested. You can learn more about this HERE.
Field testing items is common practice in the testing industry. Therefore, if you see a couple more questions on your exam, don’t panic. Just answer all the questions on your test.
The best ways to pass the Praxis Elementary 7815
The difficulty of the Praxis tests generally depends on your level of preparation, your understanding of the content, and your test-taking skills. In short, it’s not an easy exam. The questions require you to understand various social studies disciplines, including history, geography, economics, political science, and sociology.
Here is an example of a question from the Praxis CKT 7815 study companion:
The sample test question below demonstrates the relationship between the tasks of teaching Social Studies and the content topics and subtopics in this subtest. Most questions on the subtest will measure specialized content knowledge needed about a particular topic (e.g., I.A., Chronology) to carry out a particular task of teaching. While all topics will be covered in the proportions listed on the chart on page 27 (26 percent for History, 26 percent for Government and Citizenship, 24 percent for Human and Physical Geography, and 24 percent for Economics), the proportion of different tasks of teaching may vary.
The best ways to pass the Praxis Elementary 7815
Everyone is different in terms of how they want to prepare for the exam. People have different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important you choose the right program for you. The following are a few resources you can use when preparing for this test.
The ETS Study Companion
The first and most important thing you can do to pass your Praxis 7815 test is to examine the test structure and content of the exam by reviewing the test specifications in the Praxis 7811 Study Companion. This document is developed by ETS and shows you everything you are responsible for on the exam. It even has practice test questions similar to what you will see on test day.
Study Guides
Beyond that, most people prefer to use a study guide with practice tests to prepare for the exam. Our Praxis 7815 study guide is fully aligned with the test specifications and blueprint outlined in the ETS Study Companion. It also has hundreds of practice test questions for each subtest and content category, so you are fully prepared for the exam.
How many questions do I need to get right to pass?
It is difficult to predict exactly how many questions you must get correct to pass the Praxis 7815 because a scale score is used rather than a raw score.
This means that your raw score—the number of questions you get correct—is put into a formula to calculate a scale score.
To keep things simple, we recommend scoring at least a 75% on the practice tests before you go in to take the exam. Getting 75% of the questions correct when practicing indicates you are ready to take the test.
Remember, each section of the exam is scored separately.
Free resources for the Praxis 7815
There are many free resources you can use to pass the exam. Our Social Studies Playlist on our YouTube Channel is packed with videos to help you with all the foundational skills tested on the exam.
You should also check out our free Praxis 7811 webinar, which includes prep for the Praxis 7815. It has a free study guide, test strategy tips, and more. Just fill out this form, and you will gain access to all of that.