Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Exam Prep

In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) sets the standards candidates must meet for educator certification, with applications managed through TIMS. Subject-area and content certification testing is required: Praxis II (ETS) covers most secondary and content-area certifications, PECT (Pearson Evaluation Systems) covers PreK-4, Special Education PK-8/7-12, and a few other areas, and ACTFL/LTI handles world-language testing.

Two recent changes matter for exam prep. Act 55 of 2024, effective July 1, 2025, permanently eliminated the Praxis Core/PECT PAPA basic-skills testing requirement for certification, so any material describing basic-skills tests as a mandatory certification gate is outdated. Act 47 of 2025 also cut the standard certification fee to $50, though a separate non-waived $100 discipline fee applies to most new and Level II applications.

Pennsylvania recognizes several educator certificate types:

• Instructional I - Initial teaching certificate, valid for 6 years of actual full-time service.
• Instructional II - Permanent/professional certificate, requiring 3 to 6 years of satisfactory teaching on the Instructional I plus 24 post-baccalaureate credits and an approved induction program.
• Instructional Teacher Intern certificate - Alternate-route certificate via an approved program provider, valid for 3 years of service.
• Educational Specialist - School counselor, psychologist, nurse, speech-language pathologist, and similar roles, also with I/II levels.

Pennsylvania's content certification testing is administered by more than one vendor depending on certificate area: Praxis II (ETS, praxis.ets.org) covers most secondary and content-area certifications, PECT (Pearson Evaluation Systems, pa.nesinc.com) covers PreK-4 and Special Education PK-8/7-12 among other areas, and ACTFL/LTI handles world-language testing. The basic-skills test (Praxis Core/PECT PAPA) is no longer a certification requirement as of Act 55 of 2024, effective July 1, 2025. The authoritative current test-code and cut-score list is PDE's Certification Test and Score Requirements document, which is updated as a downloadable file rather than a static webpage.

Passing scores (cut scores) are set individually for each Praxis II or PECT assessment and are published in PDE's Certification Test and Score Requirements document rather than as a single statewide number. Confirm the current cut score for your specific content-area test before scheduling.

Typical requirements for Pennsylvania teacher certification include:

• A bachelor's degree from a PDE-approved educator preparation program, including student teaching or field experience.
• Passing scores on the required content-area certification tests (Praxis II, PECT, or ACTFL/LTI depending on the certificate area). The Praxis Core/PECT PAPA basic-skills test is no longer required as of Act 55 of 2024.
• Three background clearances for anyone in direct contact with children: Act 34 (PA Criminal History via PATCH), Act 151 (PA Child Abuse History Clearance via DHS), and Act 24 of 2011 (expanded disqualifying-offense list, with a duty to self-report certain arrests within 72 hours).
• Application through TIMS.

Requirements can change. Always confirm current licensing rules with the Pennsylvania Department of Education before applying.

Act 47 of 2025 (signed November 12, 2025) reduced the standard certification fee to $50 for nearly all application types, but a separate non-waived Professional Educator Discipline fee of $100 applies to most new-credential and Level II applications, for a combined total near $150. Endorsements also run $50 plus $50 discipline, for $100 total. Career and Technical Experience-Based (intern) applications are $0. Veterans and their spouses are exempt from both fees. Always confirm current fee amounts with the Pennsylvania Department of Education before submitting payment.

A focused 4 to 6 week study plan works well for most candidates:

• Week 1-2: Review the fundamentals of Teaching Foundations and Classroom Management against your Praxis II or PECT test framework.
• Week 3-4: Work through Assessment and Learning and your content-area material, then take a full-length practice test.
• Week 5-6: Review every missed question, drill weak areas, and simulate exam timing before test day.

Practice topics on ExamsLib cover Teaching Foundations, Classroom Management, Assessment and Learning.