Becoming a teacher isn’t as simple as passing a test (and we’re glad it’s not!) However, all educators need to, at some point in their career, pass one or more state licensure exams in order to become certified. Some exams are required before you can enter a program such as ours, while others are required at the point of licensure. At UVEI, we have supported many candidates in navigating these tests. What tests are required? Why? What do I do if I don’t pass? Whether you’re thinking about getting a license, or already enrolled in UVEI, here are some helpful hints.

What is the Basic Academic Skills/BASA testing requirement? 

All aspiring teachers in New Hampshire and Vermont, and most other states in the US, must pass a basic skills exam in reading, writing, and math. This is an admissions requirement for all teacher preparation programs in NH, including UVEI, and it needs to be completed before you can be enrolled in our program. You can choose to meet the requirement by passing New Hampshire’s Pearson Essential Academic Skills Exam, passing the Praxis Core exam (administered by ETS and recognized by many states including NH and VT), or by submitting your scores from the SAT/ACT/GRE that were in the top 50th percentile. If you are planning to become a teacher, it is never too early to plan for how you will meet this requirement!

What licensure exams are required for the teaching endorsements? 

Most states, including NH and VT, require standardized tests for each teaching endorsement. Some states (such as NH) have designed their own tests, and others (such as VT) use the Praxis subject specific exams. Are you planning to get certified in Life Sciences (7-12)? There’s a biology test for that! Want to become an elementary teacher? You’ll need a multi-part test that includes reading/writing, math, social studies, and science.  These subject-specific exams include specialized content knowledge and understanding/application of that content to teaching. UVEI has embedded these exams in our Teacher Intern program, so they must be taken and passed during the program before you can complete and receive your transcript. We will share additional details with UVEI teacher candidates throughout the admissions and enrollment phases.

What if I’m becoming a principal, curriculum director, and literacy specialist? 

In most cases, if you’re pursuing one of these endorsements, you already have a teaching license and have already met the Basic Academic Skills requirements. So it’s just a question of subject specific exams, and here is where the states diverge. In Vermont, if you go through a ROPA-approved program (such as UVEI) to add one of these endorsements to your license, you don’t need to take any tests. In New Hampshire, though, ever since the summer of 2025, there’s a testing requirement for nearly every endorsement area, regardless of the licensure pathway you choose. These tests are found in the Pearson National Evaluation Series for New Hampshire – use the link to find all of the details for each endorsement’s test(s). If you’re a UVEI candidate, these tests are NOT part of UVEI’s program and have no impact on your ability to complete UVEI and earn credit. They are just required before you can apply for the New Hampshire license.

Why Must I Take These Exams? 

Aside from the fact that these are state requirements, the theory is that the tests are indications of whether or not a potential teacher has the content knowledge and skills required to educate young people. Thinking of the tests as a whole, this means that they can read complex text, write clearly, think creatively, tackle challenging problems, have basic mathematics literacy; as well as demonstrate specialized knowledge in their content area. Tests are only one measure of these qualities, and arguably not the best measure, but they are available and widely used and provide data that states, preparation programs, and teaching candidates can use for improvement. Choices of which exam(s) to take have expanded in recent years, and we are sharing choices that will allow our candidates to get licensed in both NH and VT. 

How Do I Sign Up? 

Once you’ve planned out which test(s) to take and when, use the Pearson New Hampshire website and/or the ETS Praxis website to register. In most cases there is an online proctoring (at-home) option for the tests, but you can also take them at a testing center. If you opt for online, you’ll just want to review the requirements and rules carefully before registration AND again before your test date.

What If I Don’t Pass? 

Not passing at least one component of the test is more common than you think. That’s why it’s important to schedule your tests early to give yourself plenty of time to retake them if necessary. For multi-part exams such as the Praxis Core and the Elementary Education tests, you only need to retake the part(s) you did not pass.

I Have A Learning Disability. What Should I Do? 

Many people with learning disabilities pass the exams without accommodations, and it may be worth at least one try, because although accommodations are available, it’s a lengthy process. For the Praxis tests, for example, first, you must have a recently diagnosed disability. Next, you must apply to ETS for the accommodation (extra time is a helpful one), and wait for the approval before signing up for the test. If your disability (dyslexia, for example) interferes with your performance on standardized tests, you should definitely seek accommodations.

How can I Prepare for the Tests?

It’s natural to feel some anxiety, and one way to help ease that is to plan and register well in advance of deadlines. This will give you time for the registration process and time for studying. Praxis (ETS) and Pearson websites both include free study materials as well as additional content available for purchase. For the Praxis we also have several print study guides available in our lending library, and these are also easy to find used on Amazon. You can also explore external digital Praxis resources (study.com and Quizlet are two we have heard of) for free and for-purchase materials. We always recommend checking reviews and sources before using or purchasing materials.

For multi-part exams, some people opt to take at least one of the components separately. For example, if you know you want to be fresh and have plenty of mental energy to complete the writing portion, but you’re not worried about the math and the reading, you may sign up to take the writing portion on another day. Many previous teaching interns have reported that this strategy helped ease anxiety and allowed for more focused studying.

What If You Haven’t Answered My Particular Question?

Yes, there is a lot of information to process and we are likely to have missed a few things. You can view our licensure exams page for a more thorough explanation with additional links. We recommend the testing websites (Pearson NH and Praxis) as well as the VT AOE and NH DOE test requirement descriptions. Please feel free to contact us, also, with any additional questions and we’ll do our best to help you find the answers and resources you need.

Marie McCormick is the Registrar and Operations Associate and a former math teacher. You can get in touch with her anytime.  This guide has been revised from an older version, published on our website as “Praxis: Our guide to navigating the tests.” in October 2023.