Passage Preparation™ offers study guides and practice tests to help you prepare for the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE). These rigorous tests are designed to assess your knowledge about many standards related to the content and pedagogy you need to know to get certified to teach in New York public schools. 

Passage Preparation’s courses, which include both study guides and practice tests, break these standards down and provide you with rich, in-depth content aligned to each standard. You’ll get many opportunities to practice applying your knowledge through quizzes, formative assessments, and practice tests.

What are the NYSTCE Tests?

New York has adopted certification tests for aspiring teachers to assess their content knowledge and pedagogical, or teaching, skills. The New York State Teacher Certification Examinations are designed around specific standards defined by state and national education organizations for each specific content area.
New York teachers and teacher educators have determined passing, or cut, scores for each of these certification tests. The passing score may vary depending on the test you are required to take, so make sure you check the latest official scores here.

How are the NYSCTE Tests Structured?

Most NYSCTE tests have both multiple-choice and constructed response questions. Depending on the test, you will have a set number of hours to complete the questions. 

For each test, you can see what is covered by visiting the NYSTCE site. To fully understand the depth at which these topics are covered, you should enroll in a Passage Preparation course. 

NYSTCE Test Scoring

The cut score is the same for each test – 520. However, for the Multiple Subjects tests, they must pass all three tests (520 each) to obtain certification.

We offer preparation for the following NYSTCE tests:

• Educating All Students (201)
• Multi-Subject: Arts and Sciences (245)
• Multi-Subject: Teachers of Early Childhood (Birth-Grade 2) Literacy and Language Arts (21)
• Multi-Subject: Teachers of Early Childhood (Birth-Grade 2) Mathematics (246)
• Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood (Grades 1-6) Literacy and Language Arts (221)
• Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood (Grades 1-6) Mathematics (222)
• Multi-Subject: Teachers of Middle Childhood (Grades 5-9) Literacy and Language Arts (231)
• Multi-Subject: Teachers of Middle Childhood (Grades 5-9) Mathematics (232)

It is important to respond to each item on your test. You earn points for every correct item response, but you earn zero points for incorrect responses. 

So, even if you have to guess the answer for a multiple-choice item, you have a 25% chance of getting the item correct and earning points toward your overall score. However, if you do not respond to an item at all, you miss the opportunity to earn points!

How Long Does It Take to Receive Scores for the NYSCTE Tests?

You will receive preliminary score reports after the completion of your test. You will then receive your official score report about two to four weeks after completion of the test. At the time of registration and testing, you can identify your educator preparation program as a test score recipient. You will also need to submit your scores to the New York State Department of Education as part of your teacher certification package.

How to Prepare for Your Test

There are some strategies you can use to help you prepare for your tests. Passage Preparation’s courses include in-depth, high-quality content and assessments to help you master the content covered on your exam and practice responding to items structured like those on the certification test.

Our courses include a diagnostic assessment to help you identify the areas you should prioritize as you study. Next, you will develop a study plan to help guide you through the course content modules.

Throughout the course, you will complete checks for understanding and quizzes to help you engage with the content and practice taking items structured like those on your test. Finally, you take a practice assessment, structured to reflect the actual certification test. You can take the practice assessment as many times as necessary to feel confident on your exam.

On Test Day

Ways to prepare on test day:

Get a good night’s sleep.

Eat breakfast.

Arrive at least 30 minutes early to find parking and check-in.

Remember to bring the required documents and identification.

Breathe. You’ve prepared with Passage Preparation. You’ve got this!

Prepare for Your NYSTCE Tests with Passage Preparation!