FREE Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331) Exam Guide 2026: Pass the ASHA CCC-SLP Praxis

Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331) Exam Guide 2026

The Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331) exam is the single most important gate between your ASHA-accredited master's degree and the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). It is also required by nearly every state licensure board in the United States. Most candidates have one semester to prepare, thousands of pages of coursework to synthesize, and a 162/200 ASHA cut score that does not care how hard your program was.

This 2026 guide beats every other Praxis SLP resource online — ASHA, Mometrix, SpeechPathology.com, Medbridge, and paid courses. Everything below is free: the full weighted content outline, pediatric and adult neurogenic deep dives, 8 to 12 week study plan, disorder-differentiation tables, and test-day strategy written for how ETS writes SLP items.

At-a-Glance: Praxis SLP 5331 (2026)

Bottom line: you need 162/200 to add CCC to your signature. Miss by one point and you cannot certify until you retake.

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Begin FREE Praxis SLP Practice TestPractice questions with detailed explanations

Every other Praxis SLP prep program charges between $24.95 (single ETS practice form) and $599 (boutique video courses). You already paid $40,000+ for your master's, $146 for the test, and $250 for your CF application. Prep should not be a fourth bill. Our Praxis SLP question bank, study guide, and AI tutor are free, forever, no paywall.

Our free Praxis SLP prep includes:

• Full-length timed practice tests mirroring the 2:30, 132-question exam
• Topic-tagged practice by all 12 ETS content categories
• Audio-clip items for speech sound, voice, and fluency scenarios
• Answer explanations written by ASHA-certified SLPs
• Free AI tutor for CELF-5 subtests, aphasia subtypes, IDDSI levels, and more
• IEP, IFSP, and dysphagia case-study walkthroughs

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What Is the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology Exam?

The Praxis 5331 is the ETS-administered national examination in speech-language pathology. ASHA's Council for Clinical Certification (CFCC) uses it as the knowledge-verification step of CCC-SLP — a minimum-competency examination confirming an entry-level SLP can practice safely across the full scope.

The test content is updated approximately every seven years based on an ASHA-partnered practice analysis. The current 2026 blueprint, first administered September 2022, emphasizes evidence-based assessment and treatment planning across the lifespan and across all nine disorder categories in ASHA's scope of practice.

The ASHA CCC-SLP Pathway

The Praxis is step 5 of 7 for ASHA CCC-SLP:

Miss any one and you are not eligible. The Praxis can be retaken indefinitely, but each retake costs $146 and delays CF start.

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Who Takes the Praxis SLP Exam?

• Graduate students in CAA-accredited master's programs finishing their final semester.
• Clinical Fellows (CFs) who delayed the test and need it before applying for CCC-SLP.
• International SLPs seeking US licensure, who must also have credentials evaluated by an ASHA-approved service (typically CES).
• SLPs renewing or reinstating certification under older ASHA standards.
• School-based SLPs in states requiring Praxis separately from ASHA CCC (e.g., Texas, California, Hawaii).

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Eligibility: Are You Ready to Sit?

ETS has no eligibility requirement. But for the score to count toward ASHA CCC-SLP, you must:

1. Be enrolled in or have completed a master's/clinical doctorate from a CAA-accredited program.
2. Complete 400 supervised clinical hours before submitting your CCC-SLP application.
3. Have your program director verify your Big 9 coursework with ASHA.
4. Take the test within 5 years of your CCC-SLP application date.

ASHA recommends sitting for the Praxis during your final semester while content is fresh. First-time pass rates drop about 7 percentage points for each year of delay after graduation.

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Praxis SLP 5331 Content Outline (2026)

ETS and ASHA publish the official blueprint at ets.org/praxis/prepare/materials/5331 and asha.org/certification/praxis/speech-language-pathology-exam-5331-content. ASHA specifies three high-level content categories, each weighted 33⅓% (about 44 scored items per category). The Big 9 disorder areas are embedded across these three categories rather than scored as a separate section.

High-Level Content Categories (ASHA Official)

Do not under-invest in Category I because it is the "boring" one — it is exactly one-third of your test. Ethics, IDEA/ADA/504, scope of practice, CPT billing, and culturally responsive practice are all in Category I and show up heavily.

Big 9 Disorder Areas (Embedded Across I-III)

ETS and ASHA distribute items across the "Big 9" ASHA scope-of-practice disorder areas. Approximate emphases (based on ETS Study Companion item sampling; ±2 points per form):

Strategy: Language and speech sound production together are ~26% of your test. Dysphagia is 7% and routinely flunks under-prepared candidates. Fluency, voice, and hearing are only 4% each but very specific — miss them all and you lose 12 points you cannot afford.

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Category I: Foundations and Professional Practice (33⅓%, ~44 questions)

The "everything not a disorder" category — ethics, billing, supervision, cultural practice, and legal frameworks. Easiest to over-study, hardest to skip.

ASHA Code of Ethics (2023 revision)

You must know the four Principles of Ethics and recognize violations. Expect 2 to 3 items.

Exam scenarios: supervisor signs off on a session she did not attend (I + IV); SLP bills Medicare for group therapy as individual (III + IV); SLP treats selective mutism outside her training (II).

Scope of Practice (2016, reaffirmed 2024)

Know which services are within scope and which require referral:

• In scope: assessment and treatment of speech, language, cognition, voice, fluency, feeding/swallowing, hearing screening, aural rehabilitation, AAC.
• Referral required: audiological diagnostic testing (refer to audiologist), medical diagnosis (refer to physician), psychological counseling beyond communication impact (refer to mental health).
• SLP assistants (SLPAs): may provide services under supervision of a CCC-SLP; may not conduct initial evaluations, interpret results, or discharge patients.

Legal Frameworks: IDEA vs ADA vs Section 504

This is a guaranteed exam topic. Memorize this table.

Trap the exam loves: a bright student with ADHD who does not qualify for IDEA may still get a 504 plan. A child under 3 gets an IFSP, not an IEP.

IEP Process and MTSS/RTI

Know the sequence:

1. Pre-referral intervention (MTSS — Multi-Tiered System of Supports, often with RTI data)
2. Referral for evaluation (parent or team initiates)
3. Evaluation within 60 days (federal) or state timeline
4. Eligibility determination
5. IEP development within 30 days of eligibility
6. Annual review
7. Triennial re-evaluation

SLPs participate in the evaluation and as related service providers once an IEP is written. Tiers 1-3 of MTSS do not require special education eligibility.

Billing: Medicare, Medicaid, and CPT Codes

Medical-setting SLPs must know these CPT codes cold:

Medicare Part B caps therapy. Medicaid coverage varies by state. School-based SLPs in many states bill Medicaid for eligible services under the Free Care rule revisions.

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

Expect items on cultural humility (replacing "cultural competence"), dialect vs disorder differentiation, and nonbiased assessment. Key rule: a difference is not a disorder. AAE, Spanish-influenced English, and regional dialects are rule-governed linguistic systems, not impairments.

Use dynamic assessment (test-teach-retest) and processing-dependent measures (nonword repetition, narrative retell) to reduce bias.

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Category II: Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis (33⅓%, ~44 questions)

Norm-Referenced vs Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Standardized Tests You Must Recognize

Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) — Brown's Stages

MLU is calculated in morphemes, not words. "Mommies" = 2 morphemes (mommy + -s).

Dynamic Assessment and RTI

Dynamic assessment is the gold standard for distinguishing language difference from disorder in bilingual/multilingual and low-SES populations. The cycle is test-teach-retest with modifiability as the key construct. A child with a language difference shows high modifiability; a child with a language disorder shows low modifiability.

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Category III: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment (33⅓%, ~44 questions)

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Triangle

Three legs: best available external evidence + clinical expertise + client/family perspectives. ASHA publishes Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and Evidence Maps as external evidence sources.

SMART Goals

Every treatment plan item should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Example: "Within 8 weeks, John will produce /r/ in initial position of single words with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions given minimal prompts."

ICF Framework

The WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health frames treatment targets in terms of:

• Body Functions/Structures (e.g., vocal fold mobility)
• Activity (e.g., conversing with family)
• Participation (e.g., returning to work as a teacher)
• Environmental and Personal Factors

School IEP goals typically target Activity and Participation. Medical goals often target Body Functions first, then Activity.

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Speech Sound Production (11%)

Articulation vs Phonological Disorders

Phonological Processes (Should Disappear By)

Treatment Approaches

• Van Riper Traditional — ear training, production, stabilization, transfer. Best for single-sound articulation errors in school-age children.
• Minimal Pairs — contrasting pairs like "key/tea" to correct fronting. Best for mild-moderate phonological disorders.
• Cycles Approach (Hodson) — targets multiple processes in cycles, 60 minutes per target per cycle. Best for highly unintelligible preschoolers.
• Complexity Approach — target later-developing sounds to trigger widespread change. Best for severe phonological disorders.
• PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) — tactile-kinesthetic cueing. Best for CAS (childhood apraxia of speech) and motor speech.
• Biofeedback (electropalatography, ultrasound) — residual /r/ errors in adolescents.
• DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing) — first-line for CAS per ASHA.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Expect items asking you to transcribe. Memorize place-manner-voicing for English consonants:

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Fluency (4%)

Stuttering vs Cluttering

Core and Secondary Behaviors (Stuttering)

• Core: repetitions (sound/syllable), prolongations, blocks.
• Secondary: eye blinks, head jerks, avoidance, word substitution, circumlocution.

Treatment Approaches

• Lidcombe Program — parent-delivered operant conditioning, preschoolers (birth to 6). Gold standard for early childhood stuttering.
• Camperdown Program — prolonged speech for adolescents and adults, uses rating scales.
• Demands and Capacities Model (Starkweather) — balance environmental demands against child's capacities. Framework, not a protocol.
• Stuttering Modification (Van Riper) — modify the moment of stuttering (cancellations, pull-outs, preparatory sets). Increases fluency via acceptance.
• Fluency Shaping — prolonged speech, light articulatory contacts, easy onset, continuous airflow. Techniques often taught together.
• Time-out / Response cost — operant reduction of stuttering moments.

Exam trap: Lidcombe is operant and behavioral; it does NOT teach fluency techniques like "easy onset." A child who responds well to Lidcombe does not need stuttering modification.

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Voice and Resonance (4%)

Laryngeal Pathologies

Resonance Disorders

Treatments: speech therapy, prosthetic (speech bulb, palatal lift), or surgical (pharyngeal flap, sphincter pharyngoplasty). Nasometry provides acoustic measurement; aerodynamic assessment uses pressure-flow.

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Receptive and Expressive Language (15%)

Typical Language Milestones (0-5 years)

Late Talkers vs Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

• Late talker: child under 3 with expressive delay but otherwise typical; many "grow out of it" but roughly 25-50% continue to show language difficulties.
• DLD (formerly SLI): language disorder persisting beyond age 4 without associated condition (no hearing loss, ID, ASD, TBI, etc.). CATALISE consensus renamed SLI to DLD in 2017.
• Language disorder associated with X — used when there is a known cause (autism, Down syndrome, hearing loss).

Aphasia Subtypes (Adult Neurogenic)

Single most tested adult topic. Memorize using the fluent/nonfluent + comprehension + repetition grid.

Rule: transcortical aphasias have preserved repetition (the perisylvian loop is intact, surrounding cortex is damaged).

Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

• Nonfluent/agrammatic variant — effortful speech, apraxia of speech.
• Semantic variant — loss of word meaning, impaired single-word comprehension.
• Logopenic variant — word-finding pauses, phonologic errors; often a presentation of Alzheimer's disease.

Dementia

Alzheimer's disease (AD) typically shows semantic memory loss early, preserved syntax until late. Vascular dementia is often stepwise. Lewy body dementia has visual hallucinations and parkinsonian features. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) presents as bvFTD or PPA variants.

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Social Aspects of Communication (3%)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — DSM-5-TR criteria

Two domains required:

1. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction (social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication, relationships).
2. Restricted, repetitive patterns (stereotyped behaviors, insistence on sameness, restricted interests, sensory differences).

Levels 1-3 by support needs. SLP assessment covers joint attention, pragmatic skills, AAC needs, sensory influences on communication.

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD)

New DSM-5 diagnosis. Pragmatic deficits without the restricted/repetitive behaviors required for ASD. You must rule out ASD first.

Pragmatic Skills Across Development

Turn-taking, topic maintenance, repair strategies, presupposition, deixis, figurative language. Assessment tools: Test of Pragmatic Language-2 (TOPL-2), Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2), Social Language Development Test.

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Cognition (5%)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

• Mild (concussion): Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 13-15, LOC <30 min, PTA <24 hr.
• Moderate: GCS 9-12.
• Severe: GCS 3-8.

Rancho Los Amigos Scale Levels I-X describes cognitive recovery. Level IV (Confused-Agitated) is the level at which structured SLP treatment typically begins; Level VIII (Purposeful, Appropriate) is near-normal.

Right Hemisphere Damage (RHD)

• Left-side neglect (hemispatial neglect)
• Anosognosia (lack of awareness of deficit)
• Aprosody — flattened emotional prosody, impaired comprehension of prosody
• Impaired pragmatics and inference
• Pragmatic/discourse deficits often more prominent than linguistic

Executive Function

Attention, working memory, planning, inhibition, flexibility, self-monitoring. Assessment: FAVRES (Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies), BRIEF-A, cognitive-linguistic tasks.

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Augmentative and Alternative Communication — AAC (4%)

Low-Tech vs High-Tech

Core vs Fringe Vocabulary

• Core vocabulary: ~80% of what anyone says, day to day. High-frequency function and common content words — "go, want, more, stop, help, that, I, like." Prioritize core in AAC design.
• Fringe vocabulary: topic-specific nouns and content words — "pizza, teacher, dinosaur." Personalized, easier to add later.

Selection Criteria

Feature-matching between user (motor, vision, cognition, language, literacy) and device. Consider access method (direct selection, scanning, eye gaze, head tracking, switch), symbol set (PCS, SymbolStix, orthographic), vocabulary organization (semantic, pragmatic branch starters, alphabetical, activity-based), output (synthesized or digitized speech), durability, and funding.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

Six phases, Bondy and Frost protocol:

1. How to communicate (physical exchange)
2. Distance and persistence
3. Picture discrimination
4. Sentence structure ("I want" + picture)
5. Answering "What do you want?"
6. Commenting

Often used with children with ASD and minimal verbal output.

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Feeding and Swallowing (7%)

Phases of Swallowing

1. Oral preparatory — mastication, bolus formation. Labial, lingual, buccal control.
2. Oral transit — tongue propels bolus posteriorly.
3. Pharyngeal — swallow reflex triggered, velum elevates, hyolaryngeal excursion, epiglottis inverts, airway closes, UES opens.
4. Esophageal — peristalsis carries bolus to stomach (not SLP's scope to treat, but we assess function).

Instrumental Assessment

Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) Rosenbek

8-point scale. 1 = material does not enter airway. 6-8 = aspiration (enters below vocal folds). Silent aspiration = PAS 8 with no cough.

Compensatory vs Rehabilitative Techniques

Compensatory (reduce risk without changing physiology):

• Postural: chin tuck, head rotation to weak side, head tilt to strong side
• Diet modification (IDDSI levels)
• Sensory: thermal-tactile stimulation, cold bolus
• Volume: small sips, single swallows

Rehabilitative (change physiology):

• Mendelsohn maneuver
• Effortful swallow
• Masako (tongue-hold) maneuver
• Shaker exercise
• Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST)
• McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP)
• Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) for Parkinson's-related dysphagia
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) — evidence mixed

IDDSI Framework (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative)

Unified 0-7 scale for foods and drinks, replacing older National Dysphagia Diet terminology.

Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD)

Consensus definition (Goday et al., 2019): impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate, associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction.

• NICU SLP roles: non-nutritive sucking, state regulation, cue-based feeding, coordinating suck-swallow-breathe, feeding readiness.
• Pediatric assessment: SOS Approach to Feeding, clinical swallow evaluation, VFSS as needed.

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Hearing (4%)

SLPs must demonstrate basic audiology literacy — screening, interpretation, and referral.

Pure-Tone Audiometry

• Air conduction (headphones): tests outer-middle-inner ear pathway.
• Bone conduction (oscillator on mastoid): bypasses outer/middle, tests inner ear directly.
• Conductive loss: air-bone gap (AC worse than BC). Causes: otitis media, cerumen, otosclerosis.
• Sensorineural loss: AC and BC both reduced, no gap. Causes: noise, presbycusis, ototoxicity.
• Mixed loss: gap + both reduced.

Degrees of Hearing Loss (ASHA 2015 revision)

Tympanometry

• Type A: normal middle ear.
• Type As: stiffness (otosclerosis).
• Type Ad: hypermobility (ossicular discontinuity).
• Type B: flat (effusion or perforation).
• Type C: negative pressure (Eustachian tube dysfunction).

Cochlear Implants (CI)

Candidates: severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, limited benefit from hearing aids. Auditory-verbal or auditory-oral rehabilitation follows activation. SLP role: aural habilitation, language development, speech perception training.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

Diagnosed by audiologist. SLP role is in treatment of language/academic effects. Testing requires peripheral hearing within normal limits.

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Pediatrics Across the Lifespan: Quick Milestone Reference

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Adult Neurogenic Deep Dive: Motor Speech Disorders

Dysarthria Types (Mayo Clinic / Darley-Aronson-Brown classification)

Apraxia of Speech (AOS)

Motor planning/programming disorder, not weakness (unlike dysarthria) or linguistic (unlike aphasia).

Treatment: Sound Production Treatment (SPT), Script Training, PROMPT, DTTC for children.

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Praxis SLP 5331 Pass Rate and Difficulty

ETS does not publish a first-time pass rate, but CAA-accredited program outcome reports (public under CAA transparency) show:

Most people pass on the first try. The 10-15% who fail almost always underestimated one of three areas: dysphagia, aphasia subtypes, or professional practice/ethics.

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Take Another FREE Practice Test Before You Register

Start Free Praxis SLP Practice TestPractice questions with detailed explanations

Most candidates take 3 to 5 full-length practice tests before sitting for the real 5331. Ours are free, timed, and use the same item types. Ask our AI tutor to explain any Praxis SLP topic — aphasia localization, phonological process suppression ages, IDDSI levels, dysarthria differentials.

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8 to 12 Week Praxis SLP Study Plan

This plan assumes ~12-15 hours per week of study, which is realistic alongside a clinical placement.

12-Week Schedule

8-Week Condensed Plan (for CFs already in the field)

Compress weeks 1-2 into week 1, weeks 3-4 into week 2, etc. Add one full practice test per week.

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Recommended Praxis SLP Resources

None of these are required. Free OpenExamPrep practice plus your grad-school notes is enough for most people. If you prefer structured external content:

Minimum viable combo: free OpenExamPrep + the ETS Interactive Practice Test at least once (it is the only truly official item pool).

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Test-Taking Strategies for Praxis SLP Items

ETS writes Praxis SLP items in predictable patterns. Know them.

Disorder Identification by Symptom Cluster

The exam rarely says "this patient has Broca's aphasia." It says "a 68-year-old with a recent MCA stroke is nonfluent, produces agrammatic speech, understands most commands but struggles with repetition." Your job is to cluster symptoms.

Practice writing two-sentence cases from the aphasia table and the dysarthria table. If you cannot name the syndrome from a sentence, you will miss the item.

Rule of Elimination on Overlapping Diagnoses

Many items give you two plausible answers. Use these rules:

• Apraxia vs dysarthria? Inconsistent errors, normal strength, trial-and-error groping = apraxia.
• Articulation vs phonological disorder? One sound across positions = articulation. Pattern across sound classes = phonological.
• Late talker vs DLD? Age determines label — under 3 = late talker, over 4 = DLD.
• ASD vs SPCD? Restricted/repetitive behaviors present = ASD.
• Conductive vs sensorineural hearing loss? Air-bone gap = conductive.
• Aphasia vs cognitive-communication disorder (RHD/TBI)? Linguistic primary = aphasia. Pragmatic/attention/memory primary = cognitive-communication.

"Best Answer" When All Four Options Look Right

Pick the option that (a) matches evidence-based practice first, (b) is least invasive/most person-centered, (c) addresses the stated referral question, and (d) respects scope of practice. If two answers are clinically equivalent, pick the one that prioritizes the client's values.

Audio-Clip Items

Play the clip twice. First listen for overall impression (fluency, voice quality, resonance). Second listen for specific errors. Then eliminate.

Time Management

132 scored + ~15 unscored items in 150 minutes = about 60 seconds per item. Flag and skip any item you cannot solve in 90 seconds. Return with remaining time.

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Cost, Retakes, and Score Reporting

2026 Costs

Scheduling and Retakes

• Register at ets.org/praxis.
• Schedule at Prometric test centers or at-home with ETS Proctortrack.
• Walk-in not available.
• If you must retake, you cannot sit again for 28 calendar days. There is no limit on lifetime attempts.

Score Reporting

• Unofficial score available immediately at the test center only for computer-delivered tests — not the case for Praxis SLP. Scores release on scheduled score report dates (about 2-3 weeks after testing).
• Official score reports go to ASHA automatically if you designated recipient code R5031.
• Scores are reported on a 100-200 scale. ASHA requires 162.

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Salary and Career Outlook (BLS 2024 Data)

SLP is classified under OCC 29-1127 (Speech-Language Pathologists) by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

School vs Medical Setting

Pay bump for bilingual SLPs is common, especially Spanish-English in high-need districts. PRN/contract hospital work can exceed $55/hour.

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Common Mistakes Praxis Candidates Make

1. Confusing dysarthria with apraxia of speech. Dysarthria = weakness, consistent errors. AOS = planning, inconsistent errors, groping.
2. Confusing IDEA vs Section 504. IDEA requires specialized instruction and has 13 categories. 504 is any disability substantially limiting a major life activity but provides accommodations, not specialized instruction.
3. Missing the transcortical aphasias. Students learn Broca's and Wernicke's cold and then lose points on transcortical. Remember: transcortical = preserved repetition.
4. Confusing phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, and phonics. Phonemic awareness = hearing and manipulating individual sounds (oral). Phonological awareness = broader (rhyme, syllable, phoneme). Phonics = sound-letter mapping (print).
5. Mis-sequencing the swallow phases. Oral prep → oral transit → pharyngeal → esophageal. Aspiration risk is highest during the pharyngeal phase.
6. Confusing PAS 5 and PAS 6. PAS 5 = material contacts vocal folds but ejected. PAS 6 = material enters below vocal folds but ejected. PAS 8 = silent aspiration.
7. Thinking African American English is a disorder. It is a rule-governed dialect. Never diagnose based on dialect features alone.
8. Not knowing Cycles from Minimal Pairs. Cycles = unintelligible preschoolers, rotate targets. Minimal Pairs = contrasting pairs for specific process.
9. Forgetting ASHA SLPAs cannot evaluate or discharge. Scope issue — appears almost every exam.
10. Picking flashy treatment over evidence-based treatment. Oral-motor non-speech exercises (NSOMEs) are not evidence-based for articulation. Picking them loses points.

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State Licensure Variability

All 50 states + DC license SLPs, but requirements vary:

• 48 states + DC: accept the Praxis 5331 score with minimum of 162 or lower (most mirror ASHA).
• Texas: requires separate state jurisprudence exam in addition to Praxis.
• California: has its own Speech-Language Pathologist Services Credential rules for schools; a temporary license is available for CFs.
• Hawaii: may require additional documentation for out-of-state grads.
• ASHA CCC-SLP is not legally required for licensure in most states, but nearly all employers require or prefer it.

Some states require SLPs to hold a state-issued teaching credential for school-based work (Educator License with Stipulations in Illinois, School SLP license in New York). Always check your state licensure board.

ASLP-IC Interstate Compact (Critical for 2026 Graduates)

The ASLP-IC (Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact) is operational. As of early 2026, 36 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands (37 jurisdictions total) have enacted it: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Not in the compact as of 2026: California, Connecticut, DC, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wyoming.

Registration for compact privileges is rolling out through CompactConnect (the commission's data system), opening first in Louisiana, Ohio, and West Virginia and expanding as additional member states onboard. Once your home state has onboarded, you pay a privilege fee (set by each state) instead of full out-of-state licensure — major for telehealth SLPs and military spouse SLPs.

Requirements for a compact privilege include: active unencumbered home-state license, passing the Praxis 5331, CCC-SLP or equivalent clinical experience, no felony/disciplinary action, and payment of privilege fees in each remote state where you want to work.

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Final CTA: Start Free, Pass First Time

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You are one exam from adding CCC to your name. You already did the hard part — 400 clinical hours, Big 9 coursework, graduate research. The Praxis rewards structured review, not cramming. Use this guide, drill our free practice questions, and take the ETS official practice test once before test day.

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Official Sources

• ETS Praxis 5331 page — ets.org/praxis/prepare/materials/5331 (content outline, cost, registration)
• ASHA Certification Standards for CCC-SLP (2020 Standards, current 2026) — asha.org/certification/2020-SLP-Certification-Standards
• ASHA Code of Ethics (2023) — asha.org/code-of-ethics
• ASHA Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology — asha.org/policy/sp2016-00343
• Bureau of Labor Statistics OOH 29-1127 — bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language-pathologists.htm
• CAA (Council on Academic Accreditation) — caa.asha.org
• ASLP-IC Compact status — aslpcompact.com
• IDDSI framework — iddsi.org