200+ Free edTPA Practice Questions

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A teacher candidate is planning a 4-lesson middle school science segment on ecosystems. Which proposed central focus is strongest for edTPA Planning Task 1?

Memorize the definitions of food chain, food web, habitat, and ecosystem

Explain how changes in one part of an ecosystem affect relationships among organisms

Complete four textbook activities about ecosystems

Decorate a bulletin board with ecosystem vocabulary

to track

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: edTPA Exam

Core Tasks in Most Handbooks

edTPA structure page

Rubrics in Standard 3-Task Model

edTPA administrative report / handbooks

$300

Full Assessment Fee

Pearson edTPA fee page

Recommended PPS

Stanford 2025 policy brief

37-42

State Standards in 2025 Study

Stanford 2025 policy brief

Aug 2026

edTPA Essentials Launch

Pearson edTPA Essentials page

For 2026 planning, edTPA remains a Pearson-administered portfolio assessment built around real classroom evidence rather than a timed CBT. The current public structure page describes Planning Task 1, Instruction Task 2, and Assessment Task 3, while Stanford's 2025 recommended professional performance standard remains 42 and states in the standard-setting study adopted standards ranging from 37 to 42. The full assessment fee is $300. Pearson also announced edTPA Essentials, a streamlined two-task version scheduled to launch in August 2026.

Sample edTPA Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your edTPA exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 200+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A teacher candidate is planning a 4-lesson middle school science segment on ecosystems. Which proposed central focus is strongest for edTPA Planning Task 1?

A.Memorize the definitions of food chain, food web, habitat, and ecosystem

B.Explain how changes in one part of an ecosystem affect relationships among organisms

C.Complete four textbook activities about ecosystems

D.Decorate a bulletin board with ecosystem vocabulary

Explanation: A strong central focus names the important conceptual understanding that ties the lessons together. This option gives students a meaningful idea to develop across several lessons and can align naturally to standards, tasks, and assessments. The other options emphasize recall, activities, or display work rather than a coherent learning goal.

2Which Planning Commentary sentence best uses community assets in an evidence-based, asset-oriented way?

A.Many students have difficult home lives, so I will keep the lesson simple.

B.Students often help family members compare prices and manage small purchases, so I will connect unit-rate tasks to shopping decisions they already make.

C.Because several students are bilingual, they will not need language supports in math.

D.Families do not come to school events, so I cannot build on community knowledge.

Explanation: This statement names a concrete community experience and shows exactly how it informs instruction. edTPA values specific, supportable claims about students' assets, prior experiences, and backgrounds rather than assumptions or deficit framing. The strongest response ties what the teacher knows about students directly to the planned learning tasks.

3Which learning segment best fits typical edTPA Planning Task 1 expectations?

A.One isolated lesson taught the day before a unit test

B.Four consecutive lessons that build from identifying text evidence to writing a supported claim

C.Ten unrelated mini-lessons chosen from across the semester

D.A single review game covering everything taught all quarter

Explanation: edTPA learning segments are designed to show how a sequence of lessons builds toward a shared central focus. A short run of consecutive lessons makes the instructional progression visible and keeps the evidence manageable. The other options are too isolated, too scattered, or too broad to show coherent planning well.

4A candidate's central focus is analyzing how an author supports a claim. Which assessment is best aligned to that focus?

A.A quiz matching literary terms to definitions

B.An annotated article and short written analysis explaining how evidence supports the author's claim

C.A worksheet asking students to alphabetize vocabulary words

D.A notebook check for copied class notes

Explanation: Aligned assessments ask students to demonstrate the same kind of thinking named in the central focus and objectives. This option requires students to analyze a claim and connect it to evidence, not just recall terms. That kind of direct match is critical for strong Planning Task 1 evidence.

5A lesson objective states, "Students will justify which solution strategy is most efficient." Which language function is most central to that objective?

A.Compare

B.Justify

C.List

D.Label

Explanation: The language function should capture the major way students will use language to develop content understanding. Here, students are expected to defend a choice with reasoning, so justify is the clearest match. Choosing the main function helps the candidate identify the right language demands and supports.

6A candidate plans a social studies assessment in which students evaluate the reliability of sources. One student has an IEP that includes expressive language supports and extended time. Which plan best addresses the student's needs while keeping alignment to the objective?

A.Replace the evaluation task with a simple worksheet identifying the title and author of each source

B.Provide sentence frames, extra time, and the option to record an oral explanation using the same evaluation criteria

C.Excuse the student from the assessment and grade participation instead

D.Give the student the answer key so the work will not become frustrating

Explanation: Strong differentiation reduces barriers while preserving the same learning target and evaluation criteria. This option supports the student's access to the task without changing the core expectation that the student evaluate sources. edTPA planning is stronger when accommodations remain tied to the central focus rather than lowering rigor.

7Where should a candidate primarily explain the rationale for instructional choices in edTPA Task 1?

A.Only inside the procedural steps of each lesson plan

B.In the Planning Commentary, while the lesson plans show what will happen instructionally

C.In the permission slips for the video recordings

D.In captions added to the final video clips

Explanation: Lesson plans should clearly show the planned teaching and learning, but the commentary is where the candidate explains why those choices fit the students and goals. That separation helps scorers see both the plan and the reasoning behind it. Hiding rationale inside unrelated documents makes the evidence weaker and harder to score.

8Two teacher candidates share the same grade-level team and use a common planning template. Which submission would best meet edTPA originality expectations?

A.Submitting identical commentaries because both candidates taught the same unit

B.Using the same team lesson skeleton but each candidate serving as lead teacher and writing original justifications tied to their own students

C.Having one candidate draft both commentaries so the wording stays consistent

D.Asking the cooperating teacher to rewrite each draft so both candidates sound more polished

Explanation: edTPA recognizes that candidates may work in collaborative settings, but the planning decisions and written analysis submitted must reflect each candidate's own thinking. Using shared structures is acceptable when each candidate teaches the documented lessons and explains choices in relation to their own class. Identical commentaries or rewritten drafts undermine originality and can create serious policy problems.

9A candidate writes, "My students need support with cause and effect." Which piece of evidence would best justify that claim in Planning Task 1?

A.The candidate's impression that students usually find history boring

B.Recent exit tickets showing many students listed events without explaining how one event led to another

C.A general comment from the mentor teacher that the class is weak overall

D.A district demographic chart showing school enrollment by grade

Explanation: edTPA planning is stronger when claims about students are grounded in specific, recent evidence from their learning. Exit tickets tied to the content show exactly what students can and cannot yet do, which makes the planned support defensible. Broad impressions and unrelated demographic data do not justify a precise instructional decision well.

10A candidate's central focus is explaining fraction equivalence. Which formative assessment would provide the strongest evidence during the learning segment?

A.Students decorate notebook covers with fraction art

B.Students use whiteboards to explain why two visual models show equivalent fractions

C.Students copy a definition of equivalent fractions from the board

D.Students complete an end-of-day behavior self-rating

Explanation: A strong formative assessment lets students show both what they know and how they are reasoning. Whiteboard explanations give the teacher immediate evidence of conceptual understanding and can inform next instructional steps. The other options do not directly reveal whether students understand equivalence.

About the edTPA Exam

edTPA is a portfolio-based teacher performance assessment used by educator-preparation programs and some state licensure systems. Instead of a fixed multiple-choice session, candidates submit evidence of planning, instruction, and assessment from a real learning segment, with most handbooks scored on 15 rubrics across 3 tasks.

Questions

3 scored questions

Time Limit

No fixed seat time; portfolio completed during clinical practice

Passing Score

42 recommended PPS; states/programs may set different standards

Exam Fee

$300 (Pearson Evaluation Systems / Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE))

edTPA Exam Content Outline

5 rubrics

Planning Task 1

Context for learning, central focus, standards/objective alignment, knowledge of students, planned supports, academic language, and assessment design for a coherent learning segment.

5 rubrics

Instruction Task 2

Video evidence of engaging students in subject-specific learning, eliciting and building on student thinking, supporting academic language use, and analyzing teaching decisions.

5 rubrics

Assessment Task 3

Analysis of student work, feedback quality, evidence of language use, interpretation of patterns of learning, and next instructional steps based on evidence.

How to Pass the edTPA Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 42 recommended PPS; states/programs may set different standards
Exam length: 3 questions
Time limit: No fixed seat time; portfolio completed during clinical practice
Exam fee: $300

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

edTPA Study Tips from Top Performers

1Plan your learning segment backward from the evidence you will need: central focus, aligned objectives, usable assessments, and clear opportunities for student thinking

2Choose video clips that show students doing intellectual work, not just you delivering directions or managing transitions

3Treat academic language as a tool for meaning-making: identify the function, demands, and supports students need to participate in the lesson successfully

4When analyzing student work, cite concrete evidence, look for patterns across learners, and connect feedback to the next teaching move

5Protect confidentiality and originality from the start: secure permissions, anonymize materials, and make sure commentary language reflects your own analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

How is edTPA structured?

The current edTPA structure page describes a performance assessment organized around Planning Task 1, Instruction Task 2, and Assessment Task 3. Most handbooks are scored on 15 rubrics across those three tasks, though the national Elementary Education handbook includes an additional Task 4.

Is edTPA a multiple-choice exam?

No. edTPA is a portfolio assessment based on artifacts and commentary from actual teaching, such as lesson plans, instructional materials, video clips, assessments, student work, and written analysis. There is no fixed seat-time multiple-choice session comparable to Praxis or NES.

What passing score do I need for edTPA?

There is not one universal national cutoff for all programs. Stanford's 2025 recommended professional performance standard is 42, and the published standard-setting summary shows participating states setting standards from 37 to 42. You should always confirm the exact program or state requirement that applies to your licensure path.

How much does edTPA cost?

Pearson's public fee page lists the full edTPA assessment fee at $300. Task-retake fees are lower for single-task or multi-task retakes, but the full first-attempt registration remains $300.

How long do you get to complete edTPA?

edTPA does not have a single timed exam session. Candidates complete the portfolio during clinical practice and submit on posted Pearson reporting cycles. Pearson also states that registration gives candidates an 18-month edTPA subscription window.

What changes are coming to edTPA in 2026?

Pearson announced edTPA Essentials, a simplified two-task version with streamlined evidence requirements and rich-text submission, with availability scheduled for August 2026. At launch, programs and states may set local performance floors, and a national multi-state standard-setting study is planned for 2027.