Career upgrade: Learn practical AI skills for better jobs and higher pay.
Level up
All Practice Exams

100+ Free Praxis Computer Science Practice Questions

Pass your Praxis Computer Science (5652) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately
100+ Questions
100% Free
1 / 100
Question 1
Score: 0/0

A hiring algorithm trained mostly on data from one demographic group consistently scores other groups lower. This is best described as which problem?

A
B
C
D
to track
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Praxis Computer Science Exam

100

Selected-Response Questions

ETS Praxis Computer Science (5652) materials

3 hours

Testing Time

ETS Praxis Computer Science (5652) materials

$130

Test Fee

ETS Praxis fee schedule

166

ETS Median Scaled Score

ETS Praxis Computer Science (5652) score data

30%

Programming Category Weight

ETS Praxis Computer Science (5652) blueprint

5

Content Categories

ETS Praxis Computer Science (5652) blueprint

ETS administers Praxis Computer Science (5652) as a 100-question, 3-hour selected-response test for K-12 computer science teacher certification. The published structure weights Programming most heavily, followed by Algorithms and Computational Thinking, with Impacts of Computing, Data, and Computing Systems and Networks each forming a smaller share. The fee is $130, and passing scores are set by each state or licensing agency rather than by ETS, which reports a median scaled score of 166.

Sample Praxis Computer Science Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Praxis Computer Science exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Who is credited with writing the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine, working with Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine?
A.Ada Lovelace
B.Grace Hopper
C.Alan Turing
D.John von Neumann
Explanation: Ada Lovelace wrote notes on the Analytical Engine in the 1840s, including an algorithm to compute Bernoulli numbers, which is widely regarded as the first published algorithm designed for a machine. This is why she is often called the first computer programmer.
2A teacher wants students to credit a free image they reuse in a project. Which type of license most clearly tells users they may reuse a work as long as they give attribution?
A.All Rights Reserved copyright
B.Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)
C.A patent
D.A trademark
Explanation: A Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license explicitly grants reuse rights provided the creator is credited. It is designed to make sharing and reuse conditions clear to others.
3Which practice best protects user accounts even if a website's password database is stolen?
A.Storing passwords in plain text for fast lookup
B.Encoding passwords in Base64
C.Hashing passwords with a salted, slow hash function
D.Storing the password length only
Explanation: Salted, slow cryptographic hashes (such as bcrypt or Argon2) make it computationally expensive to reverse stolen hashes and prevent identical passwords from producing identical stored values. This greatly limits damage from a database breach.
4Which scenario is the clearest example of the digital divide?
A.Two students using different programming languages
B.A school using both Windows and macOS computers
C.A website offering both light and dark themes
D.A rural community lacking reliable broadband access while an urban area has it
Explanation: The digital divide refers to unequal access to computing resources and connectivity across populations. A community without reliable broadband while others have it is a textbook example of that gap.
5Which design choice best improves accessibility for users who rely on screen readers?
A.Adding descriptive alt text to informative images
B.Using color alone to indicate required form fields
C.Embedding text inside images without captions
D.Removing all headings to simplify the page
Explanation: Descriptive alternative text lets screen readers convey the meaning of informative images to users who cannot see them. This is a core accessibility guideline (WCAG).
6A developer collects far more personal user data than an app needs "just in case it is useful later." Which data ethics principle does this most directly violate?
A.Open source licensing
B.Data minimization
C.Version control
D.Load balancing
Explanation: Data minimization is the ethical and legal principle of collecting only the personal data necessary for a stated purpose. Collecting extra data speculatively increases privacy risk and violates this principle.
7Which is the best example of responsible digital citizenship when sharing online?
A.Reposting unverified claims quickly to be first
B.Posting someone's private contact details to win an argument
C.Verifying a source's credibility before sharing information
D.Using a classmate's photo without permission
Explanation: Responsible digital citizenship includes evaluating the credibility of information before spreading it, which helps reduce misinformation. The other options describe harmful or unethical online behavior.
8A hiring algorithm trained mostly on data from one demographic group consistently scores other groups lower. This is best described as which problem?
A.Stack overflow
B.A syntax error
C.Network latency
D.Algorithmic bias
Explanation: Algorithmic bias occurs when a system produces systematically unfair outcomes, often because its training data is unrepresentative. Recognizing and mitigating such bias is a key computing-impacts topic.
9Which career most directly focuses on protecting an organization's systems and data from attacks?
A.Cybersecurity analyst
B.Front-end web designer
C.Technical writer
D.Database data-entry clerk
Explanation: A cybersecurity analyst monitors, detects, and defends against threats to an organization's systems and data. The other roles contribute to computing but do not primarily focus on security defense.
10Which scenario is the clearest example of a copyright violation rather than fair use?
A.A teacher quoting two sentences from a book for classroom critique
B.A student copying an entire commercial textbook chapter and selling printed copies
C.A reviewer including a short excerpt in a published critique
D.A parody that transforms a song for comedic commentary
Explanation: Copying an entire copyrighted chapter and selling it for profit uses the heart of the work commercially, weighing strongly against fair use. The other options involve limited, transformative, or critical uses that typically favor fair use.

About the Praxis Computer Science Exam

Praxis Computer Science (5652) is the ETS subject assessment used by many states to certify K-12 computer science teachers. The exam is 100 selected-response questions in 3 hours and is organized into five content categories: Impacts of Computing, Algorithms and Computational Thinking, Programming, Data, and Computing Systems and Networks.

Assessment

100 selected-response (official ETS)

Time Limit

3 hours

Passing Score

Varies by state (ETS median 166)

Exam Fee

$130 (ETS (Educational Testing Service))

Praxis Computer Science Exam Content Outline

15%

Impacts of Computing

History of computing, ethics, security and privacy, social impacts, digital citizenship, careers, accessibility, and intellectual property.

25%

Algorithms and Computational Thinking

Problem decomposition, abstraction, pseudocode, searching and sorting, recursion, Big-O complexity, Boolean logic, and flowcharts.

30%

Programming

Variables and data types, control flow, functions and parameters, arrays and lists, objects and classes, debugging, and language features expressed in language-agnostic pseudocode.

15%

Data

Binary and hexadecimal representation, data types, databases and SQL queries, data analysis and visualization, and encryption basics.

15%

Computing Systems and Networks

Hardware, operating systems, networks and protocols including TCP/IP and HTTP, the internet, cybersecurity, and the cloud.

How to Pass the Praxis Computer Science Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Varies by state (ETS median 166)
  • Assessment: 100 selected-response (official ETS)
  • Time limit: 3 hours
  • Exam fee: $130

Keys to Passing

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

Praxis Computer Science Study Tips from Top Performers

1Weight your study time by the blueprint: Programming and Algorithms and Computational Thinking together make up more than half the exam.
2Practice tracing pseudocode by hand, including loops, recursion, and array operations, since many items require predicting exact output.
3Drill the quantitative basics that recur on every form: binary and hexadecimal conversions, Big-O complexity, and Boolean logic with De Morgan's law.
4Review computing-impacts vocabulary such as intellectual property, accessibility, the digital divide, and algorithmic bias because these are quick points if memorized.
5Take mixed timed sets at roughly 1.8 minutes per question to build the pacing needed for a 100-question, 3-hour test.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on Praxis Computer Science (5652)?

The official ETS Praxis Computer Science test has 100 selected-response questions. This free practice bank also contains 100 questions distributed across the five ETS content categories so you can simulate the real distribution.

How much time do I get on Praxis 5652?

ETS allows 3 hours of testing time for the 100 selected-response questions. That works out to roughly 1.8 minutes per question, so practice steady pacing and avoid spending too long on any single item.

What passing score do I need on Praxis Computer Science 5652?

ETS does not set a single national passing score for Praxis 5652; states and licensing agencies set their own qualifying scores. ETS reports a median scaled score of 166 for the exam, so confirm your specific state requirement before registering.

How much does Praxis Computer Science 5652 cost?

The Praxis Computer Science (5652) test fee is $130. Your final checkout total can vary slightly with taxes or optional services, so confirm the amount inside your ETS account before payment.

Which content area should I study most for Praxis 5652?

Programming is the largest single category at about 30 percent, followed by Algorithms and Computational Thinking at about 25 percent. Impacts of Computing, Data, and Computing Systems and Networks each account for roughly 15 percent, so weight your prep toward programming and algorithmic reasoning.