Requirements/Pennsylvania

High School Math Teacher in Pennsylvania.

One content test.

Exams
1
Passing
159
Certificate
Mathematics 7-12

The exam you have to pass

In the order most candidates take them.

01

Praxis Mathematics: Content Knowledge5165

Pass159
See what is scored →

What people get wrong

Each of these costs a candidate either money or a test date.

  • The 7-12 test passes at 159 while the Middle Level 4-8 mathematics test passes at 173. The younger band is the harder score in Pennsylvania.
  • Pennsylvania does not add a separate pedagogy exam. There is no Principles of Learning and Teaching requirement here, unlike Nevada, Maine and Colorado.
  • The basic skills testing requirement was eliminated in 2026. It survives only as one route into a preparation program: an institution may admit a candidate with a 2.8 GPA plus qualifying scores on Praxis Core or the PECT Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment, instead of the 3.0 GPA standard.

Required, but not an exam

  • A bachelor’s degree
  • A PDE-approved educator preparation program, or an approved alternative route
  • Act 34, 151 and 114 clearances, and application through TIMS

Now go pass it.

Knowing the list is the easy part. Built To Pass teaches the strategy layer that works on any of these, aimed at the domains where you are actually losing points.

Start with your exam

Verified 2026-08-04 against Pennsylvania Educator Certification Tests (pa.nesinc.com) and PDE certification testing. Certification rules change by state board vote. Confirm with the state before you register for a test.