Requirements/Virginia

High School Math Teacher in Virginia.

One content test.

Exams
1
Passing
159
Certificate
Mathematics

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 VCLA is gone. House Bill 731, approved 8 April 2024, eliminated the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment as an initial licensure requirement from 1 July 2024. If you were previously cited for the VCLA and have completed everything else, you can ask VDOE to update your evaluation and issue a full renewable license.
  • Virginia replaced 5161 with 5165 on 1 September 2022. Middle Education Mathematics is a separate endorsement on 5164 at 157.
  • Virginia’s own table lists many older codes marked "not current test in Virginia". Check the effective date beside a test before registering, because several were replaced recently: Social Studies moved from 5081 to 5581 on 1 September 2024, Mathematics from 5161 to 5165 on 1 September 2022, and Technology Education from 5051 to 5053 on 1 August 2024.

Required, but not an exam

  • A bachelor’s degree
  • An approved educator preparation program, or an approved alternative route
  • Application through the VDOE licensure system

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 2026-08-05 against Virginia Department of Education, Assessments Required for Initial Licensure. Certification rules change by state board vote. Confirm with the state before you register for a test.