If you’re on your way to becoming an art teacher, there’s a good chance a certification test is standing between you and your first art room. In most U.S. states, that test is the Praxis Art: Content and Analysis (5135). It covers a lot of ground: studio processes, safety, art history from cave paintings to Pop Art, art from around the world, and how we talk about and judge art. It’s a big test, and the hardest part is often knowing where to start.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

So I built a free tool to help: Art Teacher Test Prep. It’s a set of original practice questions organized by topic, with instant feedback, a short explanation for every answer and a score breakdown at the end that shows you exactly what to study next. In this post I’ll explain how the real test is structured, how to use the practice tool, and how to get the free printable study guide that goes with it.

How the Praxis Art: Content and Analysis (5135) Test Works

Here’s the structure, based on the official test outline from ETS. Requirements can change, so always check the latest details on the official Praxis 5135 page and with your state’s licensing office.

• Length: 2 hours, taken on a computer.
• Part A: 85 selected-response questions, worth 75% of your score.
• Part B: 3 constructed-response (written) questions, worth 25% of your score.

Part A is split into two big content areas. Art Making has 55 questions: 11 on general art making (creating and critiquing work, the elements and principles, and historical and contemporary methods) and 44 on media and processes, which includes safety, drawing, painting, printmaking, digital photography, video and installation, sculpture, fiber arts and presenting artwork. Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Art has 30 questions: materials and processes in an art historical context, the Western tradition, art beyond the Western tradition, and responding to art.

Part B asks you to write. One question asks you to analyze a real artwork from any culture or period, from memory, using specific visual evidence. Two questions ask you to write about your own artworks in two different media. You photograph four of your works ahead of time, upload them before test day and bring printouts. Each written answer is scored from 0 to 3.

One important note: some states use their own art test instead of the Praxis, including Texas, Florida, New York and California. Check which test your state requires before you start studying.

How the Free Practice Tool Works

When you open Art Teacher Test Prep, you can choose one of six topics or try a mixed set of 20 questions. The topics follow the official outline:

• Elements & Principles: value, color schemes, balance, perspective, emphasis and more
• Media & Processes: printmaking families, ceramics, sculpture methods, camera settings, weaving and studio safety
• Materials in History: pigments, fresco, tempera, mosaics, stained glass and early photography
• Western Art History: from Lascaux to Pop Art
• Art Beyond the West: art from Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific
• Responding to Art: Feldman’s method of art criticism and the main aesthetic theories

Each question gives you instant feedback with a short explanation, so you’re learning as you go instead of just guessing. When you finish, you get a score for each topic, color-coded so you can see your strong and weak areas at a glance, plus a study tip for every topic where you scored under 80%. You can retake any topic as often as you like.

A quick but important note: these are original practice questions I wrote to match the topics on the outline. They are not real test questions, and the tool isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by ETS. Think of it as a friendly way to find your gaps before test day.

Get the Free Printable Study Guide

At the bottom of the test prep page, enter your email and I’ll send you a free printable study guide. Inside you’ll find:

• A one-page overview of how the test works
• Key terms and facts for each of the six topics, with space for your own notes
• Tips for the written questions, plus a planning chart for your four artworks
• A simple 4-week study plan with checkboxes
• A page of free resources for your first art room

Signing up also gives you my free welcome emails and access to the Free Art Lesson Library, so you’ll have real lessons ready the day you land that first job.

A Simple Way to Study for the Art Praxis

Start with a mixed set

Take a mixed set of 20 questions first, without studying. Your score breakdown is your map: it shows which topics already feel comfortable and which ones need work. It’s much more efficient than rereading every chapter of a textbook.

Study one topic a week

Pick your weakest topic and give it a week. For art history, build a timeline and learn two artists, one key work and two visual characteristics for each movement, so you could recognize a style on sight. For media and processes, practice explaining each process in two sentences, the way you’d explain it to a class. Then retake that topic’s practice set at the end of the week.

Look closely at art from around the world

The “Art Beyond the Western Tradition” questions ask about the visual characteristics, content and purposes of art from Asia, Africa, the Americas and the South Pacific. One fun way to practice is the free Architecture Around the World map, which takes you from the Taj Mahal to Angkor Wat to the Great Mosque of Djenné, with a “look for” detail on every building.

Practice the written answers out loud

For the art history question, choose two or three artworks you know well from different cultures and periods. Memorize who made each one (or which culture), when, with what materials, and three visual details you can describe without looking. For the art-making questions, choose four of your own pieces in at least two different media, and practice explaining your idea, your process and your choices with the elements and principles in about ten minutes each. Saying it out loud first makes writing it under time pressure much easier.

Books that help

For a readable overview of art history, many teachers return again and again to The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich. If you want a dedicated test book with more practice, there’s also the Praxis II Art: Content and Analysis (5135) Exam Secrets Study Guide.

After the Test: Your First Art Room

Once you pass, the next big question is what to actually teach. That’s where I can help even more. The Free Art Lesson Library gives you lessons you can teach right away, the free art tools on my site help with planning and art history, and my shop has step-by-step lessons with videos and lesson plans.

When you’re ready for a whole year of art mapped out, the Artastic Collective is my K–8 art curriculum membership, with video lessons, lesson plans and printables for every grade. Planning a whole year from scratch takes a lot of time, and the Artastic Collective is built to take that off your plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these real Praxis questions?

No. They are original practice questions written to match the topics in the official test outline. The tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS. Praxis is a registered trademark of ETS.

How many questions are in the practice tool?

There are 66 practice questions across six topics. You can practice one topic at a time or take a mixed set of 20.

Does my state use the Praxis 5135?

Many states do, but not all. Some use their own tests. Check with your state’s educator licensing office before you register.

Is the study guide really free?

Yes. Enter your email on the test prep page and it comes straight to your inbox, along with my welcome emails and the Free Art Lesson Library.

Good luck, future art teacher. You’ve already done the hard part by choosing this path. Open the free practice quiz, take your first mixed set, and let your score breakdown show you where to go next.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ready to Teach Art History? Grab These Lessons on Their Own

Not looking for a whole curriculum yet? These art history lessons are available individually in my shop. Tap a cover to see what’s included.