Can you take ParaPathways in Spanish?
ParaPathways (test code 5757) is administered in English only, so the questions are not given in Spanish. What you can do is learn the skills in Spanish and then practice them in English. If your primary language is not English, ETS may allow 50% extra testing time, but only if you request it in advance and meet ETS's requirements.
Take a free practice testThe test is administered in English only
ParaPathways (test code 5757) is the ETS exam for classroom aides, and it is administered in English only. There is no Spanish edition: the questions, the directions and the passages are in English. Both subtests need it, Reading and Writing (5758) and Mathematics (5759), and each one is timed separately.
What that changes is your order of work, not your content. Nobody is going to ask you to translate anything, because there is nothing to translate. What the language does decide is which language you study each skill in and which language you practice it in. Read the rest of this page before you register, because one accommodation has to be requested well before test day.
If English is not your primary language
ETS has an option for this. Test takers whose primary language is not English and who meet ETS's requirements may be allowed 50% additional testing time. It is an accommodation you request, not a benefit that arrives on its own.
The request needs three forms from ETS:
- A certification of documentation.
- An eligibility form.
- A registration form.
ETS must receive those three forms at least 3 weeks before the test date. Get the date, count the weeks backwards, and send them early.
What you cannot bring to a test center
At a test center, ETS lists dictionaries, translators and calculators among the prohibited aids. Leave all of it at home and show up with the minimum.
The calculator is already provided
On the Mathematics subtest (5759) an on-screen four-function calculator is provided. You do not bring one, and bringing your own is prohibited at a test center. It adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides, which is all you will need from it. What decides the answer is reading the question carefully.
The free practice test that comes with registration
When you register for a test, ETS gives you a free interactive practice test for the corresponding subject. It shows you the question types and how answers are entered before test day. Do it when you register, not the week of the exam.
How to prepare when you think in another language
Study in the language you understand best and practice in English. The skills do not change language: if you read well in Spanish, you already know how to read, and what is left is recognizing the same skill when it arrives in English. That is the cheaper order. Understand first, recognize second.
To practice in both languages, this site runs the ParaPathways practice test in Spanish and in English, with the same number of questions and time limits as the real exam. Start there, then work through the Mathematics subtest guide and the Reading and Writing subtest guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take ParaPathways in Spanish?
ParaPathways (test code 5757) is administered in English only, so the questions are not given in Spanish. What you can do is learn the skills in Spanish and then practice them in English. If your primary language is not English, ETS may allow 50% extra testing time, but only if you request it in advance and meet ETS's requirements.
How much extra time do I get if English is not my primary language?
ETS may allow 50% additional testing time for test takers whose primary language is not English and who meet its requirements. It is not automatic: you have to ask for it. The request needs three forms from ETS, and ETS must receive them at least 3 weeks before the test date.
Can I bring a Spanish dictionary or a translator to the test center?
No. At a test center, ETS lists dictionaries, translators and calculators among the prohibited aids.
Do I need to bring a calculator?
No. On the Mathematics subtest (5759) an on-screen four-function calculator is provided, so leave your own at home. At a test center, bringing your own calculator counts as a prohibited aid.
Is there a free ParaPathways practice test?
Yes. When you register for a test, ETS gives you a free interactive practice test for the corresponding subject, so you can rehearse the format in English well before test day.
Where to start
Take the free ParaPathways practice test and see what the exam feels like in English. Then work out how much study time you need, and if English is not your primary language, send the ETS forms before that window shuts.
Our study book covers every skill on both subtests, in English and Spanish.
Sources
Every exam fact on this page comes from the public documents below. Open one to read the source itself.
- 2026–27 ParaPro Assessment Bulletin (covers ParaPathways) (ETS)
- ParaPathways practice-test product page (ETS)
- ParaPathways Study Companion (5757), as posted by the Rhode Island Department of Education (ETS)
Last checked against these sources: . See every fact with the exact quote it rests on.