How is ParaPathways scored, and what counts as passing?

Two scores, not one total

ParaPathways is reported as two scores. The Reading & Writing subtest (5758) and the Mathematics subtest (5759) are each scored on a 310 to 350 scale, and there is no combined score that adds them together or averages them into one figure. Your report shows the two numbers, and each one is read against a cut on its own.

Because no total offsets the weaker subtest, work out which one needs more practice and give it the time. The free practice test scores both subtests at once, so it tells you where to start before you spend a week on the one that was never the problem.

What ETS recommends, and what your state decides

ETS's recommended passing scores are 332 for Reading & Writing and 334 for Mathematics. They are recommendations rather than a national requirement, because the score that counts for you comes from your own state.

Each state sets its own passing score, and some publish a lower bar, as low as 322. That is another state's number, not necessarily yours, and our passing score by state page lists what each state has published.

Look your state's number up before you register, so you know which subtest has the thinner margin. If one subtest is what stands between you and the cut, our ParaPathways retake policy page covers how often ETS lets you sit the test again and what each attempt costs.

What the raw points on your report mean

Your score report shows raw points for each content category, and raw points are the number of questions you answered correctly in that category. The report gives you the raw points category by category rather than as one number, so a category you did badly in is visible on its own.

ETS publishes no wrong-answer penalty. A wrong answer and a blank both earn zero raw points, so nothing is taken off for answering and missing.

Answer every question, then. A blank and a wrong answer come to the same zero, so leaving one empty gains nothing, and a question you are unsure about can still be one of the ones the report counts as correct.

The pretest items in each subtest

Six of the items in Reading & Writing and six in Mathematics are pretest items, and none of them count toward your score. They sit in the form and you answer them the way you answer everything else, so there is no reason to hold one back.

How long ETS keeps your score

ETS keeps scores on record for 10 years, and a score from your testing year stays available for reporting that whole time.

How long a state accepts a score is the state's own rule, not ETS's. The record ETS keeps and the decision your certification office makes are two separate things, so if you are planning a search over a long stretch, ask your state how recent a score it will take rather than counting on the record period to settle it.

Frequently asked questions

Where to start

Take the free ParaPathways practice test to see which subtest needs more work, then find your state's cut before you decide how to split your study time.

Our study book covers every skill on both subtests, in English and Spanish.