The Praxis II tests are often used in the specialized licensing process by various states, including for many special education degree holders seeking such licenses. Sometimes, the Praxis II tests can also be used by professional associations and organizations to make licensing decisions. There are three types of Praxis II tests. One type of Praxis II test is subject assessment. The subject assessment test determines the test taker's knowledge about specific subjects. The subject assessment test also measures teaching skills both generally and for specific subjects. There are approximately 120 different subject assessment tests available. Subjects include world languages, biology, geography, theater, agriculture, and at least three types of special education. Other Praxis II subject assessment tests are Elementary Education; Content Knowledge and Elementary Education; and Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Another type of Praxis II test is the teaching foundation test. The third type of Praxis II test is the principles of learning and teaching test. In general, the Praxis II tests can be described as measuring the knowledge acquired through earning a teaching degree and completing a teacher's certification or licensing program.
Unlike the Praxis I test, not all the Praxis II tests can be taken on the computer or on paper. There are computer versions and no paper versions of some tests, and paper versions and no computer versions of other tests. Some tests are available in both versions. The Praxis II tests can be taken worldwide at various testing centers by appointment. Each of the paper tests is one, two, or four hours long, depending on the subject matter. Up to three tests can be taken in one day by an aspiring teacher, depending on the length of each test. Computer versions of the tests take even longer because some personal information is collected and a short tutorial must be watched before the test begins. Like the Praxis I test, the Praxis II tests are only given in English and the test score is determined by the number of correct answers. Test takers are not penalized for incorrect answers. The Praxis II test must be passed by the teaching candidate to become certified in his or her field. It takes approximately six weeks to score the test and send the results to the test taker. An official copy of the test score is also sent to the program provider or state teacher credentialing agency when it becomes available.