NES Essential Academic Skills Scoring Guide

If you’re an aspiring teacher, you may have heard of the NES Essential Academic Skills exam, which some states require for licensure.

The Essential Academic Skills test assesses your basic knowledge of reading, writing, and math to ensure you’re ready for classroom teaching. To prepare for the exam, it’s crucial to understand its scoring system. This article delves into everything you need to know about Essential Academic Skills exam scores.

Overview of the NES Essential Academic Skills Exam

The Essential Academic Skills exam will evaluate your basic reading, writing, and math skills via these three subtests:

• NES Essential Academic Skills: Subtest I: Reading (001) OR (005)
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Subtest II: Writing (002) OR (006)
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Subtest III: Mathematics (003) OR (007)

Note that there is an older version of the NES EAS test and a newer version, so you should consult your state licensure agency to confirm which subtests you need to take: the original series (001-003) or the updated one (005-007).

Overall, the test consists of 126 multiple-choice questions and one written response. Each subtest is timed separately. Subtests I and III each have a time limit of 1 hour, while Subtest II has a time limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes. Altogether, this amounts to 3 hours and 15 minutes of testing time.

Our NES Essential Academic Skills exam overview can give you more information about the structure of this test.

How the Exam is Scored

The NES Essential Academic Skills exam is scored by taking the sum of your correct answers and converting this into a scaled score that takes test difficulty into account. The exam is scored via computer.

Passing Score

To pass the Essential Academic Skills exam, you must pass all three subtests. The minimum passing score for each subtest is 220, though you should confirm this benchmark with your state licensure agency.

Understanding Your Score Report

Your NES Essential Academic Skills score report will include:

• Whether you passed
• Your score on each subtest
• The minimum passing score for each subtest
• A detailed performance breakdown by content area and question type

Your score report will consist of at least four sections:

The Test Results section will generally include:

• Each exam and/or subtest you took
• The date you took these tests
• Your total score for each test

The National Benchmark section includes:

• The National Benchmark score for NES tests (which is 220)

Remember: the National Benchmark is not necessarily the same as the minimum passing score for your state. While they are usually the same, you should verify what your state considers the minimum score to pass. Visit the NES website to see state-specific standards.

The Score Reporting section includes:

• Each state and institution that will receive your scores

The Testing History section includes:

• The highest score earned on each test so far

The Diagnostic Information section includes, for each subtest:

• The number of multiple-choice questions that corresponded to each content area
• The percentage of these questions you answered correctly
• The score you were given for your written response (if applicable)

For more information about interpreting your score report, refer to this NES explainer.

Retaking the Exam

If you don’t pass the Essential Academic Skills exam, you can retake it. You will need to re-register and submit a new payment for each subtest you have yet to pass. You will usually need to wait 30 days between attempts, though you should verify that this is the policy for your particular state.

Before you re-register, it’s crucial to evaluate what went wrong on your previous attempt. Carefully analyze your score report to identify areas of weakness and develop a targeted study plan to improve your performance on those subtests, content domains, or question types.

Conclusion:

Your NES Essential Academic Skills exam scores help gauge your basic readiness to teach in a classroom. Understanding how this test is scored and what is required to pass should help you prepare more effectively, maximizing your chances of success. If you don’t pass the exam on your first try, remember to take advantage of the detailed performance breakdown on your score report. It may provide helpful insights.

With diligent study and a clear understanding of the test, you will be prepared to excel on the Essential Academic Skills exam.

More NES EAS Resources

• Dig deeper into the structure of the exam using our NES EAS exam overview.
• Start your test prep with free practice tests for all Essential Academic Skills subtests:
  • Original NES EAS exam:
    • Subtest I: Reading (001) practice test
    • Subtest II: Writing (002) practice test
    • Subtest III: Mathematics (003) practice test
  • Updated NES EAS exam:
    • Subtest I: Reading (005) practice test
    • Subtest II: Writing (006) practice test
    • Subtest III: Mathematics (007) practice test
• Looking for even more study help? Check out our study guide for the NES Essential Academic Skills exam.