Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments

The Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) test is required for teachers to teach in the Arizona public schools. The AEPA test ensures that teachers not only receive certification, but have the required knowledge to properly teach students. The test measures a teacher’s knowledge in relation to Arizona’s standards for teaching.

The AEPA test consists of five parts: professional knowledge, subject knowledge, constitutions of the United States and Arizona, administrator, and basic skills.

• The professional knowledge test gauges a teacher’s knowledge of children. This section consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and three written assignments.
• The subject knowledge portion tests a teacher’s knowledge of a specific subject, such as a foreign language. This portion of the AEPA test consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and a written assignment.
• The constitutions portion consists of 100 multiple-choice questions about the Arizona and United States Constitutions.
• For the administrator portion, there are three tests: supervisor, superintendent, and principal. Each contains 100 multiple-choice questions, along with one (supervisor) or four (superintendent and principal) written assignments.
• The final portion, basic skills, tests a teacher’s knowledge of reading, writing, and math. Each portion contains 42 multiple-choice questions. This portion of the AEPA test is used for assessment only and is not a requirement to teach in Arizona.

Each portion of the AEPA test has a fee associated with it. It costs $35 to register for the test. The professional knowledge test costs $80, the subject knowledge test is $70, the constitutions test costs $40, the basic skills test is $25 per section, and the administrator tests range from $120-$230. There are also fees for late registration and withdrawal from a test. Depending on your career goals and specialties, not all tests are required. Therefore, it’s best to choose the AEPA tests that you really need to become certified to teach in Arizona. It’s also important to register early and be sure you can take the test on the day you choose to avoid unnecessary fees.

Registration for the AEPA test can be done by Internet, mail, or telephone, depending on the date you register. After your registration has been processed, you will receive an admission ticket. It is important to bring this ticket with you when you check in to the testing center. This ticket has important information needed to verify your identity on test day. This includes the test, ID number, test site, date, and time.

On the day of the AEPA test, you must bring several items: your admission ticket, several No.2 pencils (none will be available at the test site), and two pieces of appropriate identification. One form of ID must contain a photograph. There will be no scheduled breaks during the exam. You are allowed to take breaks as needed, but they will count against your allotted time.

Your AEPA test scores will be available online on the date published in the Test Dates document. You will see which test(s) you passed or failed and receive an explanation about how to read your score. If you registered online, you also have the option to receive your score via e-mail. If you registered by telephone or mail, your score report will be mailed to you. Due to security reasons, your score report cannot be sent to you via fax or by telephone.