SLP Praxis Exam Prep: Free Study Guide + Practice Questions
Use this free plan to prepare for the current U.S. speech-language pathology national exam: ETS Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331) for testing through December 26, 2026, and the same-content National Speech-Language Pathology Examination administered by PSI beginning January 11, 2027.
Unofficial practice: Castleport Test Prep questions are original practice questions, not official ETS, ASHA, or PSI exam questions.
Your four-week SLP Praxis study plan
A practical default is 5 study days per week for about 60–90 minutes per session. That is a planning example, not a required amount of study time or a promise of passing.
| Week | Main goal | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Diagnose and rebuild foundations |
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| Week 2 | Assessment and diagnosis |
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| Week 3 | Treatment planning |
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| Week 4 | Integrate and execute |
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If your exam is closer, compress the sequence rather than skipping the baseline and missed-question review. With 1 week, do the baseline, attack the two weakest areas, complete mixed practice, and finish with a focused review. With 2 weeks, combine Weeks 1–2 and Weeks 3–4. With 6+ weeks, keep the same sequence and add spaced review between blocks.
Start with a 12-question mixed baseline
Answer Questions 1–12 before doing a deep review. Record which top-level category and practice area you miss. The point is to find where your study time should go next—not to estimate an official Praxis score.
These 12 baseline questions mix practice areas within Category I. They do not sample all three categories; use Questions 13–36 to review assessment and treatment.
SLP-PREP-001 — Multilingual service delivery
A bilingual child uses a grammatical pattern that is expected in the child’s home language but differs from mainstream American English. What is the best interpretation?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
Cultural and linguistic differences are not disorders. Assessment should consider the person’s language history and the rules of the languages or dialects they use before interpreting a feature as impaired.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: A language difference alone does not establish disorder.
- B: A grammatical pattern is not automatically a speech sound disorder.
- C: Correct. The pattern must be interpreted within the child’s linguistic system and community.
- D: English-only interpretation can misclassify a multilingual speaker.
SLP-PREP-002 — Speech sound production
During a speech sound assessment, a child produces a sound pattern that is typical in the child’s dialect. What should the SLP do?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Speech sound patterns vary across linguistic systems. The SLP should distinguish dialectal or language-based variation from unexpected, developmentally inappropriate patterns.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Dialectal productions should not automatically be scored as errors.
- B: Correct. Linguistic context is necessary before labeling a pattern atypical.
- C: Reduced intelligibility alone does not identify the cause.
- D: A comprehensive assessment uses more than one standardized score.
Source: ASHA Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology
SLP-PREP-003 — Fluency
Which information is most important to add when an adult who stutters has relatively few observable disfluencies during the clinic sample?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Stuttering can include covert behaviors and adverse life impact that are not captured by a single observable speech sample. Comprehensive assessment includes affective, behavioral, cognitive, and participation effects.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: A single frequency measure can miss covert stuttering and impact.
- B: Correct. Internal reactions and real-world impact are core assessment information.
- C: Oral-motor strength does not describe the lived impact of stuttering.
- D: Family history can be relevant but is not sufficient.
SLP-PREP-004 — Voice
A patient reports that their voice no longer meets daily communication needs, although listeners do not consistently perceive the voice as abnormal. Which statement is most accurate?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA notes that a voice disorder may be present when an individual is concerned that the voice is abnormal or does not meet daily needs, even if others do not perceive it as different.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Listener perception is not the sole criterion.
- B: Correct. The patient’s functional concern matters.
- C: The scenario does not support malingering.
- D: Voice involves quality, pitch, loudness, and function.
Source: ASHA Voice Disorders
SLP-PREP-005 — AAC
A team delays AAC because a child has not demonstrated certain cognitive “prerequisite” skills. Which response best reflects current AAC guidance?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA notes that impaired cognition does not preclude communication. AAC can support functional communication and should be considered according to individual needs rather than a fixed cognitive prerequisite.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: There is no universal cognitive prerequisite for AAC.
- B: Correct.
- C: AAC can include symbols, gestures, pictures, speech-generating devices, and other modalities.
- D: AAC often supplements rather than replaces other communication.
SLP-PREP-006 — Motor speech / language
Which distinction between dysarthria and aphasia is most accurate?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder affecting speech production. Aphasia is a language disorder that can affect spoken and written expression and comprehension.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: The relationship is reversed.
- B: Correct.
- C: Neither diagnosis is defined by vocal fold pathology.
- D: They can co-occur but one does not require the other.
Source: ASHA Dysarthria in Adults
SLP-PREP-007 — Motor speech
Which finding is more characteristic of acquired apraxia of speech than of dysarthria?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Acquired apraxia of speech is a neurologic speech disorder involving impaired planning or programming of phonetic and prosodic processes. Dysarthria reflects neuromuscular execution problems.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Neuromuscular weakness/control problems are associated with dysarthria.
- B: Correct.
- C: Language comprehension deficits point toward aphasia, not AOS itself.
- D: Hearing loss is not the defining mechanism.
Source: ASHA Acquired Apraxia of Speech
SLP-PREP-008 — Evidence-based practice
Which combination best represents evidence-based practice in speech-language pathology?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: D
ASHA describes evidence-based practice as integrating current best evidence, clinical expertise, and client/patient/student/care-partner perspectives.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Research alone omits clinical expertise and client perspectives.
- B: Experience alone is insufficient.
- C: Preferences matter but are not the only component.
- D: Correct.
SLP-PREP-009 — Professional ethics
An SLP is asked to provide a service for which they have not developed adequate competence. What is the most defensible action?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
ASHA’s Code of Ethics requires professionals to practice within areas of competence based on education, training, and experience. Consultation, additional training, or referral may be appropriate.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: A waiver does not create professional competence.
- B: Certification does not establish competence in every specialty procedure.
- C: Correct.
- D: The obligation is to practice competently, not categorically avoid a diagnosis.
Source: ASHA Code of Ethics
SLP-PREP-010 — Feeding and swallowing
Which statement about aspiration is most accurate when reviewing dysphagia signs?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
ASHA notes that silent aspiration may occur without overt signs. Coughing, throat clearing, or voice changes can be clinically relevant but should be interpreted with the broader medical and swallowing picture.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Silent aspiration makes this false.
- B: A wet voice is not by itself definitive proof.
- C: Correct.
- D: Coughing is not specific enough to prove aspiration.
Source: ASHA Adult Dysphagia
SLP-PREP-011 — Social communication
Why should an SLP avoid interpreting eye contact or conversational style using a single universal norm?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
ASHA emphasizes that social communication behaviors, including eye contact, facial expression, and body language, vary across individuals, families, and cultures.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Correct.
- B: Pragmatic expectations can be culturally influenced.
- C: Nonverbal behavior is part of social communication.
- D: Assessment can include interviews, observations, reports, and other measures.
SLP-PREP-012 — Hearing
An adult repeatedly asks for repetition and reports particular difficulty understanding speech in background noise. Which interpretation is most appropriate?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
Difficulty understanding speech in noise and frequent requests for repetition are among common signs associated with adult hearing loss. Appropriate audiologic evaluation may be warranted.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Correct.
- B: These signs alone do not establish aphasia.
- C: They do not establish a motor speech disorder.
- D: Persistent functional complaints merit appropriate evaluation.
Source: ASHA Hearing Loss in Adults
Do not convert this baseline to a Praxis scaled score. Your result describes only your performance on these Castleport questions. It is not a validated readiness measure or a prediction of whether you will pass.
What is on the SLP Praxis?
For ETS Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331), the official Study Companion lists 132 selected-response questions in 150 minutes. The test is divided into three approximately equal top-level content categories, about 44 questions or 33⅓% each:
- Foundations and Professional Practice
- Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis
- Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment
Those categories are applied across nine broad areas of SLP practice: speech sound production; fluency; voice, resonance, and motor speech; receptive and expressive language; social aspects of communication including pragmatics; cognitive aspects of communication; AAC; hearing; and feeding and swallowing.
Official blueprint: ETS Praxis Speech-Language Pathology Study Companion (5331) (PDF)
Category I — Foundations and Professional Practice
Be ready to apply typical development across the lifespan, factors that influence communication/feeding/swallowing, characteristics of common disorders, culturally and linguistically appropriate service delivery, counseling and collaboration, documentation, ethics, legislation and advocacy, and evidence-based practice.
Category II — Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis
Be ready to distinguish screening from comprehensive evaluation, develop relevant case histories, select and interpret assessment procedures, consider anatomy/physiology and etiologies, and reason across the nine practice areas.
Category III — Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment
Be ready to prioritize treatment, develop goals, select treatment details, communicate recommendations, monitor progress and outcomes, and apply treatment principles across the nine practice areas.
The nine practice areas you need to review
| Practice area | Be able to recognize | Be able to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Speech sound production | developmental and unexpected patterns; linguistic variation | what further assessment or treatment direction fits |
| Fluency | overt/covert features and life impact | what assessment information and individualized goals matter |
| Voice, resonance, motor speech | perceptual patterns and likely speech/voice system involved | when differential assessment, referral, or treatment planning is needed |
| Receptive/expressive language | developmental or acquired language profiles | how to assess and prioritize functional intervention |
| Social communication | pragmatic/social demands and contextual variation | how to assess function across partners, settings, and cultures |
| Cognition | attention, memory, executive-function effects on communication | how cognition changes functional communication assessment and support |
| AAC | communication needs, access, symbols, partners, environments | how to feature-match and support multimodal communication |
| Hearing | signs that hearing affects communication | when hearing evaluation, communication strategies, or aural rehabilitation may be appropriate |
| Feeding/swallowing | clinical signs, risk context, oral/pharyngeal function | when further assessment, referral, instrumental evaluation, or intervention is indicated |
This table is a study organizer, not a new weighting scheme. ETS gives the three top-level categories equal approximate weight; it does not publish a Castleport-style percentage for each of the nine practice areas.
How to study for the SLP Praxis efficiently
Use a five-step loop: practice → classify the miss → verify the principle → answer another case → revisit it later.
Use practice questions to expose the kind of gap
For every miss, decide whether the problem was:
- Recall: you did not know the relevant fact or concept.
- Discrimination: you knew the facts but could not separate two similar choices.
- Clinical reasoning: you missed which detail in the case should control the decision.
- Question reading: you overlooked a qualifier such as best, first, most appropriate, or a stated limitation.
Keep a compact error log
| Question ID | Topic | Why I missed it | Correct principle | Source checked | Review date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLP-PREP-___ | Blank for your entry | Blank for your entry | Blank for your entry | Blank for your entry | Blank for your entry |
Study breadth before tiny details
The official blueprint is broad. Do not spend most of your schedule on one favorite specialty unless your practice performance shows that it is genuinely your weakest area. Start broad, identify misses, and then narrow.
Turn notes into decisions
Instead of copying another page of notes, ask:
- What finding changes the differential?
- What information is still missing?
- Is this a screening question, a diagnostic question, or a treatment question?
- Which option best fits the person’s function, goals, safety, and context?
- Is a referral or interprofessional step needed?
Practice questions: Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis
SLP-PREP-013 — Feeding and swallowing
What is the primary purpose of a swallowing screening?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
A swallowing screening identifies the likelihood that dysphagia may be present and whether comprehensive assessment or referral is needed. It does not define the full physiology of swallowing.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Screening is not a definitive physiologic diagnosis.
- B: Correct.
- C: Screening cannot replace all comprehensive or instrumental assessment.
- D: A screen alone is not the basis for a permanent management plan.
Source: ASHA Adult Dysphagia
SLP-PREP-014 — Feeding and swallowing
Which method is required when the clinical question is to directly visualize swallowing physiology and laryngeal/pharyngeal anatomy?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
Instrumental procedures provide visualization of swallowing physiology and relevant anatomy. A non-instrumental examination can identify clinical signs and guide questions but cannot directly verify specific pharyngeal/laryngeal physiology.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Case history cannot visualize physiology.
- B: Clinical examination cannot directly visualize the relevant anatomy and physiology.
- C: Correct.
- D: Speech intelligibility testing answers a different question.
Source: ASHA Adult Dysphagia
SLP-PREP-015 — AAC
During an AAC evaluation, which approach best reflects feature matching?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
AAC assessment considers individual strengths and needs, including sensory and motor access, communication functions, language, settings, partners, and system features.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: No single vocabulary size fits every user.
- B: Correct.
- C: Cost may matter, but clinical feature matching cannot be reduced to price.
- D: Indirect access methods may be appropriate when direct selection is not.
SLP-PREP-016 — Fluency
A school-age student stutters much more during presentations than in casual conversation. What should the assessment include?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Fluency symptoms can vary by environment. Comprehensive assessment should sample communication across situations and include the person’s reactions and functional impact.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: One task can miss important variability.
- B: Correct.
- C: Hearing may be relevant in a broader evaluation but does not answer the fluency question.
- D: Secondary behaviors are only one part of assessment.
SLP-PREP-017 — Voice
An SLP suspects a structural or neurologic laryngeal cause of persistent dysphonia. What is the best next step?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Voice care is often interdisciplinary. ASHA describes referral to medical professionals, such as otolaryngologists/laryngologists, when medical diagnosis or management is indicated.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Persistent suspected medical causes require appropriate collaboration.
- B: Correct.
- C: A psychogenic cause should not be assumed.
- D: Perceptual voice quality alone does not establish a specific lesion.
Source: ASHA Voice Disorders
SLP-PREP-018 — Speech sound production
During a comprehensive speech sound assessment, the SLP suspects hearing loss is contributing to errors. What is the most appropriate action?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA’s speech sound guidance includes referral to audiology when hearing loss is suspected. Hearing status can affect speech development and interpretation of assessment results.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Hearing is relevant to speech sound assessment.
- B: Correct.
- C: A hearing concern does not establish CAS.
- D: Referral need not wait for failed treatment.
Source: ASHA Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology
SLP-PREP-019 — Motor speech
A patient after stroke shows inconsistent articulatory errors, distorted substitutions, slowed rate, and abnormal prosody that worsen with increased utterance complexity. Which diagnosis should be strongly considered?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
The described pattern is characteristic of acquired apraxia of speech: impaired speech motor planning/programming with phonetic distortions, inconsistency, prosodic abnormalities, and greater difficulty as speech complexity increases.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Correct.
- B: Hearing loss does not explain this motor speech pattern.
- C: Receptive aphasia does not account for these speech-motor signs.
- D: Voice disorder does not explain inconsistent articulatory planning errors.
Source: ASHA Acquired Apraxia of Speech
SLP-PREP-020 — Motor speech / language
A person with reduced speech intelligibility also has word-finding pauses and difficulty understanding written sentences. Why should language assessment be added?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
Dysarthria affects speech production. Difficulty in written language or comprehension suggests that aphasia or another language disorder may also be contributing and should be assessed.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Correct.
- B: Dysarthria does not inherently cause reading impairment.
- C: Aphasia affects language, not only speech sounds.
- D: Language assessment can be essential to differential diagnosis.
Source: ASHA Dysarthria in Adults
SLP-PREP-021 — Social communication / hearing
Why is hearing screening commonly included when evaluating suspected social communication disorder?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
ASHA recommends hearing screening to rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor when social communication concerns are being evaluated.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Correct.
- B: They are distinct conditions.
- C: SCD assessment is within SLP practice; audiologists evaluate hearing disorders.
- D: Functional and natural-context information remains important.
SLP-PREP-022 — AAC
An AAC user cannot point accurately to test items, so the clinician changes the standardized response format. How should the resulting score be handled?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA notes that when standardized assessment tasks are modified, standardized scores cannot be interpreted as though standard administration occurred. Informal, dynamic, and functional information can supplement assessment.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Modification breaks standardization.
- B: Correct.
- C: There is no justified score adjustment formula.
- D: Modified tasks can still provide useful descriptive information.
SLP-PREP-023 — Pediatric feeding and swallowing
Which choice best supports ecological validity during a pediatric feeding assessment?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA recommends considering typical feeding practices and, when feasible, using foods, drinks, utensils, and positioning familiar to the child and family.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Unfamiliar foods alone can distort performance.
- B: Correct.
- C: Caregiver history and participation are important.
- D: Functional feeding observation is part of comprehensive assessment.
SLP-PREP-024 — Adult dysphagia
A patient coughs once during a bedside swallowing evaluation. Which conclusion is most defensible?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
Coughing can occur with dysphagia, but behavioral signs are not perfectly specific for penetration or aspiration. Clinical findings must be integrated with history, medical status, and instrumental assessment when indicated.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: A single cough does not prove aspiration.
- B: Further assessment may be indicated.
- C: Correct.
- D: A permanent diet decision cannot be justified from one sign.
Source: ASHA Adult Dysphagia
Practice questions: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment
SLP-PREP-025 — Adult dysphagia
Which statement correctly distinguishes a compensatory swallowing strategy from a rehabilitative exercise?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Compensatory strategies alter swallowing performance during use, whereas rehabilitative approaches aim for lasting change in underlying function. Head rotation is an example of a compensatory strategy in appropriate cases.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: That describes a rehabilitative goal, not compensation.
- B: Correct.
- C: Rehabilitative exercises specifically target function/physiology.
- D: The distinction is clinically meaningful.
Source: ASHA Adult Dysphagia
SLP-PREP-026 — AAC
A child uses speech, gestures, a low-tech board, and a speech-generating device in different settings. Which treatment philosophy best supports this pattern?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
AAC intervention can intentionally support multiple modalities. A flexible system allows communication to shift with context, partner, access, and purpose.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: A single mode can unnecessarily restrict communication.
- B: Correct.
- C: AAC can augment existing speech rather than replace it.
- D: Low-tech and unaided options may remain valuable.
SLP-PREP-027 — Fluency
For an adult who stutters, which treatment goal is most consistent with contemporary person-centered practice?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA describes stuttering treatment as individualized and multidimensional. Goals may include reducing adverse impact, supporting communication ease and confidence, and addressing the person’s priorities rather than focusing only on observable fluency.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Zero disfluency is not a universal or required goal.
- B: Correct.
- C: Affective and cognitive reactions may be important treatment targets.
- D: Treatment is individualized.
SLP-PREP-028 — Dysarthria
Why might group treatment be added after a person with dysarthria has learned a new communication strategy individually?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA notes that individual treatment can support learning of new techniques, while group treatment can provide opportunities to practice strategies in more natural communication contexts.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Goals remain individualized.
- B: Correct.
- C: Format depends on the person and goals.
- D: Individual treatment is commonly appropriate.
Source: ASHA Dysarthria in Adults
SLP-PREP-029 — Aphasia
Which treatment-planning approach best fits aphasia care?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA describes aphasia treatment as individualized and person- and family-centered, with goals informed by assessment and the priorities of the person with aphasia and care partners.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Test scores alone do not define functional priorities.
- B: Correct.
- C: Aphasia presentations and goals vary.
- D: Functional goals need not wait for impairment normalization.
Source: ASHA Aphasia
SLP-PREP-030 — Speech sound production
Which sequence best describes a common progression in speech sound treatment?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
ASHA describes a common speech sound treatment sequence of establishing target production, generalizing it to increasingly challenging contexts, and maintaining/stabilizing the skill.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: The order is reversed.
- B: Correct.
- C: Screening and diagnosis are assessment processes, not the treatment sequence.
- D: Maintenance follows, rather than precedes, skill establishment.
Source: ASHA Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology
SLP-PREP-031 — AAC
A newly selected AAC system works well in clinic but is rarely used at home. Which intervention step is most directly indicated?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
AAC intervention includes user and communication-partner training, naturalistic use, and ongoing modification as needs and contexts change. Implementation barriers should be addressed collaboratively.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Limited carryover does not automatically mean AAC should be abandoned.
- B: Correct.
- C: Restricting the system undermines functional communication.
- D: Barriers should be assessed before replacement.
SLP-PREP-032 — Pediatric feeding and swallowing
Which approach is most appropriate for pediatric feeding and swallowing intervention?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Pediatric feeding and swallowing care is interdisciplinary and family-centered. Treatment planning considers medical status, nutrition, feeding skills, environment, culture, and caregiver needs.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Complex feeding problems commonly require team collaboration.
- B: Correct.
- C: Age alone is insufficient.
- D: Cultural and family feeding practices should be considered.
SLP-PREP-033 — Voice
An SLP is treating a patient with a voice disorder and new symptoms suggest a medical condition outside the SLP’s scope. What is the best response?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Voice management is often interdisciplinary. SLPs refer to appropriate medical or other professionals when diagnosis or treatment outside their scope is indicated.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: New medical concerns can require referral.
- B: Correct.
- C: The SLP should not make a medical diagnosis outside scope.
- D: Referral does not require abandoning appropriate SLP care.
Source: ASHA Voice Disorders
SLP-PREP-034 — Acquired apraxia of speech
Which treatment principle is especially relevant for acquired apraxia of speech?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
AOS treatment commonly relies on repeated speech-motor practice and principles of motor learning. Feedback, cueing, complexity, and intensity are selected according to the person and treatment goals.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Repeated practice is commonly important in motor-speech rehabilitation.
- B: Correct.
- C: AOS is a speech-motor disorder, though aphasia may co-occur.
- D: Hearing technology is not the primary AOS treatment.
Source: ASHA Acquired Apraxia of Speech
SLP-PREP-035 — Hearing / aural rehabilitation
An adult with hearing loss wants to communicate more successfully in restaurants and family gatherings. Which plan best fits aural rehabilitation?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Aural rehabilitation is person-centered and may combine sensory management, counseling, environmental changes, communication strategies, perceptual training, and partner involvement to improve activity and participation.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Thresholds do not capture the full functional goal.
- B: Correct.
- C: Technology can help but is not the only component of rehabilitation.
- D: Communication partners can be important to outcomes.
SLP-PREP-036 — Evidence-based treatment planning
A clinician finds research supporting an intervention, but the client’s priorities and response data suggest the plan needs modification. What is the best next step?
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Evidence-based practice integrates external and internal evidence with clinical expertise and client perspectives. Treatment decisions should be responsive to the individual’s goals and measured response.
Why the other choices are weaker
- A: Research must be applied in context, not mechanically.
- B: Correct.
- C: Relevant research remains part of the decision.
- D: Progress monitoring should inform treatment changes.
What score do you need?
For ASHA certification, the current passing score for speech-language pathology is 162 on the 100–200 scale. ASHA also notes that raw points are based on correct answers and are converted to a scaled score in a way that adjusts for question difficulty.
Do not use a simple “questions correct ÷ 132” formula to predict a 162. Castleport does not convert your score on this practice set to an official scaled score.
Official score information: ASHA National Examination Scores and Score Reports
State licensing or school-credential requirements can differ. Check the requirement from the board or agency that will use your score.
Is the SLP Praxis changing in 2027?
The administration changes; the exam content you need to study does not.
| If you test… | Exam/vendor | Study implication |
|---|---|---|
| Through December 26, 2026 | ETS Praxis Speech-Language Pathology (5331) | Use the current blueprint and content areas |
| Beginning January 11, 2027 | PSI National Speech-Language Pathology Examination | ASHA says the questions, format, content areas, structure, and passing standard remain the same |
Current transition details: ASHA National Examinations overview and ASHA registration page.
Final-week checklist
- Complete one timed mixed practice block and review the rationales.
- Review your error log instead of rereading every resource.
- Revisit the weakest top-level category and the weakest practice area.
- Confirm your current registration/vendor instructions from ASHA/ETS/PSI.
- Confirm identification, test-day, and accommodation instructions from the official vendor that applies to your date.
- Verify any score-recipient or state requirement that matters to your application.
- Stop adding giant new resources at the last minute.
- Protect ordinary sleep, food, hydration, and routine before test day.
Official resources
- ETS Praxis Speech-Language Pathology Study Companion (5331) (PDF)
- ASHA National Speech-Language Pathology Examination
- ASHA National Examinations overview / ETS-to-PSI transition
- ASHA National Examination Registration
- ASHA National Examination Scores and Score Reports
- ASHA Practice Portal
Sources and independence
Last verified: November 8, 2026 for the exam structure, ASHA passing score, and ETS-to-PSI transition dates cited on this page. Clinical practice sources linked with the questions were also checked during this editorial audit.
Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by ETS, ASHA, or PSI. Exam and credential names are used to identify the subject of this resource; names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Castleport practice questions are original and unofficial, not recalled, leaked, or reconstructed exam questions.
The study plan and scoring on this page are manual: count your correct answers yourself, record misses in your own error log, and use your own clock for timed practice.
Editorial status: this guide and its practice questions have not yet been reviewed by a qualified licensed speech-language pathologist.