A group needs to prop a door open and never thinks of the heavy dictionary on the shelf, because a dictionary is "for looking up words". Which obstacle to problem solving is this?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 9, "Facilitating complex thinking". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), complex cognitive processes: problem solving
A student mutters a locker combination over and over until the lock opens. An hour later she cannot recall it. Which process did she rely on?Wikipedia, "Memory rehearsal". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), memory
A student remembers the digits 1 7 7 6 1 8 1 2 1 9 4 5 by grouping them into three familiar years. What is this strategy called?Wikipedia, "Chunking (psychology)". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), memory
Show all 60 questions (57 more)
Cognitive perspective, continued
A student uses the fraction skills from math class to halve a recipe at home. Which outcome of learning does this show?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), complex cognitive processes: transfer
A teacher wants students to remember a unit's key ideas at the end of the year. Which plan follows the Institute of Education Sciences' recommendation to space learning over time?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide NCER 2007-2004, "Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), applications of cognitive theory
A toddler who knows the word "dog" sees a goat for the first time and calls it "dog". In Piaget's account of learning, what is the toddler doing?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), complex cognitive processes: conceptual change
After a quiz, a student lists which study methods worked for her and plans how to change the ones that did not. What ability is she using?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), complex cognitive processes
In the three-store model of memory, what must happen for information held in a sensory register to reach short-term memory?Wikipedia, "Atkinson–Shiffrin memory model". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), attention and perception
Which hypothesis holds that the language a person speaks influences how that person thinks about and perceives the world?Wikipedia, "Linguistic relativity". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Cognitive Perspective (15%), language
Behavioral perspective 7
A child who was frightened by one barking dog now cries at the sight of any dog. Which process does this show?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), classical conditioning
A class earns a surprise game day after completing a number of homework sets that keeps changing: three sets one time, eight the next. Which schedule of reinforcement is this?Wikipedia, "Reinforcement". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), schedules of reinforcement
A coach lets players skip the final lap whenever they finish drills on time, and on-time finishes become more common. Which term describes the coach's method?Wikipedia, "Reinforcement". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), operant conditioning
A student used to call out jokes because classmates laughed. The class agrees to stop reacting, and the joking fades away. Which term fits?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), operant conditioning
A teacher collects and marks journals every Friday, and most students write their entries on Thursday night. Which schedule produces responding that rises near the end of each period?Wikipedia, "Reinforcement". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), schedules of reinforcement
A teacher tells the class that anyone who finishes the worksheet may then use the computers, an activity students often choose on their own. Which principle is the teacher applying?Wikipedia, "Premack's principle". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), applications of behavioral perspectives
Each day a teacher rings a small chime just before handing out a snack. After two weeks the children's mouths water at the chime alone. In classical (respondent) conditioning, what has the chime become?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Behavioral Perspective (11%), classical conditioning
Development 9
A child says that taking a classmate's pencil is wrong "because you will get in trouble". At which of Kohlberg's levels is this reasoning?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 3, "Student development". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), moral development
A five-year-old watches a row of six coins being spread out and says there are now more coins. In Piaget's terms, which belief has the child not yet acquired?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 3, "Student development". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), cognitive development
A tenth grader tries out several friend groups and career ideas while asking, "Who am I?" Which of Erikson's crises is she working through?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 3, "Student development". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), social and emotional development
According to gender schema theory, how is gender-related information mainly passed on in a society?Wikipedia, "Gender schema theory". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), gender identity and sex roles
Gilligan's account of moral development centers on which idea?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 3, "Student development". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), moral development
In Erikson's theory, which crisis belongs to the elementary school years, when a child works to become competent in the eyes of classmates and teachers?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 3, "Student development". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), social and emotional development
Vygotsky gave a name to the gap between what a learner can do alone and what the same learner can do with an expert's help. What is the name?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), cognitive development
Which idea, part of the nativist theory of language, holds that infants are born with an instinctive mental capacity for acquiring language?Wikipedia, "Language acquisition device". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), language acquisition
Which task calls for the thinking that Piaget placed in the formal operational stage?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 3, "Student development". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Development (15%), cognitive development
Motivation 6
A student explains a top mark by saying, "I studied hard this week." How does attribution theory classify effort as a cause?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 6, "Student motivation". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Motivation (10%), attribution theory
According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, how does performance change as arousal rises?Wikipedia, "Yerkes–Dodson law". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Motivation (10%), anxiety and stress
After failing again and again whatever he tried, a student stops attempting even easy problems and says nothing he does makes a difference. What has developed?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 6, "Student motivation". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Motivation (10%), learned helplessness
Students whose teacher expects a great deal of them come to perform better than similar students whose teacher expects little. What is this effect of expectations called?Wikipedia, "Pygmalion effect". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Motivation (10%), teacher expectations and the Pygmalion effect
Two students study for the same biology test. One wants to understand photosynthesis. The other wants to look successful by earning the top score in the class. What kind of goal does the second student hold?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 6, "Student motivation". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Motivation (10%), goal orientation theory
Which statement expresses self-efficacy, as motivation theory uses the term?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 6, "Student motivation". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Motivation (10%), self-efficacy
Individual differences 10
A fourth grader has average general ability and normal vision and hearing, yet reads far below what her ability predicts. Which category best fits?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 5, "Students with special educational needs". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), exceptionalities in learning
A school lets a gifted second grader move straight to fourth grade. Which form of support is this?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 4, "Student diversity". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), exceptionalities in learning: giftedness
How does tracking differ from ability grouping inside one classroom?Wikipedia, "Tracking (education)". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), ability grouping and tracking
In the triarchic theory of intelligence, which part is often called "street smarts" and concerns fitting oneself to an everyday setting?Wikipedia, "Triarchic theory of intelligence". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), intelligence
People who do well on one kind of mental test tend to do well on other kinds. Which construct summarizes these positive correlations?Wikipedia, "g factor (psychometrics)". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), intelligence
United States special education law calls for education in the "least restrictive environment". In practice, what has this requirement meant?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 5, "Students with special educational needs". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), exceptionalities in learning
What does research on the heritability of IQ measure?Wikipedia, "Heritability of IQ". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), genetic and environmental influences
Which observation is offered as evidence for the theory of multiple intelligences?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 4, "Student diversity". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), intelligence
Which pair of difficulties defines attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 5, "Students with special educational needs". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), exceptionalities in learning
Working out a kind of logic puzzle one has never seen before draws most directly on which ability?Wikipedia, "Fluid and crystallized intelligence". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Individual Differences (17%), intelligence
Testing 7
A lifeguard test passes anyone who can swim 300 meters without stopping, however many people manage it. What kind of test is this?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 12, "Standardized and other formal assessments". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), norm- and criterion-referenced tests
A report says a student scored at the 60th percentile in reading on a norm-referenced test. What does that mean?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 12, "Standardized and other formal assessments". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), norm- and criterion-referenced tests
A unit test is announced as covering chapters one to seven, but every item comes from chapter three. Which kind of validity evidence is weak?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 11, "Teacher-made assessment strategies". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), test reliability and validity
Halfway through a unit a teacher gives a short ungraded quiz, only to find out which ideas need another day of teaching. What kind of assessment is this?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 11, "Teacher-made assessment strategies". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), classroom assessment
On a standardized test a student's z-score is 0. Where does the student's score fall?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 12, "Standardized and other formal assessments". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), interpretation of test results
Two teachers grade the same set of essays and give very different marks. Which quality of the assessment is in doubt?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 11, "Teacher-made assessment strategies". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), test reliability and validity
What makes a test "high-stakes"?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 1, "The changing teaching profession and you". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Testing (12%), high-stakes assessment
Pedagogy 6
A teacher gives students a sentence frame for a lab report, then takes it away once they can write the report alone. What is this temporary support called?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Pedagogy (10%), social constructivist pedagogy
In Bloom's taxonomy of the cognitive domain, the six kinds of learning goals run from what to what?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 2, "The learning process". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Pedagogy (10%), planning instruction
In one class, students read texts at three levels on the same topic and choose between a poster and an essay to show what they learned. Which approach is this?Wikipedia, "Differentiated instruction". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Pedagogy (10%), differentiated instruction
In the jigsaw classroom, what happens after the "expert" groups finish studying their topics?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 6, "Student motivation". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Pedagogy (10%), cooperative and collaborative learning
Which statement is written as a behavioral objective?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 10, "Planning instruction". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Pedagogy (10%), writing objectives
While helping one student, a teacher notices whispering across the room and stops it with a glance. Which management skill is this?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 7, "Classroom management and the learning environment". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Pedagogy (10%), classroom management
Research design and analysis 3
A district compares reading scores at schools that chose a new program with scores at schools that did not. What makes this a quasi-experiment and not a true experiment?Wikipedia, "Quasi-experiment". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Research Design and Analysis (5%), research design
A research team follows one group of first graders until they finish high school, measuring their reading every spring. Which research design is this?Wikipedia, "Longitudinal study". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Research Design and Analysis (5%), research design
A survey finds that students who eat breakfast have higher grades. Why can the survey not show, from this alone, that breakfast raises grades?Wikipedia, "Correlation does not imply causation". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Research Design and Analysis (5%), interpretation of research
Multiculturalism 3
A child of immigrants becomes fluent in English at school and gradually loses the ability to speak her parents' language. What is this pattern called?K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition (2009), chapter 4, "Student diversity". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Multiculturalism (5%), bilingualism and English as a second language
Which practice fits culturally responsive teaching?Wikipedia, "Culturally relevant teaching". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Multiculturalism (5%), culturally responsive teaching
Which term names the predicament of people who feel at risk of conforming to a stereotype about their own social group, a factor proposed for gender gaps in academic performance?Wikipedia, "Stereotype threat". Outline: College Board, CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology, Multiculturalism (5%), gender differences
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the College Board's published outline of the CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology exam (https://clep.collegeboard.org/clep-exams/introduction-educational-psychology, read 2026-10-09): Cognitive Perspective 15%, Behavioral Perspective 11%, Development 15%, Motivation 10%, Individual Differences 17%, Testing 12%, Pedagogy 10%, Research Design and Analysis 5%, Multiculturalism 5%. The bank holds 9, 7, 9, 6, 10, 7, 6, 3 and 3 questions on them. Every fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page the question names: K. Seifert and R. Sutton, Educational Psychology, 2nd edition, 2009 (https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~seifert/EdPsy2009.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0); the Institute of Education Sciences practice guide Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/20072004.pdf); and Wikipedia articles on memory, reinforcement, intelligence and research design. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
Practice for the Introduction to Educational Psychology exam with 60 questions of our own, spread over the outline's nine topics. This CLEP Educational Psychology practice test is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the College Board.
Read the full guide
Nine topics and their weights
The College Board's exam page, read October 9, 2026, lists cognitive perspective (15%), behavioral perspective (11%), development (15%), motivation (10%), individual differences (17%), testing (12%), pedagogy (10%), research design and analysis (5%) and multiculturalism (5%). The bank holds 9, 7, 9, 6, 10, 7, 6, 3 and 3 questions on them.
Timing
Exam mode asks 60 questions in 54 minutes, the same time per question as the real exam.
Where the answers come from
Each explanation names its source: Seifert and Sutton's open textbook Educational Psychology, an Institute of Education Sciences practice guide on study and memory, or a Wikipedia article.
Individual differences, the largest topic, takes in intelligence, genetic and environmental influences, exceptionalities such as giftedness and learning disabilities, and ability grouping and tracking.
The outline asks you to apply theories to particular teaching situations, so many questions here are short classroom cases.
Questions and answers
Is this CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology practice test free?
Yes. All 60 questions, their explanations, exam mode and the paper test, which saves as a PDF, are free and need no account. Your answers and missed pile stay in this browser.
Is this educational psychology CLEP practice test the real exam?
No. Every question is our own, written from the published outline and a named public source. None is copied or reworded from a real exam or an official sample question, so read a score here only as a count of right answers.
How many questions are on the Introduction to Educational Psychology CLEP?
About 100, to be answered in 90 minutes, the College Board's exam page says. Some of them are pretest questions that are not scored, and no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
What score earns credit on the CLEP Educational Psychology exam?
The American Council on Education recommends that colleges grant 3 semester hours for a 50, on a scale from 20 to 80. Each institution sets its own credit-granting policy, the College Board notes, so ask your college before you register.