MTLE Elementary Education Practice Test

Unofficial practice for the three subtests of Minnesota's MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) test.

Subtest 1: reading and communication arts. Subtest 2: mathematics, health and the arts. Subtest 3: science and social studies.

A teacher says, 'The word is bug. Change /g/ to /n/. What's the new word?' and the children answer 'bun'. Which phonemic awareness task is this?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 18 questions, 22 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board or Pearson. Bank checked October 11, 2026.

Next step More reading and language artsNES Elementary Education practice

Subtest 1: all 18 questions

Reading 14

  • A kindergartner grasps that letters and combinations of letters stand for the speech sounds of the language in systematic, predictable ways. What is this understanding called? Wikipedia, Alphabetic principle, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0002
  • A preschooler cannot read yet but knows that the marks on a page carry a message and what a sign or a shopping list is for. Which term names what a child understands about the nature and uses of print? Wikipedia, Print awareness, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0002
  • A teacher has students name a story's parts on the fingers of one hand. In the IES reading comprehension guide, which element tells how the problem was solved and how the story ended? Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, Recommendation 2. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0006
Show all 18 questions (15 more)

Reading, continued

  • A teacher says /k/, then /at/, and the children blend them into 'cat'. In the terms of syllable structure, what is the /at/ part? Wikipedia, Syllable, Components. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0001
  • A teacher says, 'The word is bug. Change /g/ to /n/. What's the new word?' and the children answer 'bun'. Which phonemic awareness task is this? National Institute for Literacy, Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (third edition, on the NICHD website), Phonemic awareness instruction. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0001
  • 'Although it rained, the class went outside.' Which type of sentence is this? Wikipedia, Sentence clause structure. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0007
  • Before a unit on wolves, a class fills in the first column of a KWL chart. What does that step do? Wikipedia, KWL table. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0005
  • In reciprocal teaching, students take turns leading a dialogue about a text. Which four reading strategies do they use? Wikipedia, Reciprocal teaching, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0005
  • In the fluency approach that Put Reading First calls repeated and monitored oral reading, what do students do? National Institute for Literacy, Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (third edition, on the NICHD website), Fluency instruction. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0003
  • In the word 'ship', the letters sh are a pair of characters that write a single phoneme. What is such a pair called? Wikipedia, Digraph (orthography), lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0003
  • Put Reading First names three ways children learn word meanings indirectly. Which of these is one of them? National Institute for Literacy, Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (third edition, on the NICHD website), Vocabulary instruction. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0004
  • Which genre differs from a fable in that it leaves out animals, plants and objects as actors that speak like people? Wikipedia, Fable, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0006
  • Which of these words is a coordinating conjunction? Wikipedia, Conjunction (grammar), Coordinating conjunctions. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0007
  • The word 'unbreakable' is built from un-, break and -able. Which kind of morpheme is the prefix un-? Wikipedia, Morpheme. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0004

Communication arts 4

  • A third grader rereads her finished story and corrects capital letters, punctuation and spelling. In the IES elementary writing guide, which component of the writing process is this? Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers, Recommendation 2a. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0008
  • During a class discussion, a student puts a classmate's point in her own words before she replies. Which active listening technique is this? Wikipedia, Active listening. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0009
  • The IES elementary writing guide lists planning, drafting, sharing, evaluating, revising and editing as components of the writing process. Which additional component may be included to develop and share a final product? Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers, Recommendation 2. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0008
  • Media literacy widens the idea of literacy. Which abilities does it encompass? Wikipedia, Media literacy, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0009

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Subtest 1 (test code 191) of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations field Elementary Education (Grades K–6) in the test framework on the MTLE website (https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/Content/Worksheets/MN191_FrameworkWorksheet.html; test page https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MN191_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-11): 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, passing score 229; Reading (objectives 0001 to 0007, 39 questions, 78%) and Communication Arts (0008 and 0009, 11 questions, 22%). This set holds 18, two for each objective. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: Put Reading First, practice guides of the Institute of Education Sciences and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

Subtest 2: all 16 questions

Mathematics 12

  • A jar holds 12 marbles: 2 white, 7 black and 3 striped. One marble is picked at random. What is the probability that it is not black? Wikipedia, Probability, Mathematical treatment. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0013
  • A rectangular garden is 5 meters wide and 12 meters long. How long is a straight path from one corner to the opposite corner? Wikipedia, Pythagorean theorem, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0012
  • A sandwich shop offers 3 breads, 5 fillings and 2 sauces. How many different sandwiches with one bread, one filling and one sauce can it make? Wikipedia, Rule of product, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0014
Show all 16 questions (13 more)

Mathematics, continued

  • A student claims, 'Every prime number is odd.' A classmate answers, 'But 2 is prime and even.' What has the classmate given? Wikipedia, Counterexample, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0015
  • A student works out 20 − 12 ÷ 4 + 2 × 3 from left to right and gets 12. What is the correct value? Wikipedia, Order of operations, Mnemonics. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0010
  • A table of a linear function lists x values 2, 5 and 8 with y values 7, 13 and 19. What is the slope of its graph? Wikipedia, Slope, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0011
  • A tile pattern has 4 tiles in its first figure and gains 3 tiles with each new figure. How many tiles are in figure 15? Wikipedia, Arithmetic progression, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0011
  • In a class of 30 students, 18 play soccer, 15 play basketball and 7 play both. How many play neither sport? Wikipedia, Inclusion–exclusion principle, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0014
  • In the four phases of problem solving in Pólya's How to Solve It, which comes first? Wikipedia, How to Solve It, Four phases. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0015
  • One acute angle of a right triangle measures 28°. What is the measure of the other acute angle? Wikipedia, Sum of angles of a triangle, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0012
  • One harbor light flashes every 8 seconds and another every 14 seconds. They flash together now. In how many seconds will they next flash together? Wikipedia, Least common multiple, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0010
  • Six students read 3, 7, 8, 12, 20 and 22 pages. What is the median number of pages? Wikipedia, Median, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0013

Health, fitness and fine arts 4

  • A song's score is marked f at the chorus. How should the class sing that passage? Wikipedia, Dynamics (music), Dynamic markings. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0017
  • In the RYB model taught for mixing paint in the visual arts, what is an equal mix of two primary colors called? Wikipedia, Secondary color. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0017
  • Most of a child's daily activity can be aerobic. Which other kind of activity do the federal Physical Activity Guidelines say youth ages 6 through 17 also need? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Top 10 Things to Know. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0016
  • MyPlate, the federal nutrition guide published from 2011 to 2026, showed a place setting divided into how many food groups? Wikipedia, MyPlate, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0016

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Subtest 2 (test code 192) of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations field Elementary Education (Grades K–6) in the test framework on the MTLE website (https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/Content/Worksheets/MN191_FrameworkWorksheet.html; test page https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MN191_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-11): 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, passing score 230; Mathematics (objectives 0010 to 0015, 37 questions, 75%) and Health/Fitness and Fine Arts (0016 and 0017, 13 questions, 25%). This set holds 16, two for each objective. Each mathematics answer is worked in its explanation and rests on the definition in the named Wikipedia article; the health and arts facts were read on the pages named. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

Subtest 3: all 14 questions

Science 8

  • A class raises butterflies from eggs. Which sequence gives the four life stages of complete metamorphosis? Wikipedia, Holometabolism, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0020
  • A hockey puck slides across smooth ice and keeps moving in a straight line after the stick leaves it. Which of Newton's laws describes this? NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion: Newton's First Law, Inertia. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0019
  • A student says the Moon is half dark tonight because the Sun is lighting less of it. According to NASA, how much of the Moon does the Sun illuminate at any time? NASA Science, Moon Phases. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0021
Show all 14 questions (11 more)

Science, continued

  • Fourth graders build a paper bridge, test it, change the design and test it again. Which word describes the engineering design process they are following? Wikipedia, Engineering design process, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0018
  • Frost cracks a boulder into pieces that stay where they fall. Later a stream carries the pieces away. Which process moved the rock? Wikipedia, Erosion, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0021
  • How many biomes does the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources describe in the state? Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota's Biomes. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0020
  • Students test whether salt changes how fast ice melts. They use the same size of ice cube, the same cups and the same room for every trial. What are these unchanged elements called? Wikipedia, Control variable, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0018
  • Two bar magnets snap together when a student brings their ends close. Which ends are facing each other? Wikipedia, Magnet. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0019

Social studies 6

  • The 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota are seven reservations of one people and four communities of another. Which two peoples? Wikipedia, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0024
  • A fifth grader studies the fur trade. Which of these is a primary source? Wikipedia, Primary source, lead. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0022
  • A lesson asks how people dam rivers, clear forests and build with local stone. Which of the five themes of geography is this? Wikipedia, Five themes of geography. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0023
  • According to the National Park Service, where is the source of the Mississippi River? National Park Service, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Mississippi River Facts. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0023
  • How many members sit in the two houses of the Minnesota Legislature? Wikipedia, Minnesota Legislature. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0024
  • On a globe, what does a line of latitude measure? National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, What is latitude?. Written to the MTLE Elementary Education (Grades K–6) framework, Subtest 3, objective 0022

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Subtest 3 (test code 193) of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations field Elementary Education (Grades K–6) in the test framework on the MTLE website (https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/Content/Worksheets/MN191_FrameworkWorksheet.html; test page https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MN191_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-11): 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, passing score 230; Science (objectives 0018 to 0021, 29 questions, 57%) and Social Studies (0022 to 0024, 21 questions, 43%). This set holds 14, two for each objective. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: NASA, NOAA, the National Park Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free MTLE Elementary Education practice test has a question set for each of the three subtests of the Grades K-6 test. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board or Pearson.

Read the full guide

MTLE Elementary Education study guide: the three subtests

By the framework on the MTLE site, read October 11, 2026, Subtest 1 is Reading 78% and Communication Arts 22%. Subtest 2 is Mathematics 75% and Health/Fitness and Fine Arts 25%. Subtest 3 is Science 57% and Social Studies 43%. Each set holds two questions for every objective, which keeps those shares, and the timed exam keeps the real pace of 50 questions an hour.

MTLE elementary content: math, science and Minnesota

The Subtest 2 mathematics runs from number sense to discrete mathematics, each answer worked in its explanation. The Subtest 3 science covers inquiry, physical, life, and Earth and space science. Four questions are Minnesota's own: its four biomes, the Mississippi's source at Lake Itasca, the 11 tribal nations and the Legislature.

  • The test is also given with each question in Hmong, Somali or Spanish beside the English, and the retake policy applies across all versions.

Questions and answers

Is this MTLE Elementary Education practice test free?

Yes, with no sign-up. Every question was written for this site from the published framework and the public page its explanation names. Nothing is taken or reworded from the real test or the official practice tests.

How many questions are on the MTLE Elementary Education test?

150 multiple-choice questions, 50 in each of three subtests, with 1 hour of testing time a subtest after a 15-minute tutorial. One, two or all three subtests may be taken at a single appointment.

What is the passing score for MTLE Elementary Education?

229 on Subtest 1 and 230 on Subtests 2 and 3, by the test page read October 11, 2026. You must pass all three subtests. This page reports your number right and gives no pass verdict.

What is on MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 2?

Mathematics, 37 of the 50 questions, then health and fitness and the fine arts, 13. The test page lists no reference materials for the test.

What is on MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 3?

Science, 29 of the 50 questions, and social studies, 21. The social studies objectives cover the tools of inquiry, people, places and environments, and individuals, groups and institutions.

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