MTLE ELL Practice Test

Unofficial practice for both subtests of Minnesota's MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) test, codes 194 and 195.

Subtest

Subtest 1 (194): linguistic and cultural foundations; ESL instruction, communication and assessment. Subtest 2 (195): English learners in context; content and communication instruction.

A teacher has students listen for the difference between “pat” and “bat”, two words that differ in a single sound and in meaning. What is such a pair of words called?

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

Print covers the next 24 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 24 questions, 29 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board or Pearson. Bank checked October 13, 2026.

Next step More linguistics and acquisitionMore on teaching English learners

Subtest 1: all 24 questions

Linguistic and cultural foundations 12

  • A family enrolling a child has no immigration papers. Under Plyler v. Doe (1982), what may a public school not do? Wikipedia, Plyler v. Doe. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0003
  • A first grader who started school in Minnesota three weeks ago follows directions and watches closely but says nothing in English. Which phase of second-language acquisition does this fit? Wikipedia, Silent period. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0002
  • A German exchange student is startled when a classmate offers her a “gift”, because German “Gift” means poison. What are look-alike words with different meanings in two languages called? Wikipedia, False friend. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0001
Show all 24 questions (21 more)

Linguistic and cultural foundations, continued

  • A learner adds -ed to “walk” to mark the past tense and -s to “dog” to mark the plural. Neither ending makes a new dictionary word. What is this kind of change to a word called? Wikipedia, Inflection. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0001
  • A learner's English follows rules of its own: some features carried over from Hmong, some English rules stretched too far, as in “goed”. What is this developing system called? Wikipedia, Interlanguage. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0002
  • A newcomer hears “Can you open the window?” and answers “Yes” without moving. He knows every word but misses that the sentence is a request. Which area of linguistics covers what he missed? Wikipedia, Pragmatics. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0001
  • A teacher has students listen for the difference between “pat” and “bat”, two words that differ in a single sound and in meaning. What is such a pair of words called? Wikipedia, Minimal pair. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0001
  • The Fifth Circuit's 1981 ruling for the Castañeda family gave a three-part assessment of whether a district's language program meets the requirements of which federal law? Wikipedia, Castañeda v. Pickard. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0003
  • Krashen wrote the level of language a learner needs to meet as “i+1”. What does that level describe? Wikipedia, Input hypothesis. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0002
  • Lau v. Nichols (1974) concerned about 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry in San Francisco who were taught only in English with no extra help. What did the Supreme Court decide? Wikipedia, Lau v. Nichols. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0003
  • Under Minnesota Statutes 124D.59, a pupil is an English learner when a parent declares a first or home language other than English and what else is found? Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.59, subdivision 2. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0003
  • Within months a newcomer jokes with teammates at soccer practice, yet essay prompts in history class still defeat him. In Cummins's terms, which has developed first? Wikipedia, Cognitive academic language proficiency. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0002

Instruction, communication and assessment 12

  • A child was identified for an English learner program before the school year began. Under Minnesota Statutes 124D.60, when must the district notify the parents? Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.60, subdivision 1. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0005
  • A school teaches literacy and content in English and Spanish, uses Spanish for at least half of the elementary day, and aims for bilingualism and biliteracy. Which program model is this? Wikipedia, Dual language. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0004
  • A science quiz wants long written answers in English. Newcomers who can draw and label the whole water cycle still score low, so the quiz is measuring written English more than science. Which quality of the quiz is in doubt? Wikipedia, Test validity. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0006
  • A teacher listens to pair talk, notes who cannot yet form questions, and reteaches question forms the following morning. Checks like these, made while learning is under way, are which kind of assessment? Wikipedia, Formative assessment. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0006
  • A teacher says “Stand up”, “Touch the door” and “Sit down” in English while doing each action, and beginners answer with their bodies before they speak. Which method is this? Wikipedia, Total physical response. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0004
  • A teacher visits families and then builds a unit on the gardening, trade and repair knowledge their households hold. Which model of family resources is she using? Wikipedia, Funds of knowledge. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0005
  • In a biology class the content stays at grade level, but the teacher changes its delivery with pictures, demonstrations and plainer speech for students still learning English. What is this approach called? Wikipedia, Sheltered instruction. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0004
  • The Minnesota Department of Education belongs to the WIDA Consortium. What is WIDA's ACCESS for ELLs test used for? Wikipedia, WIDA Consortium. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0006
  • Minnesota's voluntary state bilingual gold seal recognizes a graduating student who shows which level of proficiency in one language in addition to English? Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.022, subdivision 1b. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0005
  • On Monday and again on Thursday a learner sits equivalent versions of an oral exam, with nothing else changed, and the two results are far apart. Which quality does the exam lack? Wikipedia, Reliability (statistics). Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0006
  • One method, descended from the classical teaching of Ancient Greek and Latin, has learners study rules and then render sentences from one language into the other. Which method is it? Wikipedia, Grammar–translation method. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0004
  • Under Minnesota Statutes 124D.60, how does a parent withdraw a child from an educational program for English learners? Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.60, subdivision 2. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 1, objective 0005

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Subtest 1 (test code 194) of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations field English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) in the test framework on the MTLE website (https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/Content/Worksheets/MN194_FrameworkWorksheet.html; test page https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MN194_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-13): 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, passing score 230; Linguistic and Cultural Foundations of ESL (objectives 0001 to 0003, 25 questions, 50%) and Foundations of ESL Instruction, Communication, and Assessment (0004 to 0006, 25 questions, 50%). This set holds 24: 12 and 12, four for each objective. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: Minnesota Statutes 124D.59, 124D.60 and 120B.022 on the Revisor of Statutes' website and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

Subtest 2: all 22 questions

English learners in context 8

  • A Minnesota school schedules its English learners. Under Minnesota Statutes 124D.61, what must the district's program do in art, music and physical education? Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.61. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0008
  • A student who is anxious and afraid of being laughed at takes in little of the English around her. Which hypothesis says negative emotions limit acquisition? Wikipedia, Input hypothesis. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0007
  • A teacher models a paragraph, then offers sentence starters and coaching while students write their own. What is this support, tailored to each student, called? Wikipedia, Instructional scaffolding. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0008
Show all 22 questions (19 more)

English learners in context, continued

  • An English learner starts at a Minnesota high school, her first school in the United States, with six years of schooling; her peers have had nine. Which term in Minnesota Statutes 124D.59, subdivision 2a, fits her? Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.59, subdivision 2a. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0007
  • During her first weeks a newcomer found the new school delightful. Now the food, the weather and the rules irritate her every day. Which of the four phases of culture shock, the one after the honeymoon, is this? Wikipedia, Culture shock. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0007
  • In Gardner's socio-educational model of motivation, which variable measures how open a learner is to the culture that mainly uses the second language? Wikipedia, Motivation in second-language learning. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0007
  • Social psychologist Elliot Aronson designed a classroom method in which each student holds one piece of an assignment, so that classmates depend on one another to succeed. What is it called? Wikipedia, Jigsaw (teaching technique). Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0008
  • Which approach to building a curriculum sets the goals first and only afterward chooses the instructional methods and the forms of assessment? Wikipedia, Backward design. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0008

Content and communication instruction 14

  • A school teaches geography through English to students for whom English is an additional language, so that the subject and the language are learned together. Which approach is this? Wikipedia, Content and language integrated learning. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0012
  • A student says “He go to store yesterday.” The teacher answers, “Oh, he went to the store yesterday? What did he buy?” and the talk goes on. What is the teacher's move called? Wikipedia, Recast (language teaching). Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0010
  • A teacher of long-term English learners draws vocabulary lessons from the Academic Word List. What does that list contain? Wikipedia, Academic Word List. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0009
  • A textbook writes “the legalization of the trade” where a speaker would say “they legalized the trade”. What is the turning of a verb into a noun, common in academic prose, called? Wikipedia, Nominalization. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0009
  • After a walk to the school garden, a newcomer tells what happened, the teacher writes down the student's own words, and that text becomes the day's reading. Which approach is this? Wikipedia, Language Experience Approach. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0011
  • All year a teacher and a student write back and forth in a notebook about the student's experiences and ideas, as real communication and not for correction or a grade. What is this called? Wikipedia, Dialogue journal. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0011
  • Before a unit on cells, students fill in a named graphic organizer that explores the meaning and use of the unfamiliar word “membrane”. Which organizer is built for that job? Wikipedia, Disciplinary literacy. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0009
  • Before drafting, English learners cluster ideas, free write, and ask who, what, when, where, why and how. Which part of the writing process are they in? Wikipedia, Writing process. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0011
  • For a unit on plants, a teacher brings in seeds, soil and a trowel so newcomers can tie the English words to the things themselves. What are such objects called in language teaching? Wikipedia, Realia (education). Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0012
  • French “nuit”, Swedish “natt” and Welsh “nos” share one Proto-Indo-European ancestor with English “night”. Which term names words related in this way? Wikipedia, Cognate. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0009
  • In a dictogloss, also called grammar dictation, what do small groups do after hearing the text read once at normal speed and taking notes? Wikipedia, Dictogloss. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0010
  • In a social studies lesson, students first discuss the reading in Karen or Spanish and then write about it in English: two languages used on purpose in one lesson. What is this pedagogy called? Wikipedia, Translanguaging. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0012
  • Partners hold two copies of a class timetable, each with different blanks, and must talk to complete both. What kind of speaking task is this? Wikipedia, Information gap task. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0010
  • Students choose long, easy books and read them in quantity for pleasure. Which practice, built on the idea that we learn to read by reading, is this? Wikipedia, Extensive reading. Written to the MTLE English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) framework, Subtest 2, objective 0011

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Subtest 2 (test code 195) of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations field English as a Second Language (Grades K–12) in the test framework on the MTLE website (https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/Content/Worksheets/MN194_FrameworkWorksheet.html; test page https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MN194_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-13): 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, passing score 230; English Learners in Context (objectives 0007 and 0008, 33%) and Content and Communication Instruction and Assessment for English Learners (0009 to 0012, 67%); the framework prints no question counts for this subtest. This set holds 22: 8 and 14. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: Minnesota Statutes 124D.59 and 124D.61 on the Revisor of Statutes' website and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free MTLE ELL practice test follows the test Minnesota calls English as a Second Language (Grades K–12), with a question set for each subtest. It is unofficial: the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board and Pearson had no part in it.

Read the full guide

MTLE ESL test study guide: the two subtests

The MTLE framework, read October 13, 2026, halves Subtest 1 between Linguistic and Cultural Foundations of ESL and Foundations of ESL Instruction, Communication, and Assessment. Subtest 2 gives English Learners in Context 33% and Content and Communication Instruction and Assessment for English Learners 67%. Our 24 and 22 questions keep close to those shares; each timed exam moves at 50 questions an hour, the real pace.

Minnesota's English learner law in the questions

The license is Minnesota's, so six questions come from Minnesota Statutes: who counts as an English learner, and as one with limited or interrupted schooling (124D.59); the 30-day notice to parents and their right to withdraw a child (124D.60); what a district's program must allow (124D.61); and the state bilingual seals (120B.022).

  • Objectives 0009 to 0012 carry two thirds of Subtest 2: academic language, listening and speaking, reading and writing, and content-area learning.

Questions and answers

Is this MTLE ELL practice test free?

Yes, with no account. The 46 questions were written for this page from the objectives of the published ESL framework, and each names the public source of its answer. None is taken from the real test or from the official practice tests.

How long is the MTLE ESL test?

Each of the two subtests asks 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour of testing time, after 15 minutes for a tutorial. A candidate may sit one subtest or both at a single appointment.

What score passes MTLE English as a Second Language?

The test page, read October 13, 2026, sets 230 for Subtest 1 and 230 for Subtest 2, and the license needs both. A number right on this page does not convert to that scale, so the result shows no verdict.

What does Subtest 1 of the MTLE ESL test cover?

Six objectives: linguistics; first- and second-language acquisition and literacy; the cultural, historical and sociopolitical setting of English learners' schooling; program models and methods; work with families, colleagues and the community; and assessment.

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