• 64 questions

NES Elementary Education Subtest 1 Practice Test

Unofficial practice for NES Elementary Education Subtest I, test 102: reading and English language arts, and social studies.

A child taps once for each sound in the spoken word "flag." How many taps show correct phoneme segmentation?

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: 64 questions, 77 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with Pearson, which owns the National Evaluation Series. Bank checked October 8, 2026.

Next step More conventions: basic grammar practiceSubtest II: math, science and the arts

All 64 questions

Reading and English language arts 39

  • A character says, "It is raining cats and dogs." What must a reader recognize to understand the sentence? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Language, Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, L.3.5a. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • A child taps once for each sound in the spoken word "flag." How many taps show correct phoneme segmentation? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonemic Awareness Instruction, Phoneme segmentation. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • A first grader writes KOM for "come," using a letter for each sound he hears. Which stage of spelling development is this? Invented Spelling and Spelling Development, ERIC Digest ED272922 (1986), stages of spelling development. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • A kindergarten class claps the syllables in classmates' names and sorts pictures that rhyme. These activities build which skill? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonemic Awareness Instruction, Phonological awareness. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
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Reading and English language arts, continued

  • A kindergartner points to each word while moving left to right and top to bottom on the page. Which understanding is the child showing? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Reading: Foundational Skills, Print Concepts, RF.K.1. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • A preschooler fills a page with letters from the alphabet that match no sounds in her message. Which stage of spelling development is this? Invented Spelling and Spelling Development, ERIC Digest ED272922 (1986), stages of spelling development. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • A second grader stops, says "That did not make sense," and rereads the paragraph. Which comprehension strategy is this? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Text Comprehension Instruction, Monitoring comprehension. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • A story map asks for the setting, the initiating event, the characters' goals and attempts, and the outcome. What is it teaching? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Text Comprehension Instruction, Recognizing story structure. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • A student works out the meaning of "enormous" from the other words in the sentence. Which word-learning strategy is she using? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Vocabulary Instruction, Word learning strategies. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • A tale began with real people and changed as it was told and retold over generations. Which genre is it? Helping Children Understand Literary Genres, ERIC Digest ED366985 (1994), Folktales. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • A teacher assumes a seven-year-old newcomer will pick up English faster than any adult could. What does research on second language learning say? Myths and Misconceptions about Second Language Learning, ERIC Digest ED350885 (1992), Myth 1. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • A teacher has students write their own questions about a science article as they read. What does this strategy improve? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Text Comprehension Instruction, Generating questions. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • A third grader reads "unhelpful" by breaking it into un-, help and -ful. Which knowledge is she using? Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (Institute of Education Sciences, NCEE 2016-4008), Recommendation 3. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • According to Put Reading First, when is phonemic awareness instruction most effective? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonemic Awareness Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • According to Put Reading First, which kind of phonics instruction is more effective? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonics Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • An article on a flood uses the clue words "because," "therefore" and "so." Which informational text structure do they signal? Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (Institute of Education Sciences, NCEE 2010-4038), Recommendation 2, Table 6. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • Before reading, what might a reader who uses metacognitive strategies do? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Text Comprehension Instruction, Metacognition. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • How do children learn the meanings of most words? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Vocabulary Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • How do nearly all children pick up the rules of their first language? Young Children's Oral Language Development, ERIC Digest ED301361 (1988), When and how language is learned. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • How many graphemes spell the word "chick"? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonemic Awareness Instruction, Grapheme. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • "I tiptoed down the stairs, sure that everyone could hear my heart." From which point of view is this story told? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Reading: Literature, Craft and Structure, RL.4.6. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • The IES elementary writing guide groups genres under four purposes of writing. Which list gives them? Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers (Institute of Education Sciences, NCEE 2012-4058), Recommendation 2b. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Oral language has three components. Which one is about the rules by which sounds are combined? Young Children's Oral Language Development, ERIC Digest ED301361 (1988), Oral language components. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • What do graphic organizers such as webs and charts show a reader? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Text Comprehension Instruction, Using graphic and semantic organizers. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • What does phonics instruction teach children? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonics Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • What does Put Reading First say about irregularly spelled words such as "said"? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonics Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • What does summarizing require a student to do? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Text Comprehension Instruction, Summarizing. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0003 (reading comprehension and vocabulary).
  • What is phonemic awareness? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Phonemic Awareness Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0001 (language development and emergent literacy).
  • When students analyze an editorial cartoon, which question helps them reach its message? Analyze a Cartoon, document analysis worksheet (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • Which classroom practice does Put Reading First say improves reading fluency? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Fluency Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).
  • Which is a nonverbal element of an effective oral presentation? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Speaking and Listening, Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas, SL.6.4. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Which list names components of the writing process given in the IES elementary writing guide? Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers (Institute of Education Sciences, NCEE 2012-4058), Recommendation 2. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Which sentence corrects the run-on "We hiked to the lake it was frozen"? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Language, Conventions of Standard English, L.4.1f. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Which sentence punctuates items in a series correctly? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Language, Conventions of Standard English, L.5.2a. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Language, Conventions of Standard English, L.3.1f. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Which set of text features helps a third grader locate information on a topic efficiently? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Reading: Informational Text, Craft and Structure, RI.3.5. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0004 (texts and graphic sources).
  • Which situation calls for formal English? Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Language, Knowledge of Language, L.4.3c. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Which words complete the sentence correctly? "The soup was ___ hot ___ eat." Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (NGA Center and CCSSO), Language, Conventions of Standard English, L.4.1g. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0005 (written and oral communication).
  • Why does Put Reading First call fluency a bridge? Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (National Institute for Literacy), Fluency Instruction. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0002 (phonics, word analysis, spelling and fluency).

Social studies 25

  • A citizen turns 18 the week before a federal election. Which amendment keeps her vote from being denied on account of age? The Constitution: Amendments 11-27 (National Archives), Amendment XXVI. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • A class studies how farmers in a dry valley built canals to water their fields. Which of the five themes of geography is this? Teaching Geography in the Elementary School, ERIC Digest ED309133 (1989). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • A class timeline of voting rights has a card dated August 18, 1920. Which event belongs on it? 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote (1920), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • A fifth grade class reads that governments get "their just powers from the consent of the governed." Which founding document are they reading? Declaration of Independence: A Transcription (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • A map key reads "people per square mile." What does the map show? Understanding Population Density (U.S. Census Bureau). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • Article I of the Constitution gives the power to make laws to a Congress made up of which two bodies? The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription (National Archives), Article I, Section 1. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • Besides printed documents, which of these can a class use as a primary source? Using Primary Sources on the Internet To Teach and Learn History, ERIC Digest ED442739 (2000), Types and uses of primary sources. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • Citizens gather signatures asking their government to fix a problem. Which First Amendment right are they using? The Bill of Rights: A Transcription (National Archives), First Amendment (Article the third as proposed). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • How did the Homestead Act of 1862 shape where people settled? Homestead Act (1862), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • In a market economy, what do prices do for buyers and sellers? The National Voluntary Content Standards in Economics, ERIC Digest ED428031 (1999), Content Standard 8. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • Lines of latitude are also called parallels. Which parallel lies at 0 degrees? What is latitude? (National Ocean Service, NOAA). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • Lines of longitude measure distance east or west of what? What is longitude? (National Ocean Service, NOAA). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • The President makes a treaty with another nation. Who must consent before it takes effect? The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription (National Archives), Article II, Section 2. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • The United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. How did the purchase change the country? Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • What is a watershed? Watersheds and Drainage Basins (U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • What is inflation? What is inflation and how does the Federal Reserve evaluate changes in the rate of inflation? (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • What was the aim of the Marshall Plan, signed into law in 1948? Marshall Plan (1948), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • Where do lines of longitude meet? What is longitude? (National Ocean Service, NOAA). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0008 (geography and social studies inquiry).
  • Where does the Constitution vest the judicial power of the United States? The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription (National Archives), Article III, Section 1. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).
  • Which amendment, adopted after the Civil War, ended slavery in the United States? The Constitution: Amendments 11-27 (National Archives), Amendment XIII. Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • Which coded message, sent by Germany's foreign secretary to Mexico, helped move Congress to declare war in 1917? Zimmermann Telegram (1917), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • Which principle, set in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, did Brown v. Board of Education overrule in 1954? Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • Which weakness of the central government under the Articles of Confederation does the National Archives describe? Articles of Confederation (1777), Milestone Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • Why did King John of England consent to the barons' demands in Magna Carta in 1215? Magna Carta, Featured Documents (National Archives). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0007 (U.S. and world history).
  • Why does the Constitution divide the federal government into three branches? Branches of the U.S. government (USAGov). Outline: NES 102 framework, competency 0006 (government and economics).

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test framework for NES test 102, Elementary Education Subtest I, read 2026-10-08 on the National Evaluation Series site (https://www.nestest.com/static/docs/NES_Framework_102.pdf; test page https://www.nestest.com/test/102): Reading and English Language Arts (competencies 0001 to 0005, 62% of the test score) and Social Studies (0006 to 0008, 38%). The bank holds 39 questions on reading and English language arts and 25 on social studies. Every fact was read on 2026-10-08 in the public document the question names: Put Reading First (National Institute for Literacy), practice guides of the Institute of Education Sciences (ies.ed.gov), ERIC digests (files.eric.ed.gov), the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, founding and milestone documents at the National Archives (archives.gov), and pages of USAGov, the Federal Reserve Board, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Census Bureau. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free NES Elementary Education Subtest 1 practice test has 64 questions of our own. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Pearson, which owns the National Evaluation Series.

Read the full guide

What Subtest I covers

By the framework read October 8, 2026, Reading and English Language Arts is 62% of the score on NES test 102, over five competencies, and Social Studies 38%, over three.

How this page matches it

The bank keeps that split at 61% and 39%. Exam mode asks all 64 questions in 77 minutes, the pace of the real subtest. Mathematics, science, the arts and health belong to Subtest II.

Where the answers come from

Reading questions cite Put Reading First and federal practice guides, and language questions cite the Common Core standard by its code. Social studies questions cite the Constitution and pages of the National Archives, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Census Bureau.

  • A single subtest can be booked on its own, so drill your weaker domain with the topic filter and sit Subtest I alone.
  • The test page lists no reference materials, so know the phonemic awareness tasks by name and the amendments by number.

Questions and answers

Is this NES Elementary Education Subtest 1 practice test the real exam?

No. Each of the 64 questions is our own, written from the published framework and the public document its explanation names. Nothing is taken or reworded from the real subtest, its sample questions or the paid practice test.

How many questions are on NES Elementary Education Subtest I?

75 multiple-choice questions. The appointment lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes: 15 minutes for a tutorial and nondisclosure agreement, then 1 hour and 30 minutes of testing.

What is the passing score for NES Subtest I?

The test page gives a national benchmark of 220 on a scaled score and links to the passing scores of Arizona, Oregon and Washington. This page reports only how many questions you got right.

Is NES test 110 the same as test 102?

No. Test 110 is the redeveloped Subtest I, first given October 28, 2024, with seven competencies, 60% reading and English language arts and 40% social studies. The older 102 remains available. This page follows 102, so check which code your state requires.

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