Unofficial questions for Oklahoma's OSAT Journalism test, field 137, weighted like its three selected-response subareas.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with Oklahoma's Office of Educational Quality and Accountability or Pearson. Bank checked October 15, 2026.
A draft opens with three paragraphs on the history of the gym and says only in the sixth that the gym will close next month. What has the writer done?Wikipedia, News style, Lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0003
A lead reads: "The school board voted 4-1 Monday night at the district office to end open-campus lunch." Which of the Five Ws does it leave out?Wikipedia, Five Ws, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0003
A licensed student radio station gives one school board candidate airtime outside its newscasts. Which federal rule, which does not bind newspapers, then requires equivalent access for rival candidates?Wikipedia, Equal-time rule, lead and Details. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0003
A poll of a random sample of students finds 52% for a later start time and 48% against, with a margin of error of 5 percentage points. What can the story accurately say?Wikipedia, Margin of error, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0002
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Subarea I: Journalism skills and processes, continued
A reporter covers a district board of education. Under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, how far ahead must the board display the date, time, place and agenda of a regularly scheduled meeting?Oklahoma Statutes, Title 25, section 311 (Oklahoma Open Meeting Act), Oklahoma Legislature. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0002
A reporter quotes a written statement exactly, including its misspelled word, and wants readers to know the error stood in the original. Which bracketed word follows the misspelling?Wikipedia, Sic, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0004
A routine fender-bender becomes a front-page story because the driver is the state's governor. Which news value lifted the story?Wikipedia, News values, Prominence. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0001
A school board member agrees to speak "not for attribution." How may the reporter use her comments?Wikipedia, Source (journalism), Ethical guidelines. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0002
A story gives a claim that nearly all the evidence contradicts the same space and weight as the well-supported view. Which fault in coverage is this?Wikipedia, False balance, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0001
AP style says never to begin a sentence with a figure, with one exception. Which sentence uses that exception?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Associated Press Style, Numerals. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0004
Beside a long story on the new bell schedule, a designer sets a short boxed list of the new class times. What is this companion piece called?Wikipedia, Sidebar (publishing), lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0003
Every other week the same student writes a signed piece that gives her own opinion on campus life. What is this recurring piece called?Wikipedia, Column (periodical), lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0001
In print production, which check comes last, after the copy has been edited and set into pages?Wikipedia, Copy editing, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0004
Two reporters spend four months on a single topic, working through records and interviews to bring a hidden problem to light. Which genre of journalism is this?Wikipedia, Investigative journalism, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0001
Under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, who may inspect and copy the records of a public body, such as a school district, during regular business hours?Oklahoma Statutes, Title 51, section 24A.5 (Oklahoma Open Records Act), Oklahoma Legislature. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0002
Subarea II: Foundations of journalism 15
A designer adds space between the lines of body text so that a long story is easier to read. Which typographic setting did she change?Wikipedia, Leading, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0008
A newsroom's reporters now file one story as text, a video clip and a podcast segment for the same website. Which term names this merging of once-separate media?Wikipedia, Technological convergence, Media. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0005
A student newspaper names the wrong student in a photo caption. What does the SPJ Code of Ethics ask of the staff?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Be Accountable and Transparent. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0006
A study of the 1968 presidential election found that the issues Chapel Hill voters called most important matched the issues their local news media covered most. Which theory grew from it?Wikipedia, Agenda-setting theory, History. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0007
A yearbook staff prints a recognizable photo of a student on a paid flyer that sells the book, without asking him. Which privacy claim does this invite?Wikipedia, Privacy laws of the United States, Appropriation of name or likeness. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0006
At a night football game a student photographer raises the camera's ISO so that she can use a shorter exposure. What is the usual cost?Wikipedia, Film speed, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0008
Each night an editor picks twelve of the eighty stories on offer for the next day's paper. Which mass-media concept describes this filtering of what reaches the public?Wikipedia, Gatekeeping (communication), lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0007
In 1846 five New York City daily newspapers formed a cooperative that still operates as a news agency. Why did they join forces?Wikipedia, Associated Press, History. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0005
In Near v. Minnesota (1931) the Supreme Court struck down a state law used to shut down newspapers judged "malicious" or "scandalous." What did the decision establish?Wikipedia, Near v. Minnesota, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0006
Oklahoma's journalist's privilege statute shields a journalist from naming a source in a state proceeding. When may a court still require disclosure?Oklahoma Statutes, Title 12, section 2506 (Journalist's privilege), Oklahoma Legislature. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0006
On a yearbook spread, one photo runs far larger than the rest so that the eye lands on it first. Which design idea is at work?Wikipedia, Visual hierarchy, lead and Physical characteristics. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0008
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick appeared in Boston in 1690, the first multi-page newspaper in British America. What became of it?Wikipedia, Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0005
The student news site rearranges its columns and resizes its photos to fit a phone, a tablet or a desktop screen. Which approach to web design does this?Wikipedia, Responsive web design, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0008
Students compare their social media news feeds and notice that each one mostly shows views its owner already holds. What is this effect of algorithmic curation called?Wikipedia, Filter bubble, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0007
Which 1798 law made it illegal to print "false, scandalous and malicious" writing against the federal government, Congress or the president?Wikipedia, Alien and Sedition Acts, Sedition Act. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0005
Subarea III: Advising, instruction and assessment 20
A first-year reporter cannot yet write a usable lead alone but can with an experienced editor coaching her. Where, in Vygotsky's terms, does that task sit for her?Wikipedia, Zone of proximal development, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0009
A principal wants a story cut before publication, and the adviser looks for free legal help for her student editors. Which nonprofit, founded in 1974, exists to defend press freedom for student journalists?Wikipedia, Student Press Law Center, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0013
A staff sends its newspaper to a scholastic press association for a written critique and hopes for the association's highest recognition, a Gold Crown. Which association gives the Crown Awards?Wikipedia, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Crown Awards. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0013
A student business manager hands local shops one sheet that lists the price of each ad size in the newspaper. What is this sheet called?Wikipedia, Rate card, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0011
A student posts an angry message about a school team on social media from off campus. In Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. (2021), what did the Supreme Court decide on such facts?Wikipedia, Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., Holding. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0010
A yearbook's printing bill is $18,000. Ad sales will bring in $3,000, and each book sells for $60. How many books must the staff sell to break even?Wikipedia, Break-even point, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0011
An adviser changes how she teaches interviewing, collects student work before and after, and reflects on the results before planning her next unit. What is this inquiry by a practitioner into her own practice called?Wikipedia, Action research, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0013
An adviser has each student keep a career portfolio as a way to assess his or her own work. What sets a career portfolio apart from a résumé?Wikipedia, Career portfolio, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0012
An adviser notices that every source quoted this semester came from the same two clubs. Which line of the SPJ Code of Ethics speaks to the problem?Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of Ethics, Seek Truth and Report It. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0009
An adviser scores each news story separately for its lead, its sourcing and its AP style, and reports the three scores. Which kind of rubric is she using?Wikipedia, Rubric (academic), Types. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0012
An editor-in-chief draws every production task for the spring issue as a horizontal bar across a calendar, so that interim deadlines show at a glance. Which planning tool is this?Wikipedia, Gantt chart, lead and Definition. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0011
For one reporting assignment, an adviser lets students show what they learned as a written story, a photo essay or an audio piece. In differentiated instruction, which element has she varied?Wikipedia, Differentiated instruction, lead and Product. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0009
In Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, why did the Supreme Court decline to treat the school's student newspaper as a public forum?Wikipedia, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0010
Instead of a unit test, students are graded on stories they report and publish for the school's real readers. Which kind of assessment is this?Wikipedia, Authentic assessment, Goals. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0012
Near the end of a yearbook, one page lists the publisher, the total number of pages, the paper weight and the staff. What is this page called?Wikipedia, Yearbook, Colophon. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0010
The student news site charges $30 for a banner ad that will be shown 6,000 times. What is the ad's cost per mille (CPM)?Wikipedia, Cost per mille, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0011
Students hand out an independent newspaper at lunch; the school neither sponsors nor funds it. Hazelwood reached only school-sponsored student speech. Which test governs whether officials may stop the paper?Wikipedia, Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, lead and Background. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0010
Which description matches media literacy as a goal of journalism instruction?Wikipedia, Media literacy, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0012
Which of these journalism tasks asks students to work at Create, the last level in the 2001 revision of Bloom's taxonomy?Wikipedia, Bloom's taxonomy, lead. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0009
Which organization of journalism teachers and advisers grants the Certified Journalism Educator (CJE) and Master Journalism Educator (MJE) designations?Journalism Education Association, Certification. Written to the OSAT Journalism (137) framework, competency 0013
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test design and framework of Oklahoma Subject Area Tests field 137, Journalism, in the study guide on the Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators website (https://www.ceoe.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/OK_SG_OBJ_137.htm, copyright 2017 Office of Educational Quality and Accountability and Pearson Education, Inc.; test page https://www.ceoe.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/OK137_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-15): 80 selected-response questions and 1 constructed-response assignment in 4 hours, passing score 240; selected response weighs Journalism Skills and Processes (competencies 0001 to 0004) 25%, Foundations of Journalism (0005 to 0008) 25% and Advising, Instruction, and Assessment (0009 to 0013) 35%, and the constructed response (0014) 15%. The bank holds 50: 15, 15 and 20. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: the Oklahoma Statutes as the Oklahoma Legislature publishes them (Titles 12, 25 and 51), the SPJ Code of Ethics, the Journalism Education Association, Purdue University's Online Writing Lab and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
Fifty questions of our own for Journalism, field 137 of the Oklahoma Subject Area Tests, the test for journalism teachers and publication advisers. Unofficial: the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability and Pearson own it and have no part here.
Read the full guide
What field 137 weighs
Three subareas are scored by multiple choice. Journalism Skills and Processes and Foundations of Journalism each carry a quarter of the test, and Advising, Instruction, and Assessment carries 35%. The bank mirrors that with 15, 15 and 20 questions (framework opened October 15, 2026).
Oklahoma press law in the bank
Three questions come from the Oklahoma Statutes as the Legislature publishes them: who may inspect a public body's records under the Open Records Act, the Open Meeting Act's 24-hour agenda notice, and when a court may override the journalist's privilege.
The lesson analysis
A constructed-response assignment makes up the last 15%: candidates analyze a journalism lesson with student work or assessment data and explain what to teach next. Nothing on this page rehearses that writing.
Advising is the largest subarea: learning theory, student press rights, managing a staff and its budget, assessment, and professional organizations.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the OSAT Journalism test?
Eighty multiple-choice questions and a single written assignment, by the test page for field 137. Candidates get 4 hours to test once a 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement are done.
What is the passing score for OSAT Journalism?
240, as the test page for field 137 states it. The lesson analysis feeds that score along with the multiple choice, so this page reports how many you got right and stops there.
What is on the OSAT Journalism test?
News values, reporting, writing and editing in AP style; then press history, media law and ethics, mass media and design; then advising, from student press rights to staff management, assessment and professional growth.
Is the OSAT Journalism test given online?
Field 137 is listed as a computer-based test taken at test centers, in Oklahoma and in other states, by appointment all year, Monday through Saturday. Its test page names no online-proctored option and provides no reference materials.