• 49 questions

Praxis 5372 Practice Test

Unofficial practice for Praxis Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances.

Which condition does the IDEA definition of emotional disturbance expressly include?

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 49 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 49 questions, 49 minutes.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with ETS (Educational Testing Service). Bank checked October 13, 2026.

Next step Praxis 5545: severe to profoundPraxis 5354: foundational

All 49 questions

Development and characteristics 9

  • A quiet student shows withdrawal, anxiety and loneliness and almost never disrupts class. Which broad type of emotional and behavioral disorder do these signs suggest? Wikipedia, Internalizing disorder, lead and Signs and symptoms. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 3.
  • A student finds he cannot meet his teacher’s expectations and comes to doubt his own abilities. In Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, which conflict of late childhood, the school years, does this reflect? Wikipedia, Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, stage table and Competence: industry vs. inferiority. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 1.
  • A student is described as socially maladjusted. How does the IDEA definition of emotional disturbance treat this student? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.8(c)(4)(ii). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 2.
Show all 49 questions (46 more)

Development and characteristics, continued

  • According to NCES, about what share of the students served under IDEA in school year 2022–23 were served for emotional disturbance? National Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education: Students With Disabilities, disability types. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 7.
  • According to the IES practice guide on behavior, why might a student with skill deficits act out during a hard assignment? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 1. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 8.
  • Among students ages 14 to 21 served under IDEA who left school in 2021–22, which group had the highest share who dropped out, according to NCES? National Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education: Students With Disabilities, exit reasons by disability. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 8.
  • For two years a student has been unable to keep a satisfactory relationship with any classmate or teacher, and his school performance has suffered. Which characteristic in the IDEA definition of emotional disturbance does this describe? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.8(c)(4)(i). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 4.
  • In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which needs sit at the bottom of the pyramid? Wikipedia, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), B. Theoretical Approaches to Learning and Motivation, topic 1.
  • Which condition does the IDEA definition of emotional disturbance expressly include? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.8(c)(4)(ii). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, I. Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD (18%), A. Human Development and Behavior, topic 4.

Managing the learning environment 13

  • A student has a nosebleed in class. Under universal precautions, how is the blood treated? Wikipedia, Universal precautions, Historical significance. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 11.
  • A student’s misconduct is found to be a manifestation of his disability, and he already has a behavioral intervention plan. What must the IEP Team do with the plan? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.530(f). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 5.
  • A teacher gives no response to a student’s shouted answers and calls on him at once whenever he raises his hand. Which procedure is this? Wikipedia, Reinforcement, Schedules of reinforcement. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 9.
  • A teacher stops responding to a student’s call-outs, and for the first few days the call-outs increase. What is this temporary increase called? Wikipedia, Extinction (psychology), Extinction burst. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 5.
  • According to the Center on PBIS, about what share of students need Tier 3 support because Tiers 1 and 2 have not been sufficient? Center on PBIS, Tiered PBIS Framework, Tier 3. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 10.
  • After pushing a classmate, a student sits apart from the group activity for a short time. What is this use of time-out based on? Wikipedia, Time-out (parenting), lead and Effectiveness. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 7.
  • "First finish five problems, then you may use the computer." Which principle is the teacher applying? Wikipedia, Premack's principle, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 2.
  • For students in the primary grades, how often does the IES guide suggest practicing behavioral expectations during the first few weeks of school? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 2. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 12.
  • How does the IES practice guide say behavior guidelines for a classroom should be worded? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 2. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 6.
  • In a classroom token economy, students earn points for target behaviors. What gives the points their value? Wikipedia, Token economy, Basic requirements. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 4.
  • In a token system, a student loses two tokens each time he throws materials. What is this loss of tokens called? Wikipedia, Token economy, Basic requirements. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 4.
  • Under the PBIS framework, who may receive Tier 3 supports? Center on PBIS, Tiered PBIS Framework, Tier 3. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 3.
  • Which practice belongs to Tier 1 of the PBIS framework? Center on PBIS, Tiered PBIS Framework, Tiers 1 to 3. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, II. Planning and Managing the Learning Environment (26%), B. Managing the Learning Environments, topic 10.

Instruction 12

  • A student uses a calming strategy in the resource room but not in the cafeteria. Which term names the transfer of learning across situations that the teacher now has to plan for? Wikipedia, Generalization (learning), Overview. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 8.
  • A student uses a checklist to assess and record his own behavior during independent work. What is this strategy called? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 3. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 10.
  • A teacher has a respected peer demonstrate how to accept criticism calmly while the class watches. Which kind of learning does this rely on? Wikipedia, Observational learning, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 7.
  • According to research cited in the IES guide, which kind of reward can erode students’ engagement in learning? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 3, roadblocks. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 11.
  • An IEP Team meeting will consider a student’s postsecondary goals and transition services. Whom must the public agency invite? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.321(b). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 9.
  • An objective reads: "The student will show respect for classmates’ opinions during discussion." Which domain of learning objectives does it belong to? Wikipedia, Bloom's taxonomy, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 2.
  • The IES practice guide lists strategies for teaching a behavioral skill. Which one is on the list? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 3. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 4.
  • In a group contingency program, as the IES guide describes it, what do students do? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 2. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 5.
  • In a study the IES guide describes, teachers raised the number of opportunities to respond in a class of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. What followed? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 2. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 7.
  • In classwide peer tutoring, as the IES guide describes it, how do students work? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 2. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 7.
  • Which feature of instruction does the IES guide link to higher levels of on-task behavior and engagement? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 2. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 6.
  • Which kinds of measurable annual goals must an IEP contain? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.320(a)(2). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, III. Instruction (26%), A, topic 2.

Assessment 8

  • A behavior rating scale gives the same score every time, yet it does not measure the social skills it claims to measure. Which quality does the scale lack? Wikipedia, Test validity, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 1.
  • A teacher measures the time between giving a direction and the moment the student begins to comply. Which measure is this? Wikipedia, Applied behavior analysis, Measuring behavior. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 12.
  • A teacher times each tantrum from its start to its end. Which dimension of behavior is being measured? Wikipedia, Applied behavior analysis, Measuring behavior. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 12.
  • A teacher writes a quiz simply to see whether each student has learned the ten classroom routines taught this month. Which kind of test is this? Wikipedia, Criterion-referenced test, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 2.
  • According to the Center on PBIS, a plan that results from a formal functional behavior assessment includes strategies for which of these? Center on PBIS, Tier 3, Function-based Assessments. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 7.
  • After an evaluation is complete, who determines whether a student is a child with a disability under IDEA? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.306(a). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 4.
  • Depending on how often a problem behavior occurs, for how long does the IES guide suggest a teacher note its occurrence? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 1. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 12.
  • Which description of a behavior problem is concrete enough to measure, in the way the IES practice guide recommends? IES practice guide, Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom (NCEE 2008-012), Recommendation 1. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, IV. Assessment (17%), A, topic 6.

Foundations and legal rights 7

  • A long-term suspension follows conduct found NOT to be a manifestation of a student’s disability. What must the student still receive? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.530(c) and (d). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), A. Educational Rights for Students with Disabilities, topic 3.
  • A manifestation determination finds that the conduct was the direct result of the school’s failure to implement the IEP. What must the school do? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.530(e). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), A. Educational Rights for Students with Disabilities, topic 3.
  • A school decides to change the placement of a student with an IEP because of a conduct violation. Within how many school days must the manifestation determination be made? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.530(e). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), A. Educational Rights for Students with Disabilities, topic 3.
  • A student not yet found eligible for special education faces expulsion. In which case is the school deemed to have known that he was a child with a disability? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.534(b). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), A. Educational Rights for Students with Disabilities, topic 2.
  • A student with an IEP is suspended four times in one school year for similar behavior, 12 school days in all. What may this series of removals amount to? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.536. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), A. Educational Rights for Students with Disabilities, topic 3.
  • For which conduct may school personnel move a student with a disability to an interim alternative educational setting for up to 45 school days, even when the behavior is a manifestation of the disability? 34 CFR Part 300 (IDEA Part B regulations), section 300.530(g). Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), A. Educational Rights for Students with Disabilities, topic 3.
  • In Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia (1972), what did the court rule? Wikipedia, Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia, lead. Outline: ETS Study Companion for Praxis 5372, V. Foundations and Professional Responsibilities (13%), B. Historical and Professional Foundations, topic 4.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the content topics of the ETS Study Companion for Praxis Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances (5372) (https://www.ets.org/pdfs/praxis/5372.pdf, read 2026-10-13; test page https://praxis.ets.org/test/5372.html): Development and Characteristics of Students with EBD 18%, Planning and Managing the Learning Environments 26%, Instruction 26%, Assessment 17%, Foundations and Professional Responsibilities 13%. The bank holds 9, 13, 12, 8 and 7 questions. Every fact was read on 2026-10-13 in the public document the question names: the IDEA regulations (34 CFR Part 300, ecfr.gov, as current on 2026-10-08); the Institute of Education Sciences practice guide Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom; the tier pages of the Center on PBIS (pbis.org); the Condition of Education indicator Students With Disabilities (National Center for Education Statistics); and Wikipedia articles for the named behavioral procedures, theories, measurement terms and court case. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free Praxis 5372 practice test has 49 questions on teaching students with emotional and behavioral disorders, in the five categories ETS publishes for the test. The questions are ours and unofficial; ETS neither wrote nor endorsed them.

Read the full guide

What the test covers

By the Study Companion read October 13, 2026: development and characteristics of students with EBD (18%), planning and managing the learning environment (26%), instruction (26%), assessment (17%) and foundations and professional responsibilities (13%). This bank holds 9, 13, 12, 8 and 7.

Question format

ETS says some questions ask for more than one choice or a typed number. Every question here has four choices and one answer. A timed run is 49 questions in 49 minutes, the pace of the real test.

Where the answers come from

Discipline and eligibility questions cite the IDEA regulations by section. Classroom questions come from the federal practice guide on reducing behavior problems and the Center on PBIS.

  • Keep the discipline numbers apart: 10 school days for a manifestation determination, 45 school days for the three special circumstances.
  • For each behavioral term, be able to give a classroom example, such as an extinction burst or response cost.

Questions and answers

Does this work as a special education Praxis study guide for 5372?

Yes, as practice beside the free ETS Study Companion. Questions are grouped by the five content categories, and each explanation names its source, so a missed question points to the regulation section or guide chapter to read.

Is Praxis II 5372 still the name of the test?

ETS lists it as Special Education: Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders and Emotional Disturbances, code 5372, with no "II" in the title. People who search for a Praxis II 5372 study guide mean this test.

How many questions are on Praxis 5372?

ETS gives 2 hours for 120 selected-response questions, taken on a computer. It notes that the test may contain some questions that do not count toward your score.

What score do I need to pass Praxis 5372?

That depends on the state. ETS leaves qualifying scores to each state or licensing agency, so look up yours before test day. Results on this page are a count of right answers only.

More tests

Show 7 more

Browse Civics and Law