How to Read Your Praxis SLP Score Report and Understand Passing Scores

You finish the 5331, walk out, and… you don't get a score. Not on screen, not by email, not for two to three weeks. When the report finally arrives, it's full of numbers that don't intuitively make sense. Here's how to read it.

Raw score vs. scaled score

• Raw score = the number of questions you answered correctly out of the scored items. ETS doesn't publicly report the exact raw-to-scaled conversion, and there's no penalty for guessing — answer everything.
• Scaled score = what actually appears on your report and what ASHA and your state see. The scale runs from 100 to 200.
• A small number of items on every test are unscored experimental questions ETS uses to validate future test forms. You can't tell which are which. Treat every item as scored.

The passing score

• ASHA requires 162 for the CCC-SLP.
• Most states mirror ASHA at 162. A handful set their own cutoff — almost always equal to or below 162, never higher.
• Always confirm your state licensure board's required score in addition to ASHA's, even if it's the same number. Requirements update.

Why the scale is 100–200 (and why it isn't a percentage)

The 100–200 scale is an equating system. Different test forms contain different questions of slightly different difficulty. ETS adjusts the raw- to-scaled conversion so that a 162 on one form represents the same level of knowledge as a 162 on another. This is why you cannot translate "I got 110/132 right" into a scaled score — the conversion changes form to form.

Reading the section breakdown

Your report shows your performance in each of the three content categories, usually as a range or a percentage of items answered correctly. Use this to:

• If you passed: note your weakest area for your CF — this is the area where you'll want extra mentorship early.
• If you didn't pass: the section breakdown is your retake study plan. Spend most of your second-attempt prep on the lowest-scoring category, not on what felt hardest emotionally.

How and when to send scores

• You can choose up to 4 score recipients for free at registration (ASHA + state board + universities, typically). Always select ASHA as one of them.
• Additional reports cost a fee per recipient and take 2–4 weeks to send.
• For initial ASHA certification, your Praxis score must be no more than 5 years old at the time you submit your application. State licensure boards may set their own validity windows.

What "pass" actually unlocks

A passing score is necessary but not sufficient for the CCC-SLP. You still need: completed graduate degree, completed clinical practicum hours, completed clinical fellowship (1,260 hours over 36 weeks min), and the ASHA application + fee. The Praxis is the academic-knowledge proof point — the rest of the credential is clinical. If 162 felt out of reach, our retake playbook walks through the next steps.