Praxis 5652
Praxis 5652 Computer Science study guide
Every competency on the ETS outline for Computer Science, in order, with a worked lesson for each one. 93 practice questions come with it and all of them are free.
Start the 5652 lessons 5652 overviewWhere this material comes from
You are about to spend real study hours on this, so the honest answer matters more than a reassuring one. Every Computer Science item in this app comes from one of two places, and the app tells you which for every single question.
| Part of the app | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Outline and competency titles | Transcribed word for word from the published ETS Study Companion. |
| Practice questions marked ETS | 25 transcribed from the Study Companion, carrying ETS’s own answer rationales. |
| Practice questions marked Authored | 68 written for this app against the official outline and the national standards that govern the subject. |
| How to tell them apart | The label is on the question itself. You are never guessing which kind you are looking at. |
The blueprint itself is ETS’s. It is published, free, and worth reading before you start: Praxis Computer Science Study Companion. Reading it is the fastest way to check this page against the real thing, and it costs nothing.
A score in this app is not a Praxis score and does not predict one. What it does tell you is which of the 53 competencies you are getting wrong, which a practice score on its own does not.
The full 5652 competency outline
ETS divides this exam into 5 content areas. The percentages are the share of the total score each one carries, which is not the same as the share of the questions.
| Area | Questions on the test | Share of the score |
|---|---|---|
| I. Impacts of Computing | 15 | 15% |
| II. Algorithms and Computational Thinking | 25 | 25% |
| III. Programming | 30 | 30% |
| IV. Data | 15 | 15% |
| V. Computing Systems and Networks | 15 | 15% |
IImpacts of Computing15 questions · 15%
- Understand computing as a way of expressing creativity, solving problems, enabling communication, and fostering innovation in a variety of fields and careers
- Know the obstacles to equal access to computing among different groups and the impact of those obstacles
- Understand beneficial and harmful effects of computing innovations and the trade-offs between them
- Know different methods of protecting intellectual property rights and the trade-offs between them in a variety of contexts (e.g., Creative Commons, open source, copyright)
- Understand ethical and unethical computing practices and their social, economic, and cultural implications
- Know privacy and security issues regarding the acquisition, use, and disclosure of information in a digital world
IIAlgorithms and Computational Thinking25 questions · 25%
- Understand abstraction as a foundation of computer science
- Know how to use pattern recognition, problem decomposition, and abstraction to develop an algorithm
- Understand number base conversion and binary, decimal, and hexadecimal number systems
- Understand how to develop and analyze algorithms expressed in multiple formats (e.g., natural language, flowcharts, pseudocode)
- Be familiar with the limitations of computing in terms of time, space, and solvability as well as with the use of heuristic solutions that can address these limitations
- Understand searching and sorting algorithms; can analyze sorting algorithms for correctness and can analyze searching algorithms for correctness and efficiency
- Understand simple recursive algorithms (e.g., n factorial, sum of first n integers)
- Be familiar with the use of randomization in computing
IIIProgramming30 questions · 30%
- Understand how to write and modify computer programs in a text-based programming language
- Understand how to analyze computer programs in terms of correctness
- Know the concepts of extensibility, modifiability, and reusability
- Understand the three basic constructs used in programming: sequence, selection, and iteration
- Understand how to use standard operators (i.e., assignment, arithmetic, relational, logical) and operator precedence to write programs
- Understand how to use variables and a variety of data types
- Understand how to write and call procedures with parameters and return values
- Know the concepts of event-driven programs that respond to external events (e.g., sensors, messages, clicks)
- Be familiar with usability and user experience (e.g., ease of use and accessibility)
- Be familiar with dictionaries/maps, stacks, and queues
- Understand how to use debugging techniques and appropriate test cases
- Be familiar with characteristics of well-documented computer programs that are usable, readable, and modular
- Be familiar with techniques to obtain and use feedback to produce high-quality code (e.g., code reviews, peer feedback, end user feedback)
- Know how to use libraries and APIs
- Understand programming techniques to validate correct input and detect incorrect input
- Be familiar with the features and capabilities of integrated development environments (IDEs)
- Be familiar with the differences between low- and high-level programming languages
- Be familiar with different programming paradigms
- Know object-oriented programming concepts
- Be familiar with program compilation and program interpretation
IVData15 questions · 15%
- Understand bits as the universal medium for expressing digital information
- Be familiar with concepts of data encryption and decryption
- Know how to use computational tools, including spreadsheets, to analyze data in order to discover, explain, and visualize patterns, connections, and trends
- Be familiar with the use of computing in simulation and modeling
- Be familiar with methods to store, manage, and manipulate data
- Be familiar with a variety of computational methods for data collection, aggregation, and generation
VComputing Systems and Networks15 questions · 15%
- Know that operating systems are programs that control and coordinate interactions between hardware and software components
- Be familiar with computing systems embedded in everyday objects (e.g., Internet of Things [IoT], ATMs, medical devices)
- Know the capabilities, features, and uses of different types of computing systems (e.g., desktop, mobile, security issues and the Web cluster)
- Be familiar with computers as layers of abstraction from hardware (e.g., logic gates, chips) to software (e.g., system software, applications)
- Be familiar with the steps required to execute a computer program (fetch-decode-execute cycles)
- Be familiar with trade-offs between local, network, and cloud computing and storage
- Be familiar with means of storing binary data and communication between devices
- Know components of networks
- Be familiar with factors that have an impact on network functionality
- Be familiar with how Internet and Web protocols work
- Be familiar with digital and physical strategies for maintaining security
- Be familiar with concepts of cybersecurity
- Be familiar with the components that make up the Web (e.g., HTTP, HTML, browsers, servers, clients)
Consistent with the K-12 Computer Science Framework (2016), the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (2017), and the ISTE Computational Thinking Competencies.
How to actually study for this
The research on how people learn is consistent on one point: the method that works best is the one that feels least like studying. It is also the one anxious test-takers skip, which is why the practice here is built to be easy to start and impossible to fail.
- Do not just reread.Reading over material feels like studying and is the weakest use of your time. Recognition is not recall, and the exam asks you to recall.
- Answer questions from memory, then check.Retrieval practice, meaning self-testing, is one of the best-evidenced study methods there is. It beats rereading, restudying, and rereading your notes.
- Read the explanation either way.Right or wrong, the explanation is where the learning happens. Wrong answers especially: those are the ones you got lucky on.
- Come back tomorrow.Spacing beats cramming. The same hour split across five days is worth more than five hours on one night.
- Sit one timed run before test day.Full length, timed, no pausing. Pacing is a skill and it is learned by doing, not by thinking about doing.
Practice questions in this app are not the real exam, and your score on them is not your Praxis score. Use them to find the competencies you do not know yet. That is the whole job.
Praxis 5652 study guide questions
What is on the Praxis 5652 study guide?
All 53 competencies from the ETS content outline, grouped under the 5 official content areas, with a worked lesson for each one. Every competency has at least one of the 93 practice questions attached to it, so nothing on the outline is left untested.
Is this Praxis 5652 outline the official ETS one?
The competency titles below are transcribed from the published ETS Study Companion for this exam, word for word. Check it against ETS's own PDF; the link is above.
How long should I spend on Praxis 5652?
That depends on how much of the outline you already know, which is why the app reports accuracy per competency rather than one overall number. Work through the competencies you are weakest on first. The ones you can already answer are not where your remaining marks are.
Does the study guide cover the written-response section?
This exam is selected-response only, so every item here is auto-scorable and the accuracy figure covers all of it.
Other Praxis exams
Wrong code, or a second credential? Every exam here has the same shape: an outline you can read, a practice bank, and progress by competency.