Praxis 5331 Passing Score: 162 Explained (+ National Pass Rates)

The passing score on the Praxis Speech-Language Pathology exam (test code 5331) is 162 on a 100–200 scale — that is the score ASHA requires for the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP). In the 2024–25 test year, 83.0% of the 10,410 scores reported nationally met or exceeded that mark, and the national mean was 172 with a standard deviation of 12. In other words, the average test taker clears the ASHA requirement by a full 10 points, and roughly 1 in 6 does not pass.

This post explains exactly how the 100–200 scale works, why your state licensure board may set its own passing score, what the multi-year national pass-rate trend looks like, and how score reporting, the ASHA recipient code, retakes, and score expiration actually work — all from ETS and ASHA primary sources. If you are still gauging the exam itself, start with how hard the SLP Praxis really is, and see the SLP Praxis prep page for how we structure practice around the official content categories.

What score do you need to pass the Praxis 5331?

For ASHA certification, the answer is a single number: 162. Standard VI of ASHA’s 2020 SLP certification standards requires passing the Praxis SLP exam, which ASHA describes as the only national speech-language pathology test that meets its certification standard. The exam itself is 132 selected-response questions in 150 minutes, delivered by computer either at a test center or at home, and it may contain some questions that do not count toward your score. The test fee is $146, which includes four free score recipients.

The exam is typically taken by candidates in or having completed a master’s program. ASHA recommends sitting for it no earlier than the completion of your graduate coursework and clinical practicum, or during the first year of clinical practice — meaning you can take it before or during your Clinical Fellowship (CF), whichever fits your timeline.

How does the 100–200 Praxis score scale work?

Praxis 5331 scores are reported on a scale that runs from 100 to 200. A 162 therefore sits 62 points up a 100-point range — but because the scale is not a percentage of questions answered correctly, you should not read it as “62% correct.” The scale exists so that scores are comparable across different test forms, and the only benchmark that matters for certification is whether your scaled score reaches 162.

The current content outline has been in effect since September 1, 2014 and splits the exam into three equally weighted categories of roughly 44 questions each — Foundations and Professional Practice (33%), Screening, Assessment, Evaluation, and Diagnosis (33%), and Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Treatment (33%) — with questions spanning the “Big Nine” communication and swallowing areas. Because the weighting is perfectly even, there is no high-yield category to gamble on: your scaled score is built across all three.

Does my state also require a 162?

Not necessarily — and this is the detail most summaries get wrong. ASHA’s 162 applies to the CCC-SLP. State licensure boards set their own passing score requirements for the Praxis, and school-based SLP licensing can run through a separate state agency with its own rules. Before you assume the ASHA number covers you, check your specific state on the ETS Praxis state requirements page, which lists what each state requires.

What is the national SLP Praxis pass rate?

ASHA’s Surveys and Analysis Unit publishes a national summary report of Praxis SLP data; the most recent edition was prepared in October 2025. For the 2024–25 test year, it reports 10,410 scores, a mean of 172, a standard deviation of 12, and a pass rate of 83.0% across all exam participants. Note that this figure covers all participants, not first-time test takers only.

The trend is worth pausing on. Pre-pandemic years ran around 90% — 91.5% in 2017–18, with a mean of 176 — while the last four published years have settled into the low 80s. The 2024–25 rate of 83.0% is a modest rebound from 81.1% in 2023–24, but it remains 8.5 points below the 2017–18 level.

What does a mean of 172 with a standard deviation of 12 tell you? That the passing score of 162 sits well below the average — most candidates pass with room to spare — but the distribution is wide enough that a meaningful share of test takers lands under the line. If your practice-exam performance is hovering near the passing threshold rather than comfortably above it, the data says you are in the at-risk zone, not the safe one. Our difficulty breakdown goes deeper on where candidates actually lose points.

When and how do you get your Praxis score?

Because the 5331 is a selected-response-only test, you see an unofficial score on screen at the end of your testing session, per ETS’s score reporting page. Your official score report is then posted to your Praxis account on a scheduled score reporting date — Praxis reports scores on Tuesdays and Fridays. The official ETS Study Companion states that official reports arrive approximately two to three weeks after the test date; check the ETS score reporting calendar for the exact date tied to your test window.

How do you send your score to ASHA?

For your score to count toward certification, it must go directly from ETS to ASHA. At registration, select recipient code R5031 — you enter 5031 — as one of your score recipients, per ASHA’s Praxis registration guidance. Your $146 test fee already includes four free score recipients, so designating ASHA (and your state board, if required) at registration costs nothing extra. Miss this step and you create paperwork for yourself later — build it into your registration checklist.

What happens if you score below 162?

You can retake the exam, but not immediately: ETS requires that you wait at least 28 days before scheduling a new appointment for the same test. Separately, if you need to move an existing appointment rather than book a new one, ETS charges a $40 rescheduling fee. The 28-day window is short enough that a near-miss does not have to derail a Clinical Fellowship timeline — but it is long enough to run a genuine remediation cycle rather than re-sitting on hope.

The equal 33/33/33 category weighting is your diagnostic map here. A score just under 162 usually means one of the three categories is dragging the other two down, so the highest-leverage move is to rebuild your practice around category-level accuracy rather than total percent correct. That is exactly how the PrepSolution SLP Praxis system is organized: 1,181 practice questions tagged to the official categories, three full-length 132-question mocks that mirror the real form, and 502 flashcards for the recall layer — so a retake plan targets the category that actually failed you.

How long are Praxis scores valid?

Two different clocks apply, and conflating them causes real problems. For ASHA certification, scores older than 5 years will not be accepted — Standard VI requires that your passing score be earned no earlier than 5 years before your certification application, and no later than 2 years after ASHA receives it (you have 2 years from application to complete all requirements before the file closes). Separately, ETS keeps scores reported after July 21, 2017 available in your Praxis account for 10 years — but that is account access, not certification validity. A 7-year-old score you can still download will not count toward the CCC-SLP.

The rest of the certification picture, for context: the 2020 standards also require a master’s, doctoral, or other recognized post-baccalaureate degree, 400 supervised clinical hours (25 guided observation plus 375 direct contact, with at least 325 earned at the graduate level in a CAA-accredited program), and a Clinical Fellowship of at least 36 weeks full-time equivalent and 1,260 hours, at least 80% in direct clinical contact. The Praxis is one gate among several — but it is the one with a single, published number attached.

The bottom line on the 162

ASHA’s bar is 162 on a 100–200 scale, the national mean is 172, and 83.0% of 2024–25 scores passed — so the honest read is that most well-prepared candidates clear this exam, and the roughly 17% who do not tend to be underprepared in one of three equally weighted categories rather than globally. Verify your state’s own requirement on the ETS state page, register with recipient code 5031, and aim your practice scores comfortably above 162 rather than at it. To see how a category-tagged question bank and full-length mocks fit into that plan, explore the SLP Praxis prep system or read how PrepSolution works.