MTEL Tests

Begun in 1998 by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the MTEL (Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure) tests ensure that Massachusetts educators are competent, knowledgeable, and able to communicate well with students, parents/guardians, and other educators. The MTEL tests not only communication and literacy skills, but also knowledge of subject matter for educators seeking Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 licenses. In addition, the MTEL tests candidates who are seeking licenses in vocational technical and adult basic education.

While some people may be able to take a MTEL test and succeed with minimal preparation, most test takers will benefit from allocating time to study beforehand and reading through a MTEL Test Study Guide or practicing with a set of MTEL Exam Flashcards. Regardless of your studying techniques, be sure that you plan ahead and leave yourself enough time in advance of the test day to become adequately prepared. Last minute studying is likely to be rushed and does not maximize your chances of being successful.

The purpose of the MTEL tests is to evaluate candidates' ability to read with comprehension and write clearly as well as to measure candidates' knowledge of subject matter. Tests for languages other than English evaluate reading and listening comprehension as well as the ability to speak fluently and write effectively in the language being tested. The MTEL tests consist of multiple-choice items as well as open-response items.

The MTEL tests are criterion-referenced; that is, they measure the candidates' knowledge of the subject matter in relation to an established standard and not in relation to other candidates' performances.

MTEL Exam Study Guide | MTEL Test Flashcards

The MTEL tests are also objective-based. Each test in the MTEL program measures areas of knowledge called subareas. Within each of these subareas, objectives (statements of important knowledge) determine the content of the test. The following tests comprise the MTEL program:

Communication and Literacy Skills Test: This consists of two subtests: reading and writing. The reading subtest has multiple-choice questions on vocabulary in context, main idea, writer's purpose, relationship among ideas, critical reasoning, outlining, summarizing, and graph interpretation. The writing subtest has multiple-choice questions on main idea, sentence construction, grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Short-answer questions require sentence revision to correct errors, and two open-response items are summary and composition exercises.

Academic (PreK-12) Subject Matter Tests: The MTEL subject matter tests consist of multiple-choice and open-response items. Each subject matter test evaluates the candidate's depth of understanding and proficiency in the subject. The General Curriculum test has two subtests: the mathematics subtest and the multi-subject subtest (language arts, history and social science, and science and technology/engineering).

Vocational Technical Literacy Test: This is made up of two subtests: reading and writing. The MTEL reading subtest has multiple-choice questions. The writing subtest has three sections: written summary, written composition, and multiple-choice questions about mechanics and grammar.

Adult Basic Education Test: This MTEL test has multiple-choice questions and open-response items on areas that include English language arts, English for speakers of other languages, mathematics, history and social science, and science.