Certification Tests

Tests Required for First Initial Certification if You Are Not Already Certified in New York State

Be sure you check the requirements for your certification area. Certification rules and procedures may change or be revised over time.

If you want to obtain certification related to your college educator preparation program at Brooklyn College, check the list for the first certification title you will be eligible for under the list for Approved Teacher Preparation Program.

If you are applying for certification related to your dual certificate college program:

• For your first certification area, check Pathway: Approved Teacher Preparation Program.
• For your other certificate, check Approved Teacher Preparation Program—Additional Certificate.

To check if your program leads to certification, refer to either the undergraduate program or graduate program lists.

• If you have the Multi-Subject: Students With Disabilities (All Grades) Assessment noted on your TEACH account, that test is not the same as the Students With Disabilities CST. That is a notation about the multi-subject test for the SWD All-Grades certificate. You will also need to check that all three parts for the multi-subject test required are marked “P” (passed).

If You Have New York State Certification and Will Be Applying for Certification to Teach Another Age Group or Subject

If your certification is in effect (i.e., it is valid, not expired, revoked, etc.), you should not need to complete the new certification tests unless you are applying for certification to teach another age group or subject.

• If you will not be completing a master’s degree that leads to certification for the new certification area you want, follow these instructions.
• If you will be completing a master’s degree that leads to certification for the certificate you want, you can check requirements under Pathway: Approved Teacher Prep Program—Additional Certificate.

Test Preparation

• Murphy Institute’s LEAP to Teacher program offers free test prep and other services. The workshops are open to all CUNY students. For more information about test prep with the Murphy Institute, you can send an email or call 646.313.8532. After you have an account, you can select from the choices listed. You can check the Murphy Institute’s portal for updates and you will be added to its test prep mailing list.
• NYSTCE Right Start Interactive Learning Course. You can apply for vouchers for these courses here.
• CUNY Teacher Education programs offers resources and videos, including 5 Steps to Prep and other materials, within Blackboard.

NYSTCE Certification Exam Waiver Process

Candidates who score within 0.5 standard error of measurement (SEM) of the passing score on a required Content Specialty Test (CST) may apply for a waiver as described in the guidance.

TEST VOUCHERS

You also apply for a voucher using this questionnaire from the Office of Teacher and Leader Development.

Undergraduate students preparing to graduate with their bachelor’s spring 2025 can apply for a CUNY-Petrie Fellows test voucher. Candidates must use the voucher to schedule their exam prior to graduation and apply for certification before August 31, 2025. Candidates may apply for a second exam voucher after demonstrating proof of passing a first exam.

TPA REQUIREMENT

All educators-in-training who completed student teaching starting in fall 2023 are not required to take the edTPA. Starting in fall 2023, educators have been evaluated using a Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA), which is integrated into their course work. All TPAs require students to video-record a sample of their teaching, which are evaluated using a student teaching observation rubric. All TPAs also include a dispositions rubric, common throughout all School of Education teacher preparation programs. Additionally, specific program TPAs include additional rubrics and/or assessments, some of which will happen during student teaching or other courses in the program.