Failed my ASHA Praxis twice — what am I missing in my prep?

by Hannah K. 446 views3 replies
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Hannah K.OP
May 27, 2026

I'm honestly at my wit's end. I've been studying for the Praxis 5331 for about four months now and I've failed twice — scored a 157 both times, and I need a 162 to pass. I'm a second-year grad student in speech-language pathology and my program requires we pass before graduation, so the clock is ticking. I feel like I know the material in clinic but something about the way the questions are phrased just trips me up every time.

My current routine is reading through my Shipley and reviewing ASHA's practice test questions, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm approaching this the wrong way. A classmate mentioned using a structured study guide that breaks things down by domain — articulation, fluency, language, swallowing — rather than just reading chapters linearly. Has anyone switched up their strategy mid-prep and actually seen their score jump? I'm especially weak on AAC and motor speech disorders.

I have about six weeks before my next attempt. Any advice on where to focus or what resources actually moved the needle for you would be genuinely appreciated. I'm not giving up, just need a better plan.

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priya.test
May 28, 2026
I was in almost the exact same boat — stuck at 159 for two attempts. What finally got me over the line was drilling ASHA practice test questions under timed conditions rather than just reading answers after the fact. I'd do 30 questions, time myself, then spend double the time reviewing every single one I got wrong. Took about three weeks of that and I jumped to 165. The timed pressure changes how your brain processes the questions.
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Tom W.
May 28, 2026
Six weeks is enough time, don't panic. Find a study guide that organizes by domain and stick to one or two resources — switching around too much wastes time. You clearly know the content if you're close to passing, it's probably question interpretation. Practice reading stems slowly and eliminate two wrong answers first before picking.
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Jordan L.
May 28, 2026
For AAC specifically, I'd really recommend reviewing the ASHA Practice Portal pages on AAC — they're free and surprisingly well-organized. I also made flashcards for every symbol system and feature matching concept. Motor speech was easier once I stopped trying to memorize everything and focused on the differential diagnosis logic. Like, what distinguishes apraxia from dysarthria in a real clinical scenario. That framing helped me way more than straight memorization.

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