SLQ exam format — anyone have recent experience with the current version?
I'm scheduled to sit the School Leaders Licensure Assessment in about 10 weeks and I'm having trouble finding current, specific prep information. Most of what I'm finding online references older versions of the exam or is vague about what the updated format actually covers. I've been a vice principal for three years and I feel reasonably prepared conceptually, but I want to make sure I'm not missing something about the exam structure itself.
From what I've gathered the exam includes constructed response questions which is what I'm most nervous about. I do fine with multiple choice but the idea of having to write extended responses under time pressure for something this high-stakes is stressful. Has anyone sat the current version and can share how much of the exam is constructed response versus selected response?
I've been working through the official preparation materials and the sample questions feel manageable, but sample questions are rarely representative of the actual difficulty. The leadership for learning domain feels like my strongest area given my background, but I'm less confident about the systems and community leadership sections just because they're less central to my day-to-day role.
Any advice from people who've recently passed would be really appreciated — specifically around time management during the exam and whether the constructed response scoring rubrics are accessible in a way that actually helps you prepare.
Three years as a VP is solid prep for the leadership content. The systems leadership questions that tripped me up were the ones about data-driven decision making at the district level — that was less central to my building-level experience too. Worth spending some extra time on those scenarios.
Good luck in 10 weeks!
I sat it about 14 months ago and the constructed response sections were definitely the trickier part. There were two extended responses and you need to demonstrate both content knowledge and practical application. The rubrics from ETS are available on their site and actually do help — they're more specific than typical rubric language.
Time management for constructed response: I budgeted 25 minutes per extended response and stuck to it even when I felt like I had more to say. Finishing with time to review is worth more than adding a fourth paragraph to a response that already covers the scoring criteria.
The community leadership section has a lot of questions about family engagement practices and community partnership frameworks specifically. If that's not part of your regular role it's worth doing a focused review of the research literature on school-community partnerships — there are specific models the exam references.