The gace practice test elementary education resource on this page gives Georgia teacher candidates a free printable PDF to study for the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators. The GACE is administered by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) through a partnership with Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is required for certification in Georgia's public school system. Whether you are preparing for the Program Admission assessment before entering a teacher education program or studying for a content-area assessment before applying for your teaching certificate, a printed practice test PDF is a high-value tool for focused offline preparation.
This page explains the structure of both GACE assessment types, breaks down the content tested in each subtest, and provides guidance on how to use the downloadable PDF effectively. The PDF covers question formats from across the GACE blueprint and is designed for candidates who learn best by working through questions on paper under timed, exam-like conditions.
The GACE Program Admission assessment is the entry-point exam for candidates seeking admission into a Georgia teacher preparation program. It consists of three subtests — Reading, Mathematics, and Writing — each delivered separately and timed at 80 minutes per subtest. Each subtest is scored on a 200–300 scale, and the passing score for each is 250. Candidates may take subtests individually and bank passing scores, which means you do not need to sit all three in a single testing appointment.
The Reading subtest measures literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, critical and evaluative reading, and vocabulary knowledge. Literal comprehension questions ask you to locate specific details stated directly in a passage — a fact, a date, a definition given in context. Inferential comprehension questions require drawing a conclusion not explicitly stated but logically supported by the passage: identifying the implied main idea, predicting a likely outcome, or inferring a character's motivation. Critical and evaluative reading questions ask you to analyze the author's purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain, or describe), distinguish between statements of fact and statements of opinion, evaluate the strength of supporting evidence, and assess the logical structure of an argument. Vocabulary in context questions present a word or phrase underlined within a passage and ask you to select the meaning that best fits how the word is used in that specific context — prior vocabulary knowledge helps, but the answer must be justified by the surrounding text.
Passages span a range of genres: informational nonfiction (academic articles, reports, editorials), literary nonfiction (personal essays, memoirs), and practical texts (instructions, workplace communications). Reading speed matters — 80 minutes across a multi-passage subtest means you need to read efficiently without sacrificing comprehension accuracy.
The Mathematics subtest covers number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and statistics. Number and operations questions address place value, fraction and decimal operations, ratio and proportion, percent applications, integer arithmetic, and number theory concepts such as factors, multiples, and prime numbers. Algebra questions involve evaluating expressions, solving one- and two-variable linear equations and inequalities, interpreting graphs of linear and quadratic functions, and recognizing patterns and sequences. Geometry questions cover classification of two-dimensional figures, properties of parallel lines cut by a transversal, triangle congruence and similarity, the Pythagorean theorem, transformations (reflections, rotations, translations, dilations), and coordinate geometry. Measurement questions address unit conversions within and between customary and metric systems, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume of standard figures. Data analysis questions ask you to read and interpret bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, histograms, and scatterplots, calculate measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode, range), and make basic probability calculations.
The Writing subtest includes selected-response questions on grammar and usage and a constructed-response writing task. Grammar and usage questions address subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb tense consistency, sentence structure errors (fragments, run-ons, comma splices), modifier placement, parallel structure, punctuation (commas, semicolons, apostrophes), and word choice (commonly confused words, wordiness, redundancy). The constructed-response task presents a prompt asking you to write a well-organized essay that states a position and supports it with evidence and reasoning. Scoring criteria include clarity of thesis, quality of supporting detail, logical organization, transitions, sentence variety, and command of standard English conventions.
Content area assessments test subject-matter knowledge required for a specific teaching endorsement. Georgia offers GACE content assessments in more than 30 teaching fields. The most widely taken is Elementary Education, which is divided into two tests (Elementary Education I and Elementary Education II), each covering different subject areas. Other common content assessments include Special Education, Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies.
Elementary Education I opens with the Reading subtest, which for content-area purposes goes deeper than Program Admission. Questions address the science of reading foundations: phonological awareness (recognizing and manipulating phonemes, syllables, onset and rime), phonics and word recognition (letter-sound correspondences, decoding multisyllabic words, morphemic analysis — prefixes, suffixes, root words), reading fluency (accuracy, rate, prosody, and the relationship of fluency to comprehension), and reading comprehension strategies (questioning, summarizing, inferring, monitoring understanding, using text structure). English Language Arts content includes grammar and mechanics at the sentence and paragraph level, stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing), narrative and informational writing features, and literature appreciation — identifying genre characteristics, theme, figurative language, and point of view across age-appropriate texts.
Mathematics content on the Elementary Education assessments is tested at the depth expected of a teacher who must explain concepts, not merely compute answers. Number and operations questions address place value across whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; the meaning of operations and properties (commutative, associative, distributive); multi-digit computation strategies; fraction and decimal operations; ratio, proportion, and percent; and basic number theory. Algebra content covers patterns and functional relationships, expressions and equations, and how algebraic reasoning develops from elementary arithmetic. Geometry and measurement questions test classification of plane and solid figures, attributes and area/perimeter/volume formulas, angle relationships, and the coordinate plane. Data and statistics content includes reading and constructing graphs, measures of center, and elementary probability. Teachers need to understand not only correct answers but also common student misconceptions and how to address them with concrete models.
Social Studies content spans US history (colonial era through modern period), world history (ancient civilizations, major events and turning points), geography (physical features, regions, map skills, human-environment interaction), civics and government (constitutional principles, branches of government, civic participation), and economics (scarcity, supply and demand, market systems, personal finance). Science content covers life science (cell biology, organisms and ecosystems, heredity, evolution), earth and space science (rock cycle, weather and climate, solar system, Earth's layers), physical science (matter and its properties, forces and motion, energy forms and transfer), and scientific inquiry (forming hypotheses, designing investigations, analyzing data, communicating results). Both subjects are tested in ways that reflect Georgia's elementary curriculum standards.
Before downloading, confirm whether you need the Program Admission assessment (required before entering a teacher prep program) or a content area assessment (required before applying for your certificate). The question types and content depth differ between the two. The PDF on this page includes questions from the Reading, Mathematics, and Writing subtests — content appropriate for Program Admission candidates and Elementary Education content area candidates preparing for literacy and mathematics sections.
Treat each printed subtest as a standalone timed session. Set a timer for 80 minutes, complete that subtest, stop, and score it before moving to the next. This approach accurately simulates the real exam experience, since Program Admission subtests are scheduled individually. It also gives you a clean score-by-subtest breakdown so you know exactly where preparation gaps exist.
A common mistake on the Reading subtest is answering vocabulary questions from memory rather than from context. Train yourself to re-read the sentence, locate the surrounding clues, and eliminate options that are valid word meanings but wrong for the specific context. This strategy works even when you recognize the word — the tested meaning may be a secondary or specialized use.
For the Writing subtest, review the official scoring rubric before practicing. GACE constructed-response essays are scored on thesis clarity, development, organization, and conventions. A strong practice habit is to write your essay, then score it yourself against the rubric before comparing to sample anchor papers available through ETS.
Passing the GACE is an essential milestone on the path to teaching in Georgia's public schools. Whether you are clearing the Program Admission hurdle before starting your education program or completing the content area requirement before applying for your certificate, disciplined preparation pays off. Download the free PDF below, work through the practice questions under timed conditions, and use your results to build a focused study plan targeting the specific content areas where your scores indicate the greatest need for improvement.