MTEL Early Childhood Exam Prep Free practice test →

Free MTEL Early Childhood Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style MTEL Early Childhood (72) (MTEL Early Childhood) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free MTEL Early Childhood practice test to study every exam domain.

The MTEL Early Childhood exam has 102 questions and runs 4 hours.

These 10 free MTEL Early Childhood questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the MTEL Early Childhood (72) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Child Development, Language Foundations, and the Writing Process 26% of exam

Question 1

During snack time, a 4-year-old watches a teacher pour her cup of juice into a taller, narrower cup and immediately protests that a friend now 'got more.' Which developmental characteristic BEST explains her reaction?

  1. She is displaying egocentrism, assuming her friend must see the amount of juice exactly as she does
  2. She has not yet developed conservation and is centering on the height of the liquid in the cup
  3. She has not established one-to-one correspondence between the juice and the two different cups
  4. She is testing classroom limits, so the protest is primarily a bid for the teacher's attention
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - She has not yet developed conservation and is centering on the height of the liquid in the cup

Question 2

A preschooler frequently grabs materials from peers during center time. Which teacher response BEST reflects developmentally appropriate positive guidance rather than punitive discipline?

  1. Name the feeling the child is having and coach her to ask, 'Can I have a turn?', then practice it together
  2. Calmly explain that grabbing breaks a classroom rule and record the incident on a class behavior chart
  3. Remove the child from centers for the rest of the session so that the conflict cannot happen again
  4. Direct the child to apologize to each peer involved and return every item she has taken from them
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Name the feeling the child is having and coach her to ask, 'Can I have a turn?', then practice it together

Question 3

In her journal a kindergartner writes 'I WNT TO THE BEEC' next to a drawing of the ocean. Her writing BEST demonstrates which stage of writing development?

  1. Preliterate writing, because the accompanying drawing is what actually carries the message's meaning
  2. Pre-emergent writing, because she is still producing strings of mock letters and letter-like forms
  3. Emergent writing, because she is using invented spelling to represent the salient sounds she hears
  4. Conventional writing, because the intended message can now be read and understood by any adult
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Emergent writing, because she is using invented spelling to represent the salient sounds she hears

Question 4

A child who speaks Haitian Creole at home participates eagerly in his home language but stays quiet during English group discussions after two months in the classroom. Which interpretation and response is MOST appropriate?

  1. He is likely in a normal silent period; continue rich, low-pressure English exposure while valuing his home language
  2. He may have an underlying expressive language delay and should be referred for a formal evaluation right away
  3. English immersion should be increased and his home-language use gently discouraged to speed up acquisition
  4. Formal literacy instruction should be paused for now until his spoken English becomes noticeably more fluent
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - He is likely in a normal silent period; continue rich, low-pressure English exposure while valuing his home language

Question 5

A teacher plans an activity in which children act out a familiar story using puppets, retell it in their own words, and then dictate a new ending for the teacher to record. This activity BEST illustrates which principle of early language and literacy development?

  1. Children must master decoding of printed words before they can benefit from comprehension activities
  2. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing develop as reciprocal, mutually reinforcing processes
  3. Oral language skills and print skills generally develop along separate tracks in the early years
  4. Vocabulary growth depends chiefly on the direct, explicit instruction of individual word definitions
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Listening, speaking, reading, and writing develop as reciprocal, mutually reinforcing processes

Question 6

A teacher wants ongoing evidence of each child's emergent literacy growth to guide small-group instruction. Which approach is MOST appropriate for this purpose?

  1. Administer a standardized, norm-referenced literacy test in the middle of the year and again at the end
  2. Track the number of leveled skill worksheets that each child is able to complete correctly every week
  3. Ask families to report at conferences how frequently they sit and read with their child at home each week
  4. Keep dated running records and anecdotal notes of children's book handling, retellings, and print behaviors
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Keep dated running records and anecdotal notes of children's book handling, retellings, and print behaviors

Domain 2: Core Knowledge in Mathematics 20% of exam

Question 7

A child counts a row of six counters accurately, touching each once. When asked, 'So how many are there?', she counts them again instead of answering 'six.' Which concept is she still developing?

  1. The ability to subitize, or instantly recognize, small quantities without counting them
  2. One-to-one correspondence between each counter and one spoken counting word
  3. Conservation of number when the same set of counters is rearranged in space
  4. Cardinality, the understanding that the last number counted names the total quantity
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Cardinality, the understanding that the last number counted names the total quantity

Question 8

A teacher flashes a dot card with four dots for about one second and children call out 'four!' without counting. This activity is designed to develop:

  1. Subitizing, the instant recognition of small quantities
  2. Rote counting through repeated verbal practice each day
  3. One-to-one correspondence between the dots and number words
  4. Cardinality by having children name the last number counted
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Subitizing, the instant recognition of small quantities

Question 9

During a problem-solving activity, a teacher asks children to explain how they got their answer and then to decide whether a classmate's different strategy also works. Which Standard for Mathematical Practice is MOST directly supported?

  1. Attend to precision in both calculation and mathematical language
  2. Model with mathematics by representing the situation with objects
  3. Look for and make use of structure within the number system
  4. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

Question 10

First-graders measure the length of their table using paper clips laid end to end, reporting it as 'about 14 paper clips long.' The units in this activity are BEST described as:

  1. Standard customary units of length used across the United States
  2. Metric units based on powers of ten used in the sciences
  3. Nonstandard units, since a common everyday object serves as the unit
  4. Benchmark units drawn from familiar personal reference points
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Nonstandard units, since a common everyday object serves as the unit

The rest of the MTEL Early Childhood blueprint

The MTEL Early Childhood exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:

Ready for the real thing?

Practice hundreds more MTEL Early Childhood questions with instant scoring, weak-area drills, and full exam simulations.

Start the free practice test See pricing