How to Prepare for the Special Education (Autism) Teacher License Test: An 8-Week Plan by Domain Weight

Last verified: 1 November 2026. The weights come from the Candidate Guide for Special Education teachers (pages 6 and 11) and the standards from the Autism teacher standards. This guide is independent: it is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment), the Ministry of Education or any government body.

In short: an eight-week plan that spreads your time across the domains by weight: two weeks on general principles of special education (25%), one on planning instruction (15%), one on general principles of autism (17%), one on planning instruction for students with autism (19%), one on motivating and supporting learners with autism (17%), one on motivating and supporting learning in special education (7%) with your first full mock exam, and a last week of review and full mock exams. The next sitting is expected in late January 2027, so adjust the plan to end before your date (dates).

How we split the time

If one domain is strong from your daily work, shorten its time and give it to your weakest domains after the week-1 diagnostic.

If your track is not autism (intellectual disability or learning disabilities, for example): study weeks 1, 2, 3 and 7 here, since they are the general part (47%) shared by every track, and replace weeks 4 to 6 with the material for your own specialised part (53%), because this page's questions do not cover it.

Rules for every week

• Tie every fact to a student case: ETEC's questions ask which placement suits a particular student, which element the programme must contain, or which role suits the teacher, so do not stop at memorising definitions. For each topic ask yourself: what would I do with this student in class?
• Read the standard, then practise: every standard has indicators in the test content, and each question measures one indicator. Start each topic with its indicators, then answer its questions in practice mode.
• Read the explanation of every option: a wrong option shows you the common misconception (such as confusing generalisation with maintenance), so note what you got wrong.
• Review your mistakes: every Sunday, redo the questions you got wrong last week.
• Group the look-alike terms: criterion-referenced and norm-referenced, accommodations and modifications, generalisation and maintenance, co-teaching, parallel and alternative teaching, and the TEACCH, ABA and PECS programmes. Write each pair with an example.
• At the end of each week: practise that week's units, and from week 7 take a timed full mock exam.

Week 1: Diagnostic and general principles of special education (1)

• Day one: the free questions (10 questions) to see where you stand in the domains.
• 6.17.1.1: the concept and history of special education and its terminology, local and international laws, categories of beneficiaries, service models and support services.
• 6.17.1.2: causes of disability before, during and after birth and how to prevent them, development and the effect of disability on it. Note the guide's example on maternal age and Down syndrome.
• End of the week: practise this part and note your three weakest standards from the diagnostic.

Week 2: General principles of special education (2)

• 6.17.1.3: assessment and diagnosis: formal and informal tools, the multidisciplinary assessment team and each member's role, and professional ethics.
• 6.17.1.5: early intervention: its concept and rationale, preventing disability, programmes and models. Note the guide's example on the role of families and working with specialists.
• End of the week: practise the whole domain, since it is the largest in the test (25%).

Week 3: Planning instruction in special education

• 6.17.1.6: inclusive education: universal access, the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS), accommodations and modifications, and the role of the teaching assistant.
• 6.17.1.4: the IEP: its components, its team's roles and writing it from diagnostic results. Note the guide's two examples on the present level of performance and the type of assessment most useful for writing goals.
• 6.17.1.7: positive behaviour support: theories and methods, shaping behaviour, reinforcement and classroom management.
• 6.17.1.9: independence skills and transition programmes: daily living skills, self-determination and the steps of transition.
• End of the week: practise the domain and go back to the mistakes of the last two weeks.

Week 4: General principles of autism

• 6.17.2.11: defining autism under DSM-5, its levels and types, possible causes, prevalence and the bodies concerned with it.
• 6.17.2.12: students' characteristics and the differences by age and gender, the effect of medication, and cognitive, social, educational and communication needs.
• 6.17.2.13: the diagnostic criteria and procedure in DSM-5, how symptoms overlap with other disorders, and standardised diagnostic scales and informal tools.
• End of the week: practise the domain (17%).

Week 5: Planning instruction for students with autism

• 6.17.2.14: planning instruction: choosing strategies by the student's interests and learning style, the IEP for a student with autism, the domains of the autism curriculum, and planning to build and modify behaviour.
• 6.17.2.15: preparing the classroom: the structured environment, building interaction and communication, adapting resources and modern technology.
• 6.17.2.17: designing programmes: working with the multidisciplinary team, choosing priority skills, and designing by learning stage (acquisition, fluency, maintenance and generalisation).
• Revisit the IEP standard (6.17.1.4) from week 3 to link it to what you studied here.
• End of the week: practise the domain (19%), the largest in the autism track.

Week 6: Motivating and supporting learners with autism

• 6.17.2.16: teaching practices: specialised teaching methods, managing the autism class, generalising skills in class and varied assessment.
• 6.17.2.18: international programmes and evidence-based practices: telling TEACCH, ABA and PECS apart, using each by its own standards, and new trends.
• Revisit the positive behaviour support standard (6.17.1.7) from week 3 to link it to building and modifying behaviour here.
• End of the week: practise the whole domain (17%).

Week 7: Motivating and supporting learning in special education and your first full mock exam

• 6.17.1.8: consultation, collaboration and teamwork: co-teaching, its models and sharing roles. Note the guide's example on the special education teacher's role in an inclusive setting.
• 6.17.1.10: family partnership: communicating with the family, the individualised family service plan (IFSP) and types of involvement.
• End of the week: practise this domain, then take your first full mock exam under time: two hours, no phone. Compare the result with your week-1 diagnostic, domain by domain.

Week 8: Review

• Review the mistakes in your first full mock exam and go back to its two weakest domains. If one of them is general principles of special education, start there, since it is 25% of the questions.
• A second full mock exam in the middle of the week, then review its mistakes.
• Two days before the test: a third full mock exam and then a light review. Do not start a new topic on the last day.
• Test day: check the ID you need and what is allowed, sleep early and arrive early.

If you have less time

If fewer than eight weeks are left, start with the diagnostic, then compress the plan in this order: general principles of special education, then planning instruction for students with autism, then general principles of autism, then motivating and supporting learners with autism, then planning instruction in special education, then the rest. Keep the last three days for two full mock exams and a review of their mistakes.

This plan is our suggestion for organising your time and does not guarantee a particular score, and a mock exam result is an estimate of your readiness, not an official result. In unit practice, start with general principles of special education (25%) and leave the full mock exam for the end of the plan.