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Teachers' Professional License – Subject Test: Psychology: free practice test

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Practice test questions with answers and explanations

Try the questions in the test above first, then open each one here to see the correct answer and why every other option is wrong.

01Khalid saw his older brother praised in front of the family for tidying his bookshelf, so he began tidying his own without being asked and without being praised himself. Which explanation fits Khalid's behaviour?

Practice question Unit: General psychology

  1. AClassical conditioning after the bookshelf was repeatedly paired with a pleasant stimulus

    There is no repeated pairing of stimuli here, only observation of a model.

  2. BObservational learning with vicarious reinforcement seen happening to his brother ✓ Correct answer

    In social learning theory, watching a model being rewarded raises the chance of imitation without direct reinforcement.

  3. COperant conditioning based on direct reinforcement Khalid received after each tidying

    Khalid received no direct reinforcement, so this account does not apply.

  4. DInsight learning after Khalid reorganised elements of a problem he faced

    Khalid faced no problem that he solved suddenly, so insight does not explain it.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.1 (definitions, theories and branches of psychology), indicator 3, p. 8; social learning theory (Bandura)

02A teacher pours the same water from a short, wide glass into a tall, narrow one, and an eight-year-old says, 'The water is the same; the glass is just taller.' Which aspect of development and which stage does his answer show?

Practice question Unit: Foundations and determinants of personality and behaviour

  1. ACognitive development, preoperational stage

    A preoperational child judges by appearance and thinks there is more water.

  2. BCognitive development, concrete operational stage ✓ Correct answer

    Grasping that quantity stays the same despite a change in shape (conservation) is gained in the concrete operational stage.

  3. CLanguage development, stage of completing basic vocabulary

    The answer reflects a mental grasp of quantity, not a language skill.

  4. DSensorimotor development, stage of coordinating senses and movement

    The sensorimotor stage ends around age two.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.4 (developmental psychology), indicator 3, p. 8; cognitive development theory (Piaget)

03Yousef studied French for two years and then began Spanish; French words now pop into his mind whenever he tries to recall Spanish ones. Which type of interference is this?

Practice question Unit: Foundations and determinants of personality and behaviour

  1. AProactive interference: earlier learning hinders recall of new material ✓ Correct answer

    Old information (French) blocks retrieval of new information (Spanish).

  2. BPositive transfer of learning between two similar languages

    Positive transfer helps new learning; the scene describes a hindrance.

  3. CRetroactive interference: new learning wipes out earlier learning

    Retroactive interference would mean trouble recalling French because of Spanish, the reverse of this case.

  4. DSensory memory failing to take in the Spanish words

    The words were received and learned; the problem is at recall.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.5 (cognitive processes), indicator 2, p. 9

04Saleh is disciplined and respectful in the class of a teacher who values him and states clear rules, but disruptive with a teacher who mocks him. Which explanation is most accurate?

Practice question Unit: Personality and social psychology

  1. ASaleh behaves well where good conduct is rewarded

    A partial behavioural account; the case contrasts respect and clear rules with mockery, not reward.

  2. BSaleh's traits are fixed, so one teacher must be missing his real behaviour

    Both behaviours are real; the difference reflects his personality interacting with the situation.

  3. CThe situation explains it; any other pupil would act the same way

    The situation matters, but pupils respond to the same teacher in different ways, so Saleh's personality also shapes his response.

  4. DHis personality responds differently to each teacher's treatment and rules ✓ Correct answer

    The same person acts differently depending on how others treat him and how clear the rules are.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.7 (personality), indicator 4, p. 9

05A student washes his hands over fifty times a day, is late for lessons because of it, and says the habit distresses him and he cannot stop. Which criteria most strongly indicate that his behaviour needs specialist assessment?

Practice question Unit: Applied psychology

  1. AThe statistical criterion, because the behaviour is rare among students

    Rarity alone is a weak sign, as rare giftedness shows.

  2. BThe cultural criterion, because society finds excessive cleanliness odd

    Cleanliness is valued; the problem is compulsion and impairment, not social rejection.

  3. CThe medical criterion, because so much washing may damage the skin

    Skin damage is possible but is a consequence, not a criterion for judging the behaviour.

  4. DThe subjective and functional criteria, because he is distressed and his daily functioning is impaired ✓ Correct answer

    Distress together with impaired functioning is stronger evidence than rarity or deviance alone.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.10 (clinical psychology), indicator 2, p. 10

06A psychology teacher discusses with students the effects of diagnostic labels on people. Which statement represents a balanced professional view?

Practice question Unit: Applied psychology

  1. AThe diagnosis should be told to classmates so they treat him kindly

    Disclosing it breaches confidentiality and may increase stigma.

  2. BDiagnosis opens services but can stigmatise, so use it with care and confidentiality ✓ Correct answer

    Labels help understanding and support but risk stigma and low expectations.

  3. CDiagnosis is useful because it explains the person's behaviour to others

    Diagnosis helps, but this view ignores stigma and the need for confidentiality.

  4. DDiagnosis harms more than it helps, so schools should avoid it

    Avoiding it denies students needed services; it should be used with care.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.10 (clinical psychology), indicator 5, p. 10

07An employee learns a colleague doing the same work with the same experience earns more, and gradually cuts his effort. Which theory explains this, and how?

Practice question Unit: Applied psychology

  1. AMaslow's hierarchy: his basic need for food and shelter is unmet

    His pay has not changed, so basic needs are met as before.

  2. BExpectancy theory: he sees no link between effort and performance

    The problem is social comparison of rewards, not the effort–performance link.

  3. CEquity theory: he cuts effort to restore a fair balance ✓ Correct answer

    People compare their input–outcome ratio with others' and adjust effort when they feel unfairly treated.

  4. DTwo-factor theory: pay is a strong motivator he lost, so performance fell

    Herzberg treats pay as hygiene, and the issue here is comparison with a colleague.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.12 (industrial-organizational psychology), indicator 2, p. 11; equity theory (Adams)

08On a vocabulary test one pupil scores 80 and a classmate 40. Which conclusion is scientifically sound?

Practice question Unit: Psychological measurement and research methods

  1. AA pupil scoring zero knows no words at all

    Zero here is not total absence of the trait.

  2. BThey cannot be compared without a norms table

    Ranking and differences on the same test need no norms; only ratios are ruled out.

  3. CThe first knows twice as many words as his classmate

    This assumes a ratio scale.

  4. DThe first did better, but not twice as well ✓ Correct answer

    Most psychological tests lack an absolute zero, so score ratios are not valid.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.15 (psychological measurement), indicator 1, p. 12

09In item analysis, more pupils in the low group than the high group answered one item correctly. What should be done?

Practice question Unit: Psychological measurement and research methods

  1. AKeeping it but moving it to another place in the test

    Moving it does not fix ambiguity or a key error.

  2. BKeeping it, since its difficulty level is suitable

    The issue is negative discrimination, not difficulty.

  3. CRevising or dropping the item ✓ Correct answer

    Negative discrimination usually signals ambiguity or a key error.

  4. DLeaving the low group out of the discrimination index

    It hides the problem; discrimination rests on comparing both groups.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.15 (psychological measurement), indicator 5, p. 12

10Firas finishes lesson tasks long before others and looks bored. What is the best step?

Practice question Unit: Teaching methods in psychology

  1. AAssigning him open-ended enrichment tasks that stretch his abilities ✓ Correct answer

    Enrichment raises the level of thinking, not the amount of work.

  2. BRoutinely having him tutor slower classmates instead of new learning

    Helping peers can be useful, but making it a routine substitute for new learning gives him no challenge of his own.

  3. CTelling him to wait quietly until classmates finish

    Waiting wastes his time and deepens boredom with no enrichment.

  4. DAdding more exercises of the same kind

    More of the same increases boredom.

Reference: ETEC Psychology Teacher Standards (1441 AH/2020), Standard 6.32.19 (teaching methods suited to students’ abilities), indicator 2, p. 13

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