PRAXIS 5402 SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY |ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS|BRAND NEW
2026-2027 UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
All of the following types of thinking are considered specific problem-solving skills that
relate to a child's ability to adjust in everyday social situations EXCEPT:
-Alternative Solutions
-Means-End
-Inconsequential
-Casual
CORRECT ANSWER
Inconsequential
Problem-solving skills that relate to adjustment include alternative-solutions thinking, or
the ability to come up with unrelated solutions to a problem; means-end thinking, or
awareness of the intermediate steps required to achieve a particular goal; consequential
thinking, or the ability to identify what may happen as a direct result of acting in a
particular way or choosing a particular solution; and causal thinking, or the ability to
relate one event to another over time and to understand why one event led to a
particular action. Inconsequential thinking does not contribute to everyday adjustment.
Question 2
Ms. Gillem, a fifth-grade teacher, is concerned about Elizabeth, a student in her class.
Elizabeth has always been an excellent student, but lately her grades have slipped slightly
and she has been talking to other students during class time. Ms. Gillem tells the school
psychologist that she thinks Elizabeth is bored and not challenged by the material. Which
of the following is the school psychologist's best approach to address the situation?
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@THE STUDY VAULT
,A. Providing short-term individual counseling to Elizabeth to determine why her behavior
and grades have changed
B. Telling Ms. Gillem to set up a token economy, rewarding Elizabeth for good classroom
behavior and punishing her for poor classroom behavior
C. Assessing Elizabeth with an individual intelligence test to see if she should be in a gifted-
education program
D.Meeting with the principal and the other teachers who have contact with Elizabeth to try
to determine what
CORRECT ANSWER
C. Assessing Elizabeth with an individual intelligence test to see if she should be in a
gifted-education program
Elizabeth has been an outstanding student. Her conversations with other students may
be an indication that she is not being challenged enough by the current curriculum. An
individual intelligence test will indicate whether Elizabeth meets the criteria for inclusion
in the gifted-education program.
Question 3
The cognitive ability of conservation is demonstrated by which of the following tasks?
Select all that apply.
A. A student is shown a ball of clay. A teacher flattens the ball of clay and asks the student if
there is more, less, or the same amount of clay.
B. A student is shown nine squares. A teacher removes four of the squares and asks how
many squares are left.
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@THE STUDY VAULT
,C. A student is shown two rows of pennies, with seven pennies each, evenly spaced. The
teacher alters the second row so that the pennies are closer together than in the first row.
The teacher asks whether there are the same number of pennies in each row.
D. A student is shown glass half full of water. A teacher pours more water in the glass and
asks the student how much water is in the glass.
CORRECT ANSWER
Options (A) and (C) are correct.
The task in (A) requires conservation of mass.
The task in (C) requires conservation of number.
Question 4
The school psychologist is considering intervention options for a student who never talks
during class, lunch, or recess. The teacher is having difficulty assessing the student's
knowledge. At home, the student talks in front of immediate family members when in the
house only. The parents are frustrated and feel the student is purposely being defiant.
Which of the following should be the psychologist's first step to address the issue?
A. Recommending strategies aimed at reducing oppositional behavior
B. Implementing strategies aimed at reducing anxiety
· C. Requesting a speech and language evaluation
· D. Conducting a functional behavior analysis
CORRECT ANSWER
3
@THE STUDY VAULT
, Question 5
Which of the following is true when considering the use of assistive technology to enhance
learning opportunities for students with disabilities?
A. The United States Department of Education discourages universal accessibility in favor of
individual accessibility.
B. Both devices and services should be considered.
C. The school district must provide the equipment.
D. The school district must provide students with aides to assist with
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (B) is correct. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
(IDEA), technology is mandated to help enhance learning opportunities for students with
disabilities. Two elements are defined in IDEA for assistive technology: devices and
services. Devices are equipment-related, while services involve modification of
environments, adaptations of assessment procedures, or training others to work with the
child.
Question 6
Dr. Jantz, a school psychologist, is reviewing data on the number of hours that school
psychologists in his school district spent in direct service over the past five years. He notes
that the time spent in one-on-one contact with students nearly doubled over that time
period. Which of the following are plausible explanations for the change in direct-contact
hours?
Select all that apply.
4
@THE STUDY VAULT
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS|BRAND NEW
2026-2027 UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
All of the following types of thinking are considered specific problem-solving skills that
relate to a child's ability to adjust in everyday social situations EXCEPT:
-Alternative Solutions
-Means-End
-Inconsequential
-Casual
CORRECT ANSWER
Inconsequential
Problem-solving skills that relate to adjustment include alternative-solutions thinking, or
the ability to come up with unrelated solutions to a problem; means-end thinking, or
awareness of the intermediate steps required to achieve a particular goal; consequential
thinking, or the ability to identify what may happen as a direct result of acting in a
particular way or choosing a particular solution; and causal thinking, or the ability to
relate one event to another over time and to understand why one event led to a
particular action. Inconsequential thinking does not contribute to everyday adjustment.
Question 2
Ms. Gillem, a fifth-grade teacher, is concerned about Elizabeth, a student in her class.
Elizabeth has always been an excellent student, but lately her grades have slipped slightly
and she has been talking to other students during class time. Ms. Gillem tells the school
psychologist that she thinks Elizabeth is bored and not challenged by the material. Which
of the following is the school psychologist's best approach to address the situation?
1
@THE STUDY VAULT
,A. Providing short-term individual counseling to Elizabeth to determine why her behavior
and grades have changed
B. Telling Ms. Gillem to set up a token economy, rewarding Elizabeth for good classroom
behavior and punishing her for poor classroom behavior
C. Assessing Elizabeth with an individual intelligence test to see if she should be in a gifted-
education program
D.Meeting with the principal and the other teachers who have contact with Elizabeth to try
to determine what
CORRECT ANSWER
C. Assessing Elizabeth with an individual intelligence test to see if she should be in a
gifted-education program
Elizabeth has been an outstanding student. Her conversations with other students may
be an indication that she is not being challenged enough by the current curriculum. An
individual intelligence test will indicate whether Elizabeth meets the criteria for inclusion
in the gifted-education program.
Question 3
The cognitive ability of conservation is demonstrated by which of the following tasks?
Select all that apply.
A. A student is shown a ball of clay. A teacher flattens the ball of clay and asks the student if
there is more, less, or the same amount of clay.
B. A student is shown nine squares. A teacher removes four of the squares and asks how
many squares are left.
2
@THE STUDY VAULT
,C. A student is shown two rows of pennies, with seven pennies each, evenly spaced. The
teacher alters the second row so that the pennies are closer together than in the first row.
The teacher asks whether there are the same number of pennies in each row.
D. A student is shown glass half full of water. A teacher pours more water in the glass and
asks the student how much water is in the glass.
CORRECT ANSWER
Options (A) and (C) are correct.
The task in (A) requires conservation of mass.
The task in (C) requires conservation of number.
Question 4
The school psychologist is considering intervention options for a student who never talks
during class, lunch, or recess. The teacher is having difficulty assessing the student's
knowledge. At home, the student talks in front of immediate family members when in the
house only. The parents are frustrated and feel the student is purposely being defiant.
Which of the following should be the psychologist's first step to address the issue?
A. Recommending strategies aimed at reducing oppositional behavior
B. Implementing strategies aimed at reducing anxiety
· C. Requesting a speech and language evaluation
· D. Conducting a functional behavior analysis
CORRECT ANSWER
3
@THE STUDY VAULT
, Question 5
Which of the following is true when considering the use of assistive technology to enhance
learning opportunities for students with disabilities?
A. The United States Department of Education discourages universal accessibility in favor of
individual accessibility.
B. Both devices and services should be considered.
C. The school district must provide the equipment.
D. The school district must provide students with aides to assist with
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (B) is correct. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
(IDEA), technology is mandated to help enhance learning opportunities for students with
disabilities. Two elements are defined in IDEA for assistive technology: devices and
services. Devices are equipment-related, while services involve modification of
environments, adaptations of assessment procedures, or training others to work with the
child.
Question 6
Dr. Jantz, a school psychologist, is reviewing data on the number of hours that school
psychologists in his school district spent in direct service over the past five years. He notes
that the time spent in one-on-one contact with students nearly doubled over that time
period. Which of the following are plausible explanations for the change in direct-contact
hours?
Select all that apply.
4
@THE STUDY VAULT
