GACE Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify

What Is GACE Elementary Education (P-5) (702)?

GACE Elementary Education (P-5), Assessment 702, is the content-knowledge exam Georgia uses to certify teachers for grades pre-K through 5. It is owned by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) and, as of July 1, 2025, administered by Evaluation Systems, Pearson - a change from the prior ETS-delivered version of the same certification area. If you took an earlier iteration of this assessment before that date, the structure and vendor have both shifted, so it's worth confirming which version applies to your program timeline.

Because Assessment 702 covers such a wide instructional range - literacy, math, social studies, science, and the arts/health/wellness - it functions less like a single test and more like five connected mini-exams. Understanding that modular design is the single most important thing to grasp before you touch a study plan. For a deeper breakdown of what each content area actually tests, see the GACE Exam Domains Guide.

Core Eligibility Requirements

Before you can sit for any part of Assessment 702, Georgia expects you to be on a defined pathway toward P-5 certification. In practice, this means you fall into one of a few common categories:

• Enrolled in or having completed an approved educator preparation program (EPP) in Elementary Education
• Pursuing certification through an alternative or non-traditional preparation route recognized by GaPSC
• Seeking Georgia certification reciprocity from another state, where GACE serves as the content-area verification

Regardless of pathway, the gatekeeping step is the same: you must establish testing eligibility with GaPSC before Pearson will let you register. Skipping this step is the most common reason candidates get stuck before they even reach the registration screen.

GaPSC Testing Eligibility Through MyPSC

GACE registration is not open to the general public the way some certification exams are. GaPSC testing eligibility, established through the MyPSC portal, is required before you register for Assessment 702. This eligibility check confirms that your preparation program, application, or reciprocity request has been logged with the state before you pay for and schedule a testlet.

Practical steps to sort out MyPSC eligibility:

1. Create or log into your MyPSC account and confirm your program or application status is active.
2. Verify GaPSC has associated you with Elementary Education (P-5) as your certification area.
3. Wait for eligibility confirmation before attempting to register with Pearson - registering before eligibility is confirmed typically won't work.
4. Double-check your name, ID, and program details match across MyPSC and your Pearson testing profile to avoid check-in issues on test day.

Understanding the Five Testlets

Assessment 702 is built from five modular testlets, each worth 20% of your overall score and each made up of 30 selected-response questions. Together they total 150 questions across the full assessment, with four hours of actual testing time inside a four-hour-and-30-minute appointment window if you take everything in one sitting.

Every testlet uses selected-response (multiple-choice style) questions only - there are no constructed-response or essay components on this particular assessment. That format consistency is one reason candidates often underestimate testlet 005; it carries equal weight to ELA and Math even though it typically gets far less classroom emphasis in preparation programs. For a broader discussion of where candidates tend to lose points, see How Hard Is the GACE Exam?.

The Science of Reading Requirement

Elementary Education (P-5) is aligned to Georgia's Application of the Science of Reading assessment for candidates covered under the state's literacy-assessment implementation schedule. This affects two groups differently:

• Initial-program candidates beginning their preparation program on or after June 1, 2025
• Reciprocity applicants applying for certification on or after July 1, 2026

If either date applies to your situation, plan for the Science of Reading component as a separate but connected requirement alongside your 702 testlets - don't assume passing all five Elementary Education testlets alone satisfies every literacy requirement under the current implementation schedule. Confirm your specific obligation directly through your MyPSC profile or your EPP advisor, since applicability depends on your exact program start date.

Registration, Fees, and Scheduling Mechanics

Once MyPSC eligibility is confirmed, registration and cost work like this:

• Full assessment (all five testlets): $169
• Individual testlet: $34 each
• Testing time: up to four hours of actual testing within a four-hour-and-30-minute appointment
• Total question count: 150 selected-response questions across all five testlets

Because testlets can be taken or retaken separately, you have real flexibility in how you approach registration. Some candidates schedule all five in one appointment to get the process over with; others register for one or two testlets at a time, using early results to guide how they prepare for the remaining sections. If you only need to retake a testlet where you missed the minimum floor, you're not required to redo the ones you already cleared.

What It Actually Takes to Pass

Passing Assessment 702 requires two things simultaneously:

1. A cumulative scaled score of at least 220 across all five testlets combined
2. Meeting the minimum floor score on every individual testlet - a strong overall average does not offset one weak testlet that falls below its floor

This dual requirement is why candidates can't simply "carry" a great Mathematics score to compensate for a shaky Arts, Health, and Wellness testlet. Both the cumulative total and the per-testlet floor must be satisfied. For the exact scoring mechanics and how retakes factor into your cumulative total, see GACE Passing Score 2026.

Building a Prep Plan Around the Testlets

Because each testlet is scored and floored independently, your prep schedule should treat each content area as its own mini-project rather than one continuous review. A practical way to sequence six weeks of preparation:

Rotating focus this way - rather than blending all five domains together every session - mirrors how the exam is actually scored and makes it easier to spot which testlet needs another pass before your appointment. For a more detailed content-by-content study approach, see the GACE Study Guide.

Who Hires Candidates With This Certification

Passing Assessment 702 is the content-knowledge piece Georgia public schools require for P-5 classroom placement, alongside your educator preparation program completion and any state-specific literacy requirements. District hiring committees, charter school networks, and some private schools operating under Georgia certification frameworks all look for this credential when filling elementary classroom roles. If you're weighing how this certification fits into your broader career plans, the GACE Jobs overview and ROI analysis walk through how the credential connects to hiring pathways in more detail.

If you're still confirming basic definitions before diving into requirements, What Is GACE? covers the foundational overview, and this practice test resource is a good next stop once you know your testing timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions