If you are completing an approved program you may wish to take the Basic Skills test early in your college preparation and the subject-matter knowledge test when you have completed most of your coursework but prior to completion of your program. In any case, you should allow yourself opportunity to retake the test if necessary. If you are fully licensed in another state and qualify for an Illinois provisional certificate you may obtain the Provisional certificate prior to meeting the testing requirement. However , once your Provisional certificate is issued, you must successfully meet the testing requirement no later than nine months from the issue date of the Provisional or your certificate will be canceled . There are absolutely no exceptions or waivers to this requirement .
Test scores are valid for a period of five years.
The five-year period is calculated from the date you take the test to the date your certification application is received by the State Board of Education. The tests are offered four times a year at 12 sites throughout Illinois. Complete information on the testing program, including registration deadlines, test dates and locations is included in the ICTS Registration Bulletin. You can obtain an ICTS Registration Bulletin from your Illinois approved teacher education program, your Regional Office of Education or the Illinois State Board of Education. Study guides, which define the content of each test and include sample questions and strategies for preparing for the tests, are available at no cost from your Illinois approved program, your Regional Office of Education and the Illinois State Board of Education.