The ILTS Music exam is administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to assess the knowledge and skills of prospective music teachers in the state of Illinois.
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ILTS Music Exam Outline
The ILTS Music exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions, and you will be given a time limit of 3 hours and 15 minutes.
The exam is split into five subareas.
1. Responding: Listening Skills (22%)
The questions in this subarea assess your knowledge and skills pertaining to the following:
- Melody, harmony, and form in recorded music
- Elements of rhythm and expressive qualities in recorded music
- Historical and cultural characteristics of recorded music
- Elements of timbre in recorded music
- Errors in a recorded musical performance
2. Responding: Listening Skills (17%)
The questions in this subarea assess your knowledge and skills pertaining to the following:
- Music notation and vocabulary
- Melodic elements of music
- Harmonic elements of music
- Forms, rhythmic structures, and styles of music
3. Creating and Performing Music: Composing, Singing, Playing, and Conducting (17%)
The questions in this subarea assess your knowledge and skills pertaining to the following:
- Techniques for creating music
- Techniques for performing vocal music
- Performing instrumental music
- Performing and conducting
4. Connecting: Music History, Culture, and Context (22%)
The questions in this subarea assess your knowledge and skills pertaining to the following:
- The characteristics, composers, contexts, and works of Western music
- The characteristics and contexts of pop, traditional, and folk music of the US
- The characteristics and contexts of world music
- The relationship between technological advances in music and the evolution of music
- The roles and functions of music as an expressive medium
5. Content Specific Pedagogy: Music Education (22%)
The questions in this subarea assess your knowledge and skills pertaining to the following:
- Appropriate content and pedagogical methodologies for elementary school music classes
- Appropriate content and pedagogical methodologies for middle school music classes
- Appropriate methods and tools for assessing students in music programs
- Aesthetic principles, methods, and evaluation criteria, for connecting various types of musical knowledge and skills within and across the arts and other areas of the curriculum
- Teaching music to diverse student populations
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ILTS Music Exam Registration
To register for the exam, you must first create an ILTS/ISBE account. Once your account has been created, log in and select the Music (212) exam. From there, you can register for the exam, pay the $122 testing fee, and schedule your testing appointment.
Test Day
You should arrive about 15-30 minutes early to the testing center on test day. After you arrive, you will be asked to sign in and provide two valid forms of government-issued ID.
After the check-in process, you will be asked to place all personal items in a locker outside the testing room, or you may be asked to leave them in your car.
Once the test begins, you will be allowed to take breaks. However, the timer will not be stopped during your break, so use your break time carefully.
How the ILTS Music Exam is Scored
Your ILTS Music score is determined by taking your raw score (the number of questions you answered correctly) and converting it to a scaled score from 100 to 300. To pass, you will need to get a minimum scaled score of 240.
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Q
How many questions are on the ILTS Music exam?
A
There are 100 selected-response questions on the exam.
Q
How long is the ILTS Music exam?
A
The time limit for the exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Q
What is the passing score for the ILTS Music exam?
A
To pass the exam, you must achieve a minimum scaled score of 240.
Q
How much does the ILTS Music exam cost?
A
The examination fee is $122.
