MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139): How to Pass

Exam facts

Exam

MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139)

State / jurisdiction

Michigan

Credential area

School principal

Delivery

Computer-based test (CBT)

Questions

80 multiple-choice questions; 1 constructed-response assignment

Testing time

225 minutes (3 hours 45 minutes)

Appointment time

240 minutes (4 hours)

Passing score

220

How to prepare for MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139)

TeacherPreps preparation guidance based on the exam framework linked below. Adjust the plan to your experience and your practice results.

1. Find your starting point

   Take the 25-question diagnostic before reading the explanations. For each missed question, note the content area and the reason: an unfamiliar concept, a misread scenario or a choice that was reasonable but not the strongest. A short diagnostic is a starting point for review, not a measure of readiness.

2. Study the leadership content this exam emphasizes

   Instructional Leadership, School Culture and Learning Environment, and Faculty Development. For instructional leadership, connect curriculum, instruction and assessment. Review how a leader uses assessment results to adjust instruction, how classroom observation evidence becomes specific feedback and how interventions are matched to student needs. When comparing answer choices, prefer the option that is grounded in evidence and keeps the focus on student learning.

   Organizational, Resource, and Operational Management and Legal Guidelines; Stakeholder and Community Relationships, Professional Norms, and Ethics. For ethics, law and policy, study the reasoning behind a decision rather than isolated rules. In a scenario, identify the legal duty or ethical principle involved, the people affected and the action that protects student rights and due process. Distinguish a matter the principal decides from one that requires district, legal or board involvement.

   Educational Leadership. Read each scenario for the role you hold, the evidence available and the decision being asked for. Answer choices in leadership exams often include several reasonable actions; the strongest one usually addresses the immediate need, follows legal and ethical expectations and supports long-term student learning.

   The MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139) study guide has 57 lessons on these topics; the first lesson is free.

3. Allocate review time using the framework and your gaps

   Use the published content-area weights to balance your plan, and give extra time to areas where your practice shows gaps. A smaller weight does not make an area optional.

   • Instructional Leadership, School Culture and Learning Environment, and Faculty Development (27%)
   • Organizational, Resource, and Operational Management and Legal Guidelines (21%)
   • Educational Leadership (20%)
   • Stakeholder and Community Relationships, Professional Norms, and Ethics (18%)
   • Visionary Leadership and Continuous School Improvement (14%)
   See the MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139) outline and study guide

4. Check understanding with fresh practice

   After reviewing a missed question, answer a new question on the same idea and explain why the correct choice is the strongest action. Members can build practice sets by content area in the MTTC 139 Exam Builder. A rising score on this fixed diagnostic may reflect remembered answers, and a practice percentage cannot be converted into a scaled exam score.

5. Rehearse the format and testing conditions

   Published testing time: 225 minutes (3 hours 45 minutes). The 240-minute appointment includes time beyond the test itself. Prepare separately for the written part (1 constructed-response assignment); the diagnostic covers multiple-choice content only. Practice reading scenarios carefully: identify who is involved, what the leader is responsible for and what the question asks you to decide.

   Check MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139) registration and test-day requirements

Publisher sources

Checked November 7, 2026. Content areas and weights come from the exam framework; administrative details come from the publisher test pages.

• MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139): source 1
• MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139): source 2

TeacherPreps practice questions and lessons are independently written and are not publisher exam questions.

Continue your school leadership preparation

Read the study guide lessons, practice by content area in the Exam Builder and review the explanation for each answer.