Review the NES Principal Subtest I (810) exam outline, content-area weights and the TeacherPreps school leadership study guide lessons for this exam.
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NES Principal Subtest I (810): Study Guide
Exam facts
- Exam
- NES Principal Subtest I (810)
- State / jurisdiction
- Multiple States
- Credential area
- School principal
- Questions
- 50 selected-response questions; 2 written performance assignments
- Testing time
- 225 minutes (3 hours 45 minutes)
- Appointment time
- 240 minutes (4 hours)
- Passing score
- 240
- Scoring
- National benchmark score. Your state may set a different passing score.
NES Principal Subtest I (810) study guide lessons
The TeacherPreps study guide for this exam has 36 lessons organized by chapter, each written for the content areas above. The first lesson, Mission, vision, core values, and priorities, is free to read without a membership.
Read the free first lessonWhat this exam covers
This outline summarizes the content areas in the publisher framework. Use it as a study checklist, and follow the source links below for the full framework.
1. Visionary Leadership, Collaboration, and Educational Contexts (50%)
Topics to review
- Mission, vision, goals, and values
- A shared commitment to student success
- Stakeholder participation and ownership
- Evidence and goal selection
- The principal’s leadership role
- Alignment of plans and resources
- Gathering a useful evidence base
- Diagnosing strengths, needs, and gaps
- Setting priorities and measurable goals
- Collaborative planning and decisions
- Designing the improvement plan
- Selecting defensible improvement strategies
- Barriers, competing demands, and uncertainty
- Monitoring, evaluating, and revising
- Research methods for diverse student and community dynamics
- Welcoming and accessible participation
- Families’ knowledge and educational roles
- Audience, purpose, and communication choices
- Two-way communication and listening
- Stakeholder relationships and access
- Consensus, negotiation, and shared commitment
- Conflict and competing interests
- Community context and responsiveness
- Public information and media relations
- Reporting progress and celebrating contributions
- Transparency, confidentiality, and advocacy
- Community assets and needs
- Building and sustaining partnerships
- Mutual benefit and shared resources
- Mobilizing and sustaining resources
- School and community traditions, cultural history, and events
- Governance roles and authority
- Social, economic, political, and cultural context
- Emerging issues and broader influences
- Policy and the school’s direction
- Advocacy and influence
- Working across organizational boundaries
2. Fiscal and Operational Management and Legal/Ethical Guidelines (50%)
Topics to review
- Inclusive leadership and public responsibility
- Access, accommodations, and specialized needs
- Facilities use and program coordination
- Technology and communication systems
- Funding sources and restrictions
- Needs-based and collaborative budgeting
- Equitable allocation and resource alignment
- Resource development
- Purchasing and financial transactions
- Records, reporting, and internal controls
- Monitoring budgets and evaluating resource use
- Ethical and lawful stewardship
- Physical and emotional safety
- Facilities, equipment, and inspections
- Security procedures and prevention
- Collaborative safety planning
- Emergency and crisis management
- Health, counseling, and welfare services
- Safety communication and external coordination
- Lawful safety and discipline practices
- Sources and application of education law
- Rights, due process, and fair procedures
- Privacy, confidentiality, and information security
- Equal access and nondiscrimination
- Disability education and educational plans
- Language access and other student needs
- Reporting, supervision, and liability
- Lawful operations, facilities, and finance
- Investigations, misconduct, and complaints
- Open government and professional regulation
- Monitoring compliance and communicating requirements
- Professional values and moral responsibility
- A defensible ethical decision process
- Equity and access in ethical decisions
- Transparency and reason giving
- Reflection and ethical leadership commitments
- Protecting rights and confidentiality in ethical practice
- Modeling professional conduct
- Developing shared professional norms
- Accountability and responses to misconduct
This exam also includes written responses (2 written performance assignments). The free diagnostic and Exam Builder practice cover multiple-choice content only.
Check the exam or component you need
Similar names can refer to different exam codes, credentials or components. Confirm the code your program requires before choosing a study plan or paying a registration fee.
Publisher sources
Checked November 7, 2026. Content areas and weights come from the exam framework; administrative details come from the publisher test pages.
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.
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