New York school leadership certification · NYSTCE

Two exams. One study system.

Free, open study tracks for the NYSTCE School Building Leader (109/110) and School District Leader (103/104) assessments — built from the official NYSED frameworks, every published sample item and scoring rubric, and a large library of practitioner material verified against current New York law. Eighteen pages, printable PDFs, no accounts, no tracking, no cost.

2
Assessments covered — Building Leader and District Leader
18
Study pages, nine on each track — plus four printable PDFs
197
Practice items with rationales, across both tracks
460
Recall cards across both tracks

Pick your exam

Two complete study tracks. They share a design and a method; the content and the blueprints are entirely different, and so are the testing windows.

Which one do you actually need?

The short version, as of August 2026 If you are heading for a principalship or another building-level administrative role, the School Building Leader exam (109/110) is the one. If you are heading for a district-level role — assistant superintendent, deputy, superintendent — the School District Leader exam (103/104) is the one. And if you are pursuing the new Administrator certificate created by the January 13, 2025 Regents action, you need to pass both exams, which is why this site now covers both.
The two assessments side by side, verified against NYSTCE sources in August 2026
 School Building LeaderSchool District Leader
Test codes109 (Part One) · 110 (Part Two)103 (Part One) · 104 (Part Two)
Current versionRevised May 2019; 107/108 retired September 2, 2025Never revised; framework is © 2008
Part One structure41 selected-response + 3 performance tasks60 selected-response + 2 written assignments
Part Two structure26 selected-response + 3 performance tasks60 selected-response + 2 written assignments
Writing as a share of score60% of Part One, 75% of Part Two50% of each part
Scoring criteriaCompleteness · Accuracy · Depth of Support and UnderstandingPurpose · Application of Content · Support
Passing score520 (scale 400–600)220
Fees$198 · $197 · both $395$169 · $168 · both $337
Testing time4 hours per part; both parts 8:45 with a 45-minute lunch4 hours per part; both parts 8:40 with a 40-minute lunch
AvailabilityBy appointment in testing windows — its own datesBy appointment in testing windows — different dates
Score waiver (0.5 SEM)109 at 512 · 110 at 509103 at 212 · 104 at 211
The trap for anyone sitting both The score report dates are identical across the two assessments, but the testing windows are not. SDL windows are shorter and open later than SBL windows. Check each track’s Start Here page before you book anything, and do not assume a date you read on one track applies to the other.

How to use this site

1

Start Here, then Answer Patterns

Get the blueprint and the logistics straight before you study anything, then learn what the items reward. Those two pages change your score the most per hour spent.

2

Rehearse the writing early

Constructed response is half your score on SDL and most of it on SBL. Write one full task cold in week one and score it against the rubric — it is the fastest way to find out what you do not know.

3

Drill, then simulate

Use Practice and Quiz Mode for reps and Day-Of for the clock. Do at least one full-length timed sitting before the real one.

Printable PDFs

Built from the pages on this site, for people who study better on paper. Both tracks ship a packet and a matching answer key; item numbers and card codes line up between the two files.

School Building Leader

SBL Study Packet · 105 pages

Nine parts: registration and logistics, answer patterns, the high-yield cheatsheet, law and operations, the performance-task playbook, 98 practice items as questions only with answer bubbles, the recall cards, the day-of plan, and every source URL.

Download the packet Answer key · 38 pp.

School District Leader

SDL Study Packet · 183 pages

Nine parts: registration and logistics, answer patterns, the high-yield cheatsheet, law and district operations, the written-assignment playbook, 99 practice items as questions only with answer bubbles, 225 recall cards, the day-of plan, and every source URL.

Download the packet Answer key · 52 pp.

What this is

Free, open, and honest about its sources Two complete study tracks for the New York school leadership assessments, written for any candidate. No accounts, no tracking, no cost, nothing stored in your browser. Official NYSED and Pearson material is labelled official wherever it appears; everything else is practitioner-written and says so. Legal, certification and logistical details were verified against NYSED and NYSTCE sources in August 2026 — policies change, so confirm anything decision-critical at the source before you act on it. Corrections are welcome.