Test administrator vs education paraprofessional

The differences between test administrators and education paraprofessionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an education paraprofessional has an average salary of $31,158, which is higher than the $25,904 average annual salary of a test administrator.

The top three skills for a test administrator include exam process, technical issues and test materials. The most important skills for an education paraprofessional are autism, behavioral issues, and mathematics.

Test administrator vs education paraprofessional overview

	Test Administrator	Education Paraprofessional
Yearly salary	$25,904	$31,158
Hourly rate	$12.45	$14.98
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	68,229	53,164
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a test administrator do?

A test administrator is responsible for observing and monitoring the students during examinations and related assessments. Test administrators discuss the procedures and rules before the test, responding to any inquiries and concerns the examinees may have. They provide the tools and materials needed for the assessment, as well as verifying the identity of each examinee. A test administrator must be highly observant and organizational, strictly implementing regulations and operating testing equipment, and perform troubleshooting for technical issues.

What does an education paraprofessional do?

An education paraprofessional's role is to carry out support tasks for a teacher in a school setting. They are responsible for creating learning materials such as visual aids and presentations, participating in devising lesson plans and assessment methods, grading and evaluating student performances, and even maintaining order in the classroom. There are also instances where they must assist students who are having difficulties catching up with the lessons. Furthermore, an education paraprofessional may also teach under the supervision of a more experienced educator.

Test administrator vs education paraprofessional salary

Test administrators and education paraprofessionals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Test Administrator	Education Paraprofessional
Average salary	$25,904	$31,158
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NY	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Boston Public Schools
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between test administrator and education paraprofessional education

There are a few differences between a test administrator and an education paraprofessional in terms of educational background:

	Test Administrator	Education Paraprofessional
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Test administrator vs education paraprofessional demographics

Here are the differences between test administrators' and education paraprofessionals' demographics:

	Test Administrator	Education Paraprofessional
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 32.7% Female, 67.3%	Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.2% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between test administrator and education paraprofessional duties and responsibilities

Test administrator example responsibilities.

Manage FTPS relationship by communicating SharePoint & OIM architecture standards and frameworks, answering questions, resolving concerns and issues.
Design, implement and manage corporate-wide DNS, including 5K+ objects, and manage both IBM DS4800 and N3600 SAN systems.
Manage incidents of unacceptable identification or authorization on behalf of Prometric clients.
Manage incidents of unacceptable identification or authorization-to-test documentation according to Prometric and the clients expectations
Manage and coordinate office operations and procedures to include payroll preparation, information management/filing systems, and supply requisitions.
Perform tests on the oil API, gas H2S and CO2 content, and water salinity.

Education paraprofessional example responsibilities.

Work with ESL and special needs students, individually and in small groups, to attain their learning objectives
Help student become more independent and achieve organizational goals by using self-monitore checklists and adaptive technology.
Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
Perform technical, clerical and instructional support tasks in a Pre-K classroom for the physically impair
Target instructional learning activities especially in core content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Help assist in Pre-K classroom.

Test administrator vs education paraprofessional skills

Common test administrator skills

Exam Process, 28%
Technical Issues, 25%
Test Materials, 8%
Careful Judgment, 3%
Test Candidates, 3%
Administer Tests, 3%

Common education paraprofessional skills

Autism, 10%
Behavioral Issues, 9%
Mathematics, 8%
Math, 8%
Instructional Materials, 8%
IEP, 7%

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Test Administrator vs Education Paraprofessional

Updated January 8, 2025

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