General Testing Information 

  • Interns are required to take and pass the corresponding content exam(s) for the area they want to teach in during phase 1 of the program.  
  • Interns should complete their required online training prior to test prep and taking their exam. 
    • "Your online coursework will provide you with vital teaching terminology and pedagogy best practices that will help you in passing your exam." 
  • As of 09/01/2023 interns are required to complete our test prep with an 85% or higher before exam approval will be granted.  
  • Passing their content test(s) gives them access to their Letter of Enrollment (LOE)  if a regular hire and if a late hire it gives them access to both their Letter of Enrollment (LOE) and their Statement of Eligibility (SOE). See Late Hire Article in KB.

 

Testing: 

Exams are administered through Pearson, a nationwide test administration company.  Testing locations are available nationwide and interns who are out of state can also schedule their exam at a testing location near them.  


An intern may only receive approval for up to 3 certification areas at a time.  

  • For Example: 235 Math 7-12, 236 Science 7-12 and 231 English Language Arts and Reading 7-12 
  • If a certification area requires 2 or more exams it will count as 1 certification area 
    1. For example:  391 Core Subjects EC-6 and the 293 Science of Teaching Reading 

Content Tests (TExES) and Pre-Admission Content Tests (PACT) are administered through Pearson, a 3rd party test prep company.  

Exams are computer-based exams and are administered at a testing location

Many are offered several times a week

The cost of each exam ranges from $116-$136 dollars

Interns receive 5 attempts at each exam

Interns must wait 30 days in order to retest but can register for the exam prior to the 30 day wait period 

  • Interns may request a re-take of their exam through their portal as soon as they find out they were not successful in passing it.  They do NOT need to wait 30 days simply to request a re-take.  

A passing score for an exam is an 80% or higher or 240 out of 300.

A 6th attempt waiver is available to earn a 6th attempt at the exam and is ultimately approved by TEA (See 6th Attempt article for more information)


Exam approval is needed for each attempt and must be requested by the intern through the intern portal