- 140 selected-response questions in 4 hours 45 minutes; scaled score of 240 required to pass.
- Physics and Chemistry each carry 20% of the exam - 40% combined, more than any other pairing.
- The $116 fee is paid through Pearson after TEA certifies your testing eligibility.
- An on-screen calculator, periodic table, and constants reference are provided - you don't memorize formulas.
Exam Snapshot: Format, Fee, and Timing
Before diving into content, lock in the logistics so nothing surprises you on test day. The Texas Education Agency governs TExES certification testing, while Pearson handles the computer-based administration. Here's the one-page version of everything mechanical about the TExES Science 7-12 (236) exam:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Question count | 140 selected-response questions (some forms include unscored field-test items) |
| Testing time | 4 hours 45 minutes inside a 5-hour appointment |
| Appointment overhead | 15-minute tutorial and compliance agreement |
| Fee | $116, paid through Pearson |
| Passing score | 240 (scaled score) |
| Statewide pass rate (2024-2025) | 63% across 790 test takers |
If any of these numbers are new to you, spend a few minutes with the TExES 236 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass and TExES 236 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown guides - they go deeper into how the score is calculated and what the fee actually covers. For a full walkthrough of eligibility routes, including how PACT candidates follow a separate pre-admission process, see TExES 236 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Domain-by-Domain Quick Reference
TExES 236 is organized into ten domains with uneven weighting. Knowing the weight of each domain tells you exactly where to spend your limited study hours. Below is the full list with percentages, straight from the official framework.
Domain 1: Scientific Inquiry and Processes (10%)
Covers experimental design, lab safety, data analysis, and the nature of science. Expect questions that ask you to identify flawed experimental controls or interpret graphed data.
- Independent vs. dependent variables
- Safe handling of chemicals and equipment
Domain 2: Physics (20%)
The single largest domain, tied with Chemistry. Covers motion, forces, energy, waves, electricity, and magnetism.
- Newton's laws applied to real-world scenarios
- Work, energy, and power calculations using the on-screen calculator
Domain 3: Chemistry (20%)
Equally weighted with Physics. Covers atomic structure, periodicity, bonding, reactions, and stoichiometry.
- Using the provided periodic table efficiently
- Balancing equations and mole-ratio problems
Domain 4: Cell Structure and Processes (8%)
Cell biology fundamentals - organelles, membrane transport, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis.
- Comparing prokaryotic and eukaryotic structures
- Energy flow through cellular pathways
Domain 5: Heredity and Evolution of Life (8%)
Genetics, inheritance patterns, and evolutionary mechanisms.
- Punnett squares and probability of inherited traits
- Natural selection and evidence for evolution
Domain 6: Diversity of Life (8%)
Classification systems, taxonomy, and comparative anatomy/physiology across kingdoms.
- Distinguishing major taxonomic groups
- Structural adaptations across organisms
Domain 7: Interdependence of Life and Environmental Systems (6%)
Ecology - energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, and human impact on ecosystems.
- Food webs and trophic levels
- Carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles
Domain 8: Earth's History and the Structure and Function of Earth Systems (9%)
Geology, plate tectonics, rock cycle, and Earth's layered structure.
- Relative and absolute dating methods
- Evidence for plate tectonic theory
Domain 9: Components and Properties of the Solar System and the Universe (6%)
Astronomy - celestial mechanics, stellar life cycles, and the solar system's structure.
- Kepler's laws and orbital mechanics
- Life cycle of stars by mass
Domain 10: Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment (5%)
Pedagogy - how to plan, differentiate, and assess science instruction in a 7-12 classroom.
- Aligning instruction with inquiry-based learning
- Formative vs. summative assessment design
For a more detailed breakdown of each domain's subtopics and sample question styles, read the full TExES 236 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 10 Content Areas. And if you're still deciding how much time to budget overall, the How Hard Is the TExES 236 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 article breaks down the difficulty profile domain by domain.
Why Physics and Chemistry Deserve Half Your Prep Time
Physics and Chemistry are each weighted at 20%, meaning together they account for 40% of the exam - more than the bottom five domains combined. If your undergraduate background leans biology or earth science, this is the gap most likely to determine whether you clear the 240 scaled-score threshold.
Key Takeaway
Don't split study time evenly across all ten domains. Allocate roughly proportional to weight: Physics and Chemistry should each get noticeably more hours than Domain 7 or Domain 10.
Concretely, that means:
- Physics: Master kinematics equations, force diagrams, circuit analysis, and wave properties (frequency, wavelength, amplitude) well enough to apply them to unfamiliar scenarios, not just recall definitions.
- Chemistry: Be fluent in reading the periodic table for trends (electronegativity, atomic radius, ionization energy), balancing chemical equations, and basic stoichiometry using the on-screen calculator.
Because these two domains are scenario-heavy, expect multi-step selected-response items rather than simple recall. A question might describe a lab setup and ask you to predict an outcome, or give you a reaction and ask for the limiting reagent. Practicing under timed conditions with realistic item formats matters more here than flashcard memorization - a full-length practice test on the main TExES 236 practice test platform will expose exactly where your Physics and Chemistry reasoning breaks down.
Scoring: What 240 Actually Means
TExES 236 uses a scaled score, and you need a 240 to pass. Scaled scores are not raw percentages - they're calculated to account for slight variations in difficulty between test forms, so you can't simply assume you need to answer a fixed percentage of the 140 questions correctly.
What the numbers tell us plainly: statewide 2024-2025 data reported 790 test takers with a 63% pass rate. That means well over a third of candidates who sit for this exam do not clear 240 on their first attempt. This isn't a reason for alarm, but it is a reason to treat domain weighting and practice testing seriously rather than assuming general science knowledge from a degree program is sufficient.
For a full statistical breakdown and context on how the pass rate compares across administrations, see TExES 236 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows. If you want the mechanics of how raw performance converts to that 240 threshold, the TExES 236 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass guide covers it in more depth.
What's Provided On Test Day
One underrated cheat-sheet fact: you don't need to memorize everything. TEA provides several references directly on-screen during the test:
- An on-screen scientific calculator - useful for Physics and Chemistry calculations, so don't waste study time drilling arithmetic you'll be able to compute on-screen.
- A periodic table - you don't need to memorize atomic masses or symbols; instead, practice reading trends and using the table quickly under time pressure.
- A definitions and physical-constants reference page - common constants (like gravitational acceleration or Avogadro's number) will be available, so focus your memorization on when and how to apply them rather than the raw values.
Knowing these tools exist changes your prep strategy. Instead of memorizing constants, spend that time practicing how to plug values into formulas correctly and interpret results - that's where selected-response items actually trip candidates up.
Final-Week Review Schedule
If you're within a week or two of your appointment, don't start new content - consolidate. Here's a compressed schedule built around the domain weights above, useful whether you're finishing a longer study plan or cramming efficiently.
Physics & Chemistry Consolidation
- Redo missed practice items from these two domains
- Drill periodic table trends and force/energy formulas
Life Science Cluster
- Review Cell Structure, Heredity, and Diversity of Life together - they share vocabulary and often overlap in question stems
Earth, Space, and Ecology
- Cover Earth's History, Solar System, and Interdependence of Life domains
- Take one full-length timed practice test
Pedagogy and Light Review
- Review Domain 10 (Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment)
- Skim your weakest-area notes only - no new material
This sequencing front-loads the highest-weighted domains while your energy is freshest, then reserves the lowest-weighted domain (Domain 10 at 5%) for the day before your exam, when a lighter cognitive load is more realistic. For a longer-horizon plan that spans multiple weeks, see the complete TExES 236 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Key Takeaway
Group related domains together in your review sessions (life sciences, then earth/space, then pedagogy) rather than studying in numerical order - it reduces context-switching and reinforces overlapping vocabulary.
After You Pass: Certificate Renewal Basics
Passing TExES 236 is a milestone, not the finish line. Once issued, a Texas standard classroom-teacher certificate is valid for 5 years and requires 150 continuing professional education hours for renewal. Build this into your long-term planning now - many new teachers are surprised by the CPE requirement mid-career because they never budgeted for it.
If you're evaluating whether the entire certification path is worth pursuing given the time and cost involved, the Is the TExES 236 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 article walks through the full picture, and TExES 236 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis covers earning potential once you're certified. For where certified science teachers actually get hired, see TExES 236 Jobs.
Whichever stage you're at, running a few timed sessions on a full-length TExES 236 practice test before scheduling your official appointment is the single most reliable way to confirm you're ready to hit 240.
Frequently Asked Questions
The exam contains 140 selected-response questions. Some test forms may include unscored field-test questions embedded within that total, so you won't know which items are scored during the test.
You get 4 hours 45 minutes of actual testing time, within a 5-hour total appointment that also includes a 15-minute tutorial and compliance agreement at the start.
You need a scaled score of 240. This is not a raw percentage of the 140 questions but a scaled figure that accounts for slight variation in difficulty across test forms.
Physics and Chemistry are the two largest domains at 20% each, together making up 40% of the exam. They should receive the largest share of your study time, followed by Earth's History and the Structure and Function of Earth Systems at 9%.
Yes. An on-screen scientific calculator is provided, along with a periodic table and a definitions and physical-constants reference page, so you don't need to memorize constants or atomic data.