TExES 238 Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts

Exam Snapshot: Fee, Format, and Timing

Before you memorize a single competency statement, get the mechanics locked in. TExES Life Science 7-12 (238) is governed by the Texas Education Agency and the State Board for Educator Certification, but the test itself is built and delivered by Pearson through its Evaluation Systems division. It's a computer-administered test (CAT), so you'll sit for it at a Pearson VUE center in Texas or elsewhere by appointment, year round - there's no fixed spring/fall window like paper-based exams of decades past.

• Fee: $116, flat rate, no member or non-member pricing tiers.
• Question count: 100 selected-response items, though some are unscored field-test questions mixed in without being labeled.
• Time: A 5-hour appointment total - 15 minutes for the tutorial and compliance agreement, then 4 hours 45 minutes of actual testing.
• Tools: No calculator and no formula/reference sheet is provided, so any quick math or unit conversion has to be done in your head or on scratch paper.
• Passing score: 240 out of a 100-300 scaled range.

If you want the full breakdown of what that scaled score actually means and how raw questions translate into it, the TExES 238 Passing Score guide goes deeper than this cheat sheet allows. For the dollar-and-cents side - retake fees, prep materials, certification pathway costs - see the TExES 238 Certification Cost breakdown.

The Six Domains at a Glance

Everything on the exam maps back to the 2019 Life Science 7-12 exam framework, which organizes 20 competencies into six domains aligned to Life Science 7-12 Standards I-XI and the TEKS. Here's the weight breakdown you should have memorized before you ever open a practice test:

For a full competency-by-competency walkthrough of each domain, bookmark the TExES 238 Exam Domains Guide - it's the companion piece to this cheat sheet.

The Big Three: Where 60% of Questions Live

Three domains tie at 20% each, which means roughly 60 of the 100 scored-and-unscored questions come from just these three content areas. That's not a coincidence you can ignore - it's your study-time allocation formula.

Question Style and Field-Test Items

All 100 items are selected-response - no constructed-response or essay component. But "selected-response" on this exam isn't always a simple four-choice recall question. You'll see:

• Straightforward content-recall items testing definitions and processes
• Scenario-based items with a short stimulus (a data table, a diagram, a classroom vignette) followed by one or more questions
• Items that require you to apply a concept to a novel situation rather than just recognize a term

Because some of the 100 questions are unscored field-test items being trialed for future exam forms, you won't know which ones count toward your score. Treat every question as if it matters - because functionally, you have no way to tell the difference in the moment.

Pacing matters more than most candidates expect: with 4 hours 45 minutes for 100 items, you have close to 3 minutes per question on average, but scenario-based items eat that budget fast. If you're still unsure how this compares in difficulty to other certification exams you may have taken, the Difficulty Guide puts it in context.

Registration, Attempts, and Refund Rules

These are the numbers that trip candidates up because they're easy to forget under exam-prep stress:

• Eligibility: You must be approved to test by an educator preparation program or directly by TEA before you can register.
• Attempts: Five total attempts are allowed, with a mandatory 30-day wait between each. Need a sixth try? You'll need a TEA test-limit waiver.
• Registration validity: Once registered, your eligibility window is valid for 170 days - don't let it lapse without scheduling.
• Withdrawal refunds: If you withdraw, you get the exam fee back minus a $25 processing charge.
• Pairing requirement: A first standard Texas classroom certificate also requires passing the PPR EC-12 (160) pedagogy exam - this content test doesn't stand alone in the certification pathway.

For the full picture of who's eligible to sit for this exam in the first place, including EPP enrollment and alternative certification routes, read the TExES 238 Requirements guide. If you're planning around specific testing windows or trying to time your appointment against a hiring deadline, check the Exam Dates guide for scheduling mechanics.

A Domain-Weighted Review Schedule

Generic study advice ("use spaced repetition," "study in 25-minute blocks") only helps if it's mapped to this exam's actual weight distribution. Here's a review sequence built around the domain percentages, not around a generic template:

Notice that the last three domains - Scientific Inquiry (15%), Interdependence of Life and Environmental Systems (15%), and Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment (10%) - get compressed into one week here. That's intentional: their combined weight (40%) still matters, but each individual domain carries less risk than any one of the "big three." For a more granular week-by-week plan across a longer runway, see the full TExES 238 Study Guide.

After the Exam: Scores, Certificates, and Renewal

Once you've finished testing, the waiting isn't indefinite - scores post at 10:00 p.m. Central on the published score report date, so you'll know exactly when to check rather than refreshing a portal at random hours. If you clear the 240 passing score and complete the rest of the certification pathway (including PPR EC-12), your standard Texas certificate is valid for five years. Renewal runs through ECOS and requires 150 CPE clock hours for classroom teachers before the certificate lapses.

None of this happens in isolation from the bigger financial and career picture. If you're weighing whether the total time and cost investment pays off, the ROI Analysis and Salary Guide both dig into that question with real numbers rather than guesswork.

Who Actually Hires TExES 238 Holders

Passing this exam is a gateway credential specifically for secondary life science teaching roles in Texas public schools - middle school and high school biology, environmental science, and related life-science course assignments fall under this certification's scope. Texas districts hiring for these positions typically list the certification explicitly in job postings, since state law ties subject-area certification directly to what a teacher is legally allowed to be assigned to teach. If you're mapping out where this credential actually leads once you've passed, the TExES 238 Jobs guide covers the hiring landscape in more detail.

Whichever stage you're at - just starting to research the exam or deep into your final review - running timed practice sets that mirror the real 100-question, selected-response format is one of the highest-leverage things you can do before test day. You can start building that habit on the main practice test platform rather than relying on flashcards alone.

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