What Is TExES 238?

What TExES 238 Actually Is

TExES 238 is shorthand for the TExES Life Science 7-12 (238) certification exam, one of the content-area tests Texas requires of aspiring secondary science teachers. Passing it demonstrates that a candidate has the biological content knowledge to teach life science to middle school and high school students across the state. It is not a general "science" test and it is not connected to any credential outside Texas educator certification - if you've seen the number 238 attached to a different certification elsewhere, that is a different exam entirely.

For a broader breakdown of what the credential covers and how it fits into a teaching career, see TExES 238 Certification and the companion explainer at What Is TExES 238 Certification?

Who Governs and Administers the Exam

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification set the policy and content requirements for TExES 238. Pearson, through its Evaluation Systems group, develops and administers the actual test as a computer-administered test (CAT). That means you'll sit for it at a Pearson VUE testing center - available throughout Texas and, by appointment, nationwide - rather than filling in bubbles on paper.

Because Pearson controls delivery and TEA controls the content framework, the exam framework itself was built in 2019 and defines 20 competencies spread across the six domains discussed below. That framework, not a generic science curriculum, is what every question is written against.

Exam Format, Timing, and Fee

TExES 238 consists of 100 selected-response questions. Some of those items are unscored field-test questions used to evaluate future exam content - you won't know which ones, so every question deserves full attention, but only the scored items count toward your final result.

Your total appointment runs 5 hours: 15 minutes for the CAT tutorial and a compliance agreement, followed by 4 hours and 45 minutes of actual testing time. There is no calculator and no reference sheet provided, so recall and application of biological content knowledge has to be fluent going in, not looked up.

The exam fee is a flat $116 - there's no separate member or non-member pricing tier. For the full breakdown of what that fee covers and any other costs tied to certification, see TExES 238 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

The Six Content Domains

TExES 238 content is organized into six domains aligned to the Life Science 7-12 Standards I-XI and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Three of them are weighted at 20% each and together make up roughly 60 of the 100 questions, so your preparation time should not be split evenly.

For a competency-by-competency walkthrough of every domain, read the TExES 238 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas.

Who Takes This Exam and How to Qualify

You don't just walk in and pay the fee. Candidates must be approved to test either through an educator preparation program (EPP) or directly by TEA. TExES 238 confirms subject-matter readiness, but earning an actual first Texas classroom certificate also requires passing the PPR EC-12 (160) pedagogy exam - the content test and the pedagogy test are separate requirements that both feed into certification.

This exam is the gatekeeper for anyone entering secondary life science teaching in Texas, which means it's relevant to career changers moving from biology-adjacent fields, recent graduates finishing an EPP, and out-of-state teachers pursuing Texas certification through alternative certification programs. Full eligibility rules, including EPP approval steps, are detailed in TExES 238 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Scoring, Retakes, and Registration Mechanics

TExES 238 uses a scaled score from 100 to 300, and you need a 240 to pass. Scores post at 10:00 p.m. Central on the published score report date tied to your test window - there's no instant unofficial score at the testing center for this exam. The exact meaning of the 240 threshold, and how raw performance converts to it, is covered in depth in TExES 238 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

If you don't pass on the first try, you're not alone - the statewide pass rate mechanics behind that reality are worth understanding before you register again. You get five attempts total, with a mandatory 30-day wait between attempts; going beyond five requires a TEA test-limit waiver. Registration stays valid for 170 days, and withdrawing before your appointment refunds the exam fee minus a $25 processing charge.

Because retakes and scheduling windows matter for planning around EPP deadlines or hiring seasons, check TExES 238 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling before you lock in a date.

Why Candidates Underestimate This Exam

TExES 238 has a reputation among Texas science content exams for being tough to pass on the first try. TEA's statewide data for the 2024-2025 program year showed a 47% first-attempt pass rate and a 56% best-attempt pass rate (N=554) - the lowest among the major secondary science content exams. That's a strong signal that generic biology review isn't enough; the breadth of the six domains, combined with TEKS-specific instructional questions in Domain 6, catches many candidates off guard.

Part of the difficulty is scope: cell biology, genetics, evolution, taxonomy, ecology, and pedagogy all live in the same 100-question test, with no calculator or reference sheet to lean on. For a deeper look at exactly where candidates lose points and how the exam compares in difficulty to other TExES content tests, see How Hard Is the TExES 238 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and the full data breakdown in TExES 238 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

Building a Domain-Aware Study Plan

Because Cell Structure and Processes, Heredity and Evolution of Life, and Diversity of Life together account for roughly 60% of the exam, your study calendar should weight those three domains far more heavily than the others - not treat all six as equal. A simple way to sequence it:

A short review cycle using spaced repetition on missed genetics and cell biology questions can help lock in the highest-weighted domains before test day, but the sequencing above - not the study technique itself - is what should drive your calendar. For a fully built-out week-by-week plan with resource recommendations, see the TExES 238 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. Practicing with realistic, domain-tagged questions on our TExES 238 practice test platform is one of the fastest ways to find out which of the three big domains actually needs the most attention before you commit study hours.

After You Pass

Passing TExES 238 (alongside PPR EC-12) clears the way for a standard Texas classroom certificate, which is valid for five years and renews through ECOS with 150 CPE clock hours for classroom teachers. From there, certified life science teachers are typically hired by Texas public middle schools and high schools, though the specific hiring landscape and how districts weigh this certification is worth exploring separately in TExES 238 Jobs.

If you're still weighing whether the time and $116 exam fee are worth it relative to your career plans, Is the TExES 238 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and TExES 238 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis dig into that question directly. And once you're deep in review mode, a condensed reference like the TExES 238 Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts can help with last-week review.

Frequently Asked Questions