Educator Testing

Welcome to the office of Educator Testing at the Texas Education Agency. The office of Educator Testing is responsible for the overall management and monitoring of the statewide educator certification testing contract as well as the development and implementation of testing rules. This page provides testing information related to obtaining a Texas educator certificate. Texas law requires that educators pass appropriate tests to become certified. The appropriate examination(s) required for certification are specified in the Texas Administrative Code, §230.21(e). Further information about current, past and future tests may be found below:

• Required Texas Certification Tests (including deadlines to apply for certification)

Testing Information

Information related to testing is available below:

•  Test Registration and Preparation
•  Pre Admissions Content Testing (PACT)
•  Test Approval
•  Test Scores and Reports
•  Test Center Comments and Complaints
•  Test-Limit Waiver Information

Additional Information Related to Testing

Additional testing information is available below:

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Test Exemption Instructions (PDF, 79KB) (Coming soon)
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing Test Exemption Application (PDF, 174 KB)
• Audiologist Report Form (PDF, 256 KB) 

Please submit a Help Desk ticket for additional guidance.

Testing Announcements and Updates 

Educator Preparation Program Exam Vouchers

Certification exam vouchers are available for purchase by educator preparation programs to provide candidates with codes to be used during registration for a Texas educator certification exam. Please contact your preparation program for more information. 

Last Administration Date for Core Subjects: EC-6 #291 

The last administration date for Core Subjects: EC-6 (291) was December 31, 2021, with the passing score on the whole exam used for certification purposes until December 30, 2022. If all sub-tests were not passed then you must pass all of the new 391. There will be five attempts to pass the 391. 

Starting January 1, 2022, the Core Subjects: EC-6 (391) will be the only certification exam available for administration for the Core Subjects EC-6 certification. For more information, please review the FAQ section of the Core Subjects: EC-6 transition one-pager or TEA’s STR Teacher Candidate webpage.

ELAR 4-8 (217): Exam Transition FAQ Document  

The ELAR 4-8 exam transition to the ELAR 4-8 (217) exam will occur on January 1, 2022. Please see the informational one-pager that addresses timelines and other frequently asked questions related to the exam launch, program requirements, and candidate preparation resources. Candidates can now register for the new 217.

Early Childhood PK-3 #292 Certification

The Early Childhood: PK–3 #292 is not an exam available to be taken under the "Certification by Exam" option. It requires specific coursework and training to be completed with an Approved Educator Preparation Program. Please contact an approved educator preparation program for exam approval. The Early Childhood PK-3 FAQ is now available to address common inquiries. 

Educator Certification Examination Retake Limit Change

Candidates are limited to a total of 5 attempts to pass a certification examination under Texas Education Code §21.048. Beginning September 1, 2018, all attempts of the same examination, no matter when they occurred, will count toward the 5-attempt testing limit regardless of when the examination was first attempted.

Candidates who reach the 5-time testing limit must apply for a test-limit waiver to retest.

Note: TX PACT examinations taken for intensive pre-service are subject to the 5-time test limit. TX PACT examinations taken for all other purposes are not subject to the 5-time test limit. Please visit www.tea.texas.gov/tlw

Testing Vendor Updates:

Updated Pearson mask policy. Pearson - 1-800-877-4599

Effective December 1, 2021, face masks are required at all company-owned Pearson Professional Centers (PPCs) in the United States and United States Territories regardless of vaccination status per the requirements set forth in Executive Order 14042 and in compliance with CDC guidelines for areas with high or substantial community spread. Unvaccinated individuals are always required to wear masks and distance. Candidates who do not comply may forfeit their ability to take current and future exams. Pearson will not issue refunds to candidates who do not comply. 

The search functionality on Pearson’s COVID-19 Update Page remains an excellent way for candidates to verify specific test center requirements. 

Candidates who do not comply with the mask requirement will be refused to test and may forfeit their ability to take current and future exams. Pearson will not issue refunds to candidates who do not comply. 

ETS – Performance Assessment for School Leaders 1-855-628-5088

The PASL Assessment Spring 2022 dates are posted on the ETS website – see link below.

Registration and Submission: https://www.ets.org/ppa/test-takers/school-leaders/register/dates-deadlines/ 

The Important Updates page contains a link to the guidance document for candidates who may be submitting their PASL assessment tasks while working in a virtual learning environment. 

The PASL Assessment Task 3 Library of Examples page has been updated to include a virtual learning response for each textbox.

We will continue to provide updates periodically. This information is also available at https://www.ets.org/ppa.