- The TExES 116 Pass Rate: What the Numbers Actually Say
- How the Pass Rate Is Calculated
- Where Candidates Lose Points: The Five Domains
- Exam Format and Why It Shapes Results
- Why the Pass Rate Matters to Schools and Hiring Districts
- Retakes, Attempt Limits, and Recovering From a Miss
- Closing the Gap: A Domain-Weighted Prep Approach
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The 2024-2025 statewide best-attempt pass rate for TExES 116 was 56%.
- You need a scaled score of 240 to pass, regardless of how the raw questions break down.
- Four domains - Inquiry, Physical, Life, and Earth/Space Science - each carry equal 22% weight.
- Failed attempts require a 30-day wait, and candidates get a maximum of five attempts total.
The TExES 116 Pass Rate: What the Numbers Actually Say
If you're preparing for the TExES Science 4-8 (116) exam, the most useful data point available is the statewide best-attempt pass rate for 2024-2025: 56%. That figure reflects candidates' best outcome across their attempts, and it tells a clear story - passing this exam is genuinely achievable, but it is not automatic. Nearly half of test-takers do not clear the bar on their strongest try, which means preparation quality matters more than test-taking confidence alone.
A 56% pass rate sits in a middle zone: high enough that the exam is not designed to weed out most candidates, but low enough that generic studying or last-minute review is a risky strategy. For a full breakdown of what makes this exam demanding in the first place, see our companion piece on how hard the TExES 116 exam really is.
How the Pass Rate Is Calculated
The Texas Education Agency reports TExES 116 outcomes using a scaled score system, and the passing threshold is 240. This scaled score converts your raw number of correct answers across the 100 selected-response questions into a standardized value, which accounts for minor difficulty variations between test forms. Some questions on any given form may be unscored field-test items, though you won't know which ones during the exam - so every question deserves your full attention.
The statewide 56% figure is a "best-attempt" statistic, meaning it counts a candidate as a pass if any of their attempts cleared 240, not just their first try. That distinction matters: it tells you the ceiling of ultimate success is higher than any single-attempt number would suggest, but it also underscores that a first-attempt fail is common enough that you shouldn't treat it as catastrophic if it happens. For the exact scoring mechanics and what 240 translates to in practical terms, read our detailed guide to the TExES 116 passing score.
Key Takeaway
A 240 scaled score is the only number that matters on test day. Don't waste energy estimating "how many questions you can miss" - focus your prep on domain mastery instead.
Where Candidates Lose Points: The Five Domains
TExES 116 is built around five content domains, and understanding their relative weight is the single most actionable piece of data available to you. Four domains are tied at the top:
Domain 1: Scientific Inquiry and Processes (22%)
Covers experimental design, lab safety, measurement, and how scientific reasoning is applied and communicated across disciplines.
- Expect scenario-based questions describing a classroom investigation or data set
Domain 2: Physical Science (22%)
Matter, energy, forces, motion, and chemical/physical changes - often tested through applied, real-world scenarios rather than pure recall.
- The on-screen periodic table supports chemistry items but doesn't replace conceptual understanding
Domain 3: Life Science (22%)
Cell structure, heredity, ecosystems, and organism systems, frequently connected back to inquiry-based classroom examples.
- Cross-domain questions often blend life science content with inquiry or instructional context
Domain 4: Earth and Space Science (22%)
Geology, weather and climate systems, and astronomy - an area many candidates underestimate relative to physical and life science.
- Don't skip this domain just because it feels smaller in scope; it carries equal weight
The fifth domain, Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment, carries a 13% weight and focuses on pedagogy: how to plan instruction, differentiate for learners, and assess science understanding effectively. Because it's weighted lower than the four content domains, some candidates deprioritize it - but skipping it entirely can cost you more points than expected, since pedagogy questions appear throughout the test, not in an isolated block. For a full walkthrough of every domain's subtopics and how test items are structured, see our complete guide to all five TExES 116 content domains.
| Domain | Weight | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scientific Inquiry and Processes | 22% | Experimental design, lab safety, reasoning |
| 2. Physical Science | 22% | Matter, energy, forces, chemical change |
| 3. Life Science | 22% | Cells, heredity, ecosystems, organisms |
| 4. Earth and Space Science | 22% | Geology, weather, astronomy |
| 5. Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment | 13% | Instructional planning, differentiation, assessment |
Exam Format and Why It Shapes Results
Part of what drives the 56% pass rate is the exam's format itself. TExES 116 is a computer-administered test delivered by Pearson, run during a five-hour appointment: 15 minutes are set aside for the tutorial and compliance agreement, leaving 4 hours and 45 minutes of actual testing time for 100 selected-response questions. That's roughly 2.85 minutes per question on average - generous for straightforward recall items, but tight for the multi-step scenario questions that dominate the content domains.
Candidates who haven't practiced under realistic time pressure often report running short on time in the final domain block, which is one reason pacing strategy belongs in your prep from day one - not something to figure out on test day. The $116 exam fee also means every attempt carries real cost, which is another argument for treating your first attempt as your best shot rather than a "practice run." For a breakdown of this and other costs in the certification pathway, see our TExES 116 certification cost breakdown.
Why the Pass Rate Matters to Schools and Hiring Districts
TExES 116 certification is required for candidates seeking Texas certification to teach science to students in grades 4 through 8, typically through an approved educator preparation program. Because the credential confirms competency across inquiry, physical, life, and earth/space science plus instructional pedagogy, districts treat a passing score as a baseline signal that a new hire can handle a middle-grades science curriculum without extensive remediation.
The practical implication of a 56% pass rate is that hiring pipelines expect some attrition between candidates who enter a prep program and those who ultimately certify. If you're weighing whether pursuing this credential is worth the investment of time and the $116 fee, our analysis on whether TExES 116 certification is worth it walks through the return on that investment in more depth. And if you're still mapping out eligibility before you even register, the TExES 116 requirements guide covers the educator preparation program, application, and fingerprinting steps in order.
Retakes, Attempt Limits, and Recovering From a Miss
If you don't clear 240 on your first attempt, the rules are specific: you must wait 30 days before retesting, and you are limited to a maximum of five attempts total. Given the 56% best-attempt pass rate, a meaningful share of successful candidates needed more than one try - so a first-attempt miss is not a sign you should abandon the pathway, but it is a strong signal to change your prep approach rather than repeat it.
Use the 30-day window strategically. Request your score report, identify which domains pulled your score down, and rebuild a study plan weighted toward those weak spots rather than restarting from scratch. Testing is offered year-round, so scheduling flexibility isn't usually the bottleneck - content gaps are. Check TExES 116 exam dates and scheduling windows when planning your retake timeline.
Key Takeaway
A missed attempt costs you 30 days and another $116 fee - both are recoverable. What isn't recoverable without real change is repeating the same study plan and expecting a different scaled score.
Closing the Gap: A Domain-Weighted Prep Approach
Because four of the five domains are weighted identically at 22%, the most efficient prep strategy is to allocate study time proportionally rather than favoring whichever science subject feels most familiar from your own coursework. A candidate with a biology background, for example, often over-indexes on Life Science and under-prepares for Earth and Space Science - even though both carry the same 22% weight on the actual test.
Diagnostic and Inquiry Foundations
- Take a full-length practice test to identify your weakest domain
- Review Scientific Inquiry and Processes, since it underlies question framing across the entire exam
Physical and Life Science
- Drill applied problems involving forces, energy, and chemical change
- Practice cell biology and ecosystem scenario questions
Earth/Space Science and Pedagogy
- Don't shortchange Earth and Space Science just because it's often studied last
- Layer in Domain 5 instructional and assessment concepts alongside content review
Timed Practice and Pacing
- Simulate the 4 hour 45 minute testing window with full-length timed sets
- Review periodic table usage and any lingering weak-domain gaps
For a more detailed week-by-week study framework built specifically around this exam's structure, see our TExES 116 study guide for passing on your first attempt. Running full-length, timed practice sets on our TExES 116 practice test platform is one of the most direct ways to convert domain review into exam-day performance, since it forces you to apply content knowledge under the same pacing constraints you'll face on test day.
It's also worth keeping the long view in mind: once you pass, a standard Texas classroom-teacher certificate is valid for five years and requires 150 CPE hours to renew. Passing TExES 116 is the entry point into that cycle, not a one-time hurdle - which is one more reason to build study habits now that you can sustain rather than cram-and-forget tactics.
Frequently Asked Questions
The statewide best-attempt pass rate for TExES Science 4-8 (116) in 2024-2025 was 56%, meaning just over half of candidates cleared the passing scaled score of 240 across their attempts.
It suggests the exam requires focused, domain-specific preparation rather than casual review. It is not an extreme filter, but it is far from a guaranteed pass without adequate study across all five domains.
Candidates are limited to five total attempts, with a mandatory 30-day waiting period between each attempt.
No single domain should be prioritized over the others, since Scientific Inquiry and Processes, Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science are each weighted at 22%. Balanced coverage across all four, plus attention to the 13%-weighted Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment domain, is the safest strategy.
The publicly available figure is a best-attempt statewide rate of 56%, which counts a candidate as passing if any attempt cleared the 240 scaled score threshold. Separate first-attempt-only figures are not part of the available data.