• 48 questions

TExES EC-6 Science Practice Test

Unofficial practice for Science (904), the science subject exam of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391).

A class logs 3.2 kilometers of hallway walking in a week. How many meters is that?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 45 questions, 55 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Texas Education Agency or Pearson. Bank checked October 15, 2026.

Next step All five subjects: Core Subjects EC–6

All 48 questions

Science practice, teaching and assessment 12

  • A class logs 3.2 kilometers of hallway walking in a week. How many meters is that? NIST, Metric (SI) Prefixes; the answer is arithmetic. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 001
  • A class traces a carbon atom from the air into a leaf, into a caterpillar and back to the air. Which recurring theme of the Texas science standards does the lesson serve? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 004
  • A third-grade class audits the paper it throws away. Which three ways to conserve natural resources do the grade 3 Texas standards name? 19 TAC §112.5, Science, Grade 3. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 003
  • Alfred Wegener proposed in 1912 that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface. What was his hypothesis called? Wikipedia, Alfred Wegener. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 002
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Science practice, teaching and assessment, continued

  • At the end of a lesson on magnets each student writes one sentence on a card about why a paper clip moved. The teacher reads the cards that night and changes the next day's plan. What kind of assessment is this? Wikipedia, Formative assessment. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 006
  • Fifth graders must measure the force needed to pull a block up a ramp. Which tool on the grade 5 Texas list measures it? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5; Wikipedia, Spring scale. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 001
  • The grade 5 Texas standards ask students to explore resources such as museums, libraries, private companies and mentors employed in a STEM field. For what purpose? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 003
  • In 1665 a scientist examined cork through a microscope for his book Micrographia and gave the small compartments he saw a name that biology still uses. Who was he, and what was the name? Wikipedia, Cell theory. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 002
  • In Piaget's theory, one stage occurs between the ages of 7 and 11, follows the preoperational stage and is marked by the appropriate use of logic. Which stage is it? Wikipedia, Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 005
  • Instead of a multiple-choice quiz, a teacher has each pair of students wire a working circuit and scores what they build and explain against criteria. Which term names assessment of intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant and meaningful? Wikipedia, Authentic assessment. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 006
  • Students explain why a duck's webbed foot suits paddling and a hawk's talons suit grasping. Which recurring theme of the Texas science standards are they using? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 004
  • The Texas standards recommend that districts integrate scientific and engineering practices through classroom and outdoor investigations. For at least what share of instructional time in grade 5, and in kindergarten? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5; 19 TAC §112.2, Science, Kindergarten. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 005

Physical science 12

  • A bicycle left out in the rain turns reddish brown and flaky. Rust is an iron oxide. Which substances does iron react with to form it? Wikipedia, Rust. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 008
  • A bulb wired to a battery lights only when the last wire is connected. Which statement in the grade 4 Texas standards does this show? 19 TAC §112.6, Science, Grade 4. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 009
  • A calculator runs on a small panel that needs no battery in a bright room. What does a solar cell do? Wikipedia, Solar cell. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 010
  • A magnet pulls a paper clip toward it across a gap of air. Which idea in the grade 3 Texas standards does a teacher use this to demonstrate? 19 TAC §112.5, Science, Grade 3. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 007
  • A power plant burns coal to make electricity. From what did the coal form? Wikipedia, Coal. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 010
  • A student presses her ear to a long metal fence and hears a tap at the far end sooner than she hears it through the air. Why? Wikipedia, Speed of sound. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 009
  • A student rides a bicycle 12 kilometers in half an hour at a steady pace. What is her speed? Wikipedia, Speed; the answer is arithmetic. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 007
  • The grade 5 Texas standards have students design a simple experimental investigation that tests the effect of force on an object in a system. Which examples of such a system do they give? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 007
  • The grade 5 Texas standards say that light travels in a straight line. Which three things do they say can happen to it? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 009
  • The grade 5 Texas standards use a flashlight to teach the transformation of energy. Which chain of changes do they give for the energy in its battery? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 010
  • How do the grade 5 Texas standards have students judge the relative density of a material? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 008
  • Students stir iron filings into sand and then pull the filings back out with a magnet. Which idea in the grade 5 Texas standards does this demonstrate? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 008

Life science 12

  • A class finds shells pressed into limestone on a Texas hillside far from the sea. According to the grade 3 Texas standards, of what are fossils evidence? 19 TAC §112.5, Science, Grade 3. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 013
  • A grasshopper hatches as a nymph that looks like a small adult without wings, and it never forms a pupa. Which kind of development is this? Wikipedia, Hemimetabolism. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 011
  • A harmless hoverfly has the yellow and black bands of a wasp, and birds leave it alone. What is this kind of resemblance called, in which a harmless species imitates the warning signals of a harmful one? Wikipedia, Batesian mimicry. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 013
  • As days grow cold and food grows scarce, a ground squirrel's body temperature and heart rate drop for weeks. What is this response to the season called? Wikipedia, Hibernation. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 014
  • Bees take nectar from flowers and carry pollen from one flower to the next, so each species gains. What is this kind of relationship called? Wikipedia, Mutualism (biology). Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 014
  • In a breed of rabbit, black fur (B) is dominant over brown fur (b). A black rabbit with genotype BB is crossed with a black rabbit with genotype Bb. What share of the offspring should have brown fur? Wikipedia, Punnett square; the answer is worked out. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 012
  • In a prairie food chain, a jackrabbit eats grass and a coyote eats the jackrabbit. What is the jackrabbit? Wikipedia, Consumer (food chain). Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 014
  • One gene in a plant affects both the color of its flowers and the color of its seed coat. What is the condition called in which a single gene influences multiple traits? Wikipedia, Pleiotropy. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 012
  • One letter of an organism's genetic code is copied wrongly, and the change is passed to its offspring. What is such a change in the DNA sequence called? National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Mutation. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 013
  • Sea turtle hatchlings crawl to the sea with no parent to show them the way. In the grade 5 Texas standards, which kind of behavioral trait is this? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 012
  • Students compare a cell from a green leaf and a cheek cell under a microscope. Which structures should they expect in the plant cell only? Wikipedia, Plant cell. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 011
  • Which plant structures do the grade 4 Texas standards give as examples of structures that enable plants to survive in their environment? 19 TAC §112.6, Science, Grade 4. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 011

Earth and space science 12

  • A second grader asks why the Moon shines at night. What do the grade 2 Texas standards have students explain about the Moon? 19 TAC §112.4, Science, Grade 2. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 018
  • A student tests minerals by which one scratches which. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which mineral is the softest, with a value of 1? Wikipedia, Mohs scale. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 016
  • According to NASA, about how much of the mass of the entire solar system is in the Sun? NASA Science, Sun: Facts. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 018
  • According to the grade 3 Texas standards, how are soils such as sand and clay formed? 19 TAC §112.5, Science, Grade 3. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 016
  • According to the grade 5 Texas standards, what causes the cycle of day and night and the appearance of the Sun moving across the sky? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 018
  • The air over Houston in August feels heavy and damp. Which term names the concentration of water vapor present in the air? Wikipedia, Humidity. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 017
  • The grade 5 Texas standards have students model how wind, water or ice change Earth's surface and form landforms. Which three landforms do they name? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 015
  • The grade 5 Texas standards have students model the processes that formed two things together. Sedimentary rocks are one. What is the other? 19 TAC §112.7, Science, Grade 5. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 016
  • Palo Duro Canyon cuts into the level plain of the Texas Panhandle. What formed it? Wikipedia, Palo Duro Canyon. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 015
  • The reading on a classroom barometer has been falling all morning. What does a barometer measure? Wikipedia, Barometer. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 017
  • Second graders study hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. What do the grade 2 Texas standards have them explain about such severe weather events? 19 TAC §112.4, Science, Grade 2. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 017
  • The Texas standards sort changes to Earth's surface by how fast they happen. Which set do the grade 3 standards give as examples of rapid changes? 19 TAC §112.5, Science, Grade 3. Written to Science (904) of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391) Subject Exam IV, competency 015

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the framework of Science (904), Subject Exam IV of TExES Core Subjects EC–6 (391), in Section 3 of the preparation manual on the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program website, https://www.tx.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/TX_SG_obj_391.htm (copyright Texas Education Agency), read 2026-10-15: 45 selected-response questions on 18 competencies, with no weights among them. This bank holds 48: two on each of competencies 001 to 006 and three on each of 007 to 018. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question (29 pages, each opened 2026-10-15): the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for science in grades 2 to 5 (19 TAC §§112.4 to 112.7) in the Legal Information Institute's copies, NIST, NASA Science, the National Human Genome Research Institute and Wikipedia articles. Twenty-three questions rest on the Texas standards. Three answers are worked out from a rule the source gives. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free TExES EC-6 science practice test asks 48 questions of our own on Science (904), one of the five subject exams of Core Subjects EC–6. It is unofficial, and neither the Texas Education Agency nor Pearson is affiliated with it.

Read the full guide

A clock of its own

Science is the fourth of the five subject exams: 45 selected-response questions in 55 minutes.

Eighteen competencies

Six are about teaching science: safety and tools, the nature of science, its impact, unifying concepts, how students learn, and assessment. Twelve are content, four each in physical, life, and Earth and space science. The framework gives no weights among them; this bank asks two of each teaching competency and three of each content competency.

What Texas children are taught

Twenty-three questions quote the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for science in grades 2 to 5: what a grade expects, in the words of the standard.

  • The standards recommend investigations for at least 80% of science time in kindergarten and 50% in grade 5.

Questions and answers

Is there a TExES Core Subjects EC-6 science study guide?

The preparation manual for Core Subjects EC–6 (391) is free on the exam program site, and its Section 3 lists the 18 science competencies. The Texas science standards for the elementary grades are the other text to read.

Is this a TExES Core Subjects EC-6 science practice test for the 391 exam?

Yes. It follows the framework of Science (904), Subject Exam IV of Core Subjects EC–6 (391), and it leaves the other four subject exams to their own pages.

Can you retake only the science part of Core Subjects EC-6?

Yes, when science is the only subject exam you missed: the manual lets a candidate who passed the other four retake a single one. The exam page lists $58 for a subject exam taken separately.

What score do you need on the EC-6 science subject exam?

240, scaled, on Science itself: each of the five subject exams of Core Subjects EC–6 is passed on its own, and the whole exam is reported only as Passed or Not Passed.

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