A can of soup lists 38% Daily Value for sodium in one serving. By the FDA's general guide to % Daily Value, how should a student read that figure?Answer: High, because 20% or more is high. Source: FDA, How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 001
A health teacher builds a fitness plan unit for seventh graders around the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. What do the guidelines set for youth ages 6 through 17?Answer: At least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines: Top 10 Things to Know. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 001
A nutrition lesson sorts carbohydrates into the three main types that MedlinePlus names. Which are they?Answer: Sugars, starches and fiber. Source: MedlinePlus, Carbohydrates. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 001
Show all 45 questions (42 more)
Health and wellness, continued
A student describes a partner who decides whom she may see and keeps her away from her friends. Which characteristics of a harmful relationship, as the Grades 7 and 8 standards list them, appear here?Answer: Controlling behavior and isolation. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §115.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Grades 7-8 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(21)(C). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 003
A student feels tense the night before a class presentation and calm once it is over. In the National Institute of Mental Health's terms, how does stress differ from anxiety?Answer: Stress answers an outside cause; anxiety can occur with no threat. Source: National Institute of Mental Health, I'm So Stressed Out! fact sheet. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 002
Before a Texas public school student may be given human sexuality instruction, what must the school district obtain?Answer: The written consent of the student's parent. Source: Texas Education Code §28.004(i-2), Local School Health Advisory Council and Health Education Instruction. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 003
During puberty both boys and girls usually have a growth spurt, a rapid increase in height. About how long does MedlinePlus say the growth spurt lasts?Answer: About 2 or 3 years. Source: MedlinePlus, Puberty. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 003
The Texas Health I standards have students discuss suicide prevention resources. Which number can a person in the United States call or text at any hour to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline?Answer: 988. Source: SAMHSA, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 002
The Texas health standards for Grades 7 and 8 name Lyme disease as a vector-borne illness. How do people get Lyme disease?Answer: From the bite of an infected tick. Source: MedlinePlus, Lyme Disease. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 001
The Texas standards for Grades 7 and 8 name three eating disorders. According to MedlinePlus, which one involves periods of binge eating that are followed by purging?Answer: Bulimia nervosa. Source: MedlinePlus, Eating Disorders. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 002
Two body systems regulate the body's activities. According to the National Cancer Institute's SEER training, how does the action of the endocrine system compare with that of the nervous system?Answer: It is slower and more generalized, working through hormones. Source: National Cancer Institute, SEER Training, Endocrine System. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 001
What does Texas Education Code §37.0831 require of every school district with regard to dating violence?Answer: A dating violence policy in its improvement plan. Source: Texas Education Code §37.0831, Dating Violence Policies. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 003
Which examples of adverse childhood experiences do the Texas Health I standards give when they ask students to analyze the effect on brain development?Answer: Abuse, neglect and trauma. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §115.38, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Health I (Legal Information Institute copy), (c)(4). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain I, competency 002
Health skills for reducing risks 17
A class learns GOFER, a five-step decision-making process that was taught to adolescents. In which step do students weigh the positive and negative consequences of each option?Answer: Consideration of effects. Source: Wikipedia, Decision-making, GOFER. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 007
A health teacher explains to a class what separates bullying from an ordinary quarrel. Which element does the Texas Education Code's definition of bullying require?Answer: The conduct exploits an imbalance of power. Source: Texas Education Code §37.0832(a)(1), Bullying Prevention Policies and Procedures. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 005
A lesson compares a 12-ounce regular beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine and a 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits. According to NIAAA, how do the three compare in pure alcohol?Answer: Each holds about the same, 14 grams. Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, What Is A Standard Drink?. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 004
A student is targeted at night, from home, through a social media application, and can no longer concentrate in class. Does the Texas bullying law reach this conduct?Answer: Yes, if it interferes with the student's educational opportunities. Source: Texas Education Code §37.0832(a-1), Bullying Prevention Policies and Procedures. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 005
A student reports being bullied. Under the Texas Education Code, by when must the district's procedure give notice to a parent or guardian of the alleged victim?Answer: By the third business day after the report. Source: Texas Education Code §37.0832(c)(4), Bullying Prevention Policies and Procedures. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 006
A student tells a friend, "I feel left out when plans change without me. Please text me next time." Which form of communication named in the Health I standards is this?Answer: Assertive. Source: Wikipedia, Assertiveness. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 005
A student turns "get in shape" into "walk 30 minutes after school, five days a week, for six weeks." In the SMART goal framework, what do the letters S, M and T stand for?Answer: Specific, measurable, time-bound. Source: Wikipedia, SMART criteria. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 007
A teacher who suspects abuse tells the school counselor and asks the counselor to file the report. Does that meet the teacher's duty under the Texas Family Code?Answer: No, a professional may not delegate the report. Source: Texas Family Code §261.101(b), Persons Required to Report; Time to Report. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 006
A Texas teacher has reasonable cause to believe that a student has been abused. Under the Family Code as it reads today, by when must the teacher make a report?Answer: Not later than the 24th hour after first having that cause. Source: Texas Family Code §261.101(b), Persons Required to Report; Time to Report. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 006
A unit on poisoning and overdose prevention teaches the national poison control number. Which number reaches poison experts from anywhere in the United States?Answer: 1-800-222-1222. Source: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Poison control center - emergency number. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 006
According to MedlinePlus, which statement about e-cigarettes is true?Answer: They contain nicotine, which is addictive. Source: MedlinePlus, E-Cigarettes. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 004
During a disagreement, a teacher asks each student to restate how the other sees the problem before replying. Which skill from the Health I standards is the class practicing?Answer: Perspective-taking. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §115.38, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Health I (Legal Information Institute copy), (c)(2)(A). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 005
Health I students rehearse saying no to an offered vape, giving a reason and walking away. Which skill named in the Texas standards are they practicing?Answer: Refusal skills. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §115.38, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Health I (Legal Information Institute copy), (c)(17)(A). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 004
In Texas, a person commits an offense by selling a cigarette, an e-cigarette or a tobacco product to someone younger than what age?Answer: 21. Source: Texas Health and Safety Code §161.082. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 004
Students design posters and a short video that promote a substance-free life to the whole school. Which health skill in the Health I standards does the project build?Answer: Health advocacy. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §115.38, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Health I (Legal Information Institute copy), (c)(16)(B). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 007
Students sort ways of handling stress into healthy and unhealthy. Which one is on the National Institute of Mental Health's list of ways to cope?Answer: Sticking to a sleep routine. Source: National Institute of Mental Health, I'm So Stressed Out! fact sheet. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 007
Texas law requires schools to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator. Which students must receive that instruction?Answer: Grades 7 through 12, at least once before graduation. Source: Texas Education Code §28.0023, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator Instruction. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain II, competency 006
Health literacy and health education 8
A health coordinator wants national data on behaviors such as tobacco use, diet and physical activity among students in grades 9 to 12 to set program priorities. Which survey system supplies it?Answer: The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2030 data sources, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 009
A health teacher is appointed to the district's local school health advisory council. How often does the Texas Education Code require the council to meet?Answer: At least four times each year. Source: Texas Education Code §28.004(d-1), Local School Health Advisory Council. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 009
A school district reworks its immunization notices so that every family can find them, understand them and act on them. Which term does Healthy People 2030 use for what the district is improving?Answer: Organizational health literacy. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Literacy in Healthy People 2030. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 008
A student finds a web page about a new supplement and cannot tell who runs the site. What does MedlinePlus say about a health website like that?Answer: The site may not be trustworthy. Source: MedlinePlus, Evaluating Health Information. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 008
A Texas school board appoints its local school health advisory council. Who must make up a majority of the council's members?Answer: Parents of district students who are not district employees. Source: Texas Education Code §28.004(d), Local School Health Advisory Council. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 009
On the Drug Facts label of an over-the-counter medicine, which section tells when not to use the product and when to stop and contact a doctor?Answer: Warnings. Source: FDA, OTC Drug Facts Label. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 008
Students pick apart an advertisement for a protein powder: who paid for it, what it promises and what it leaves out. Which topic in the Grades 7 and 8 standards does the lesson address?Answer: How media influences buying decisions. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §115.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, Grades 7-8 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(9)(B). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 008
Under Texas Education Code §38.013, a coordinated health program for elementary, middle and junior high schools must coordinate education and services in five areas. Which of these is one of the five?Answer: Parental involvement. Source: Texas Education Code §38.013, Coordinated Health Program for Elementary, Middle, and Junior High School Students. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain III, competency 009
Educating all learners and professional practice 7
A health teacher offers the content of one lesson as a video, a labeled diagram and a short text. Which principle of Universal Design for Learning does this apply?Answer: Multiple means of representation. Source: CAST, Universal Design for Learning Guidelines. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 010
A screening places a seventh grader well below grade level in reading, and the student begins evidence-based small-group lessons on specific skills beside regular class instruction. Which tier of Response to Intervention is this?Answer: Tier 2. Source: Wikipedia, Response to intervention. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 012
A student with an Individualized Education Program joins a health class. Under the federal rule on IEPs, what must the school make sure the health teacher is told?Answer: His or her responsibilities and the accommodations to provide. Source: 34 CFR 300.323(d), When IEPs must be in effect (Legal Information Institute copy). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 011
A teacher leaves a student out of a fitness unit because of the student's disability, with no plan or accommodation behind the decision. Which standard of the Texas educators' code of ethics does this break?Answer: The rule against excluding a student on the basis of disability. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §247.2, Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators, Standard 3.4 (Legal Information Institute copy). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 011
During a unit on reading food labels, a health teacher collects exit slips each day and uses them to decide what to reteach. No grade is recorded. What kind of assessment is this?Answer: Formative assessment. Source: Wikipedia, Educational assessment, Placement, formative, summative, and diagnostic. Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 012
Under the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators, an educator shall not furnish alcohol to any person under 21 years of age. Which exception does the standard itself state?Answer: The educator is that person's parent or guardian. Source: 19 Texas Administrative Code §247.2, Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators, Standard 3.7 (Legal Information Institute copy). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 010
Which of these is one of the disability categories listed in the federal regulation that defines a "child with a disability" under IDEA?Answer: Specific learning disability. Source: 34 CFR 300.8, Child with a disability (Legal Information Institute copy). Written to TExES Health EC–12 (257) Domain IV, competency 010
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam framework of TExES Health EC–12 (257) 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_257.htm (copyright Texas Education Agency), read 2026-10-15: 90 selected-response questions and 1 constructed-response question in five domains, Health and Wellness about 22%, Health Skills for Reducing Risks 30%, Health Literacy and Health Education 14%, Educating All Learners and Professional Practice 13%, and the constructed response 20%. This bank holds 45 selected-response questions in the shares of the first four domains: 13, 17, 8 and 7. Each question rests on one public page, named and linked under it and opened 2026-10-15: the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, 19 Texas Administrative Code §§115.27 and 115.38, and the educators' code of ethics, §247.2 (Legal Information Institute copies); the Texas Education Code, Family Code and Health and Safety Code on the Texas Legislature's statutes site; 34 CFR Part 300; MedlinePlus, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Cancer Institute's SEER training, the FDA, SAMHSA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; CAST's UDL Guidelines; and five Wikipedia articles. Every health fact was read on its page a second time. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
A free TExES Health EC-12 practice test: 45 questions written for this site on exam 257, which replaced 157. Unofficial, a study aid and not medical advice, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Texas Education Agency or Pearson.
Read the full guide
157 is retired, 257 replaced it
Health EC–12 (157) was last given on September 1, 2024. The exam program now lists Health EC–12 (257), and this page follows that framework.
90 questions and one written response
The real exam asks 90 selected-response questions and 1 constructed-response question in 4 hours 45 minutes. No separate time is published for the questions, so the 45-question run here has no clock.
Texas law and health sources
Twelve answers cite Texas statutes: the school health advisory council, parent consent, bullying, and the duty to report abuse. Health facts were checked at MedlinePlus, the National Institutes of Health, the FDA and SAMHSA.
Law answers quote the statute as it read on the date checked. After a miss, open the section and read the whole paragraph.
The written response asks for a lesson built on one Texas health standard, so read the standards themselves, not only summaries.
Questions and answers
Is there a TExES 157 Health study guide?
Not for a current exam: Health EC–12 (157) is retired. For its replacement, 257, the exam program posts a free preparation manual. Section 3 lists five domains and 13 competencies, and each answer here names its competency.
Are these real TExES Health EC-12 questions?
No. Each was written for this site from one competency of the public framework and one public source. Nothing comes from the exam or from the sample questions in the manual. The page is free, with no sign-up.
What is on the TExES Health EC-12 (257) exam?
Health and Wellness 22%, Health Skills for Reducing Risks 30%, Health Literacy and Health Education 14%, and Educating All Learners and Professional Practice 13%. The last 20% is one written response that designs health instruction.
What score passes TExES Health EC-12?
240 on a scaled score, by the exam's page. The scale is not a percent and the written response counts toward it, so this page gives a count of right answers and no pass or fail.