A 50.0-gram standard mass is placed on a balance four times. The readings are 47.1 g, 47.2 g, 47.1 g and 47.2 g. How should the readings be described?Wikipedia, "Accuracy and precision", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 002
A class sets foam balls on a tabletop as a model of the solar system. Which feature of models do the Texas science standards ask students to identify?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(2)(A). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 005
A lab notebook reads: (1) "The liquid turned blue and the test tube felt warm." (2) "A chemical reaction released energy." How do the Texas science standards classify statement 2?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (a)(3)(A) and (B). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 003
Show all 60 questions (57 more)
Scientific inquiry and processes, continued
A seventh-grade class is about to heat water on hot plates. According to the Texas middle school science standards, where are the safety equipment and practices the students must use set out?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(1)(C). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 001
A student lists electricity beside coal and sunlight as an energy source. In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's terms, how is electricity different?U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Sources of energy", opening section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 004
A student measures a beetle as 3.5 centimeters long. What is that length in millimeters?National Institute of Standards and Technology, "Metric (SI) Prefixes", prefix table. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 002
A student says, "Plate tectonics is only a theory, so scientists are still guessing." Which statement from the Texas science standards corrects the student?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (a)(3)(D). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 003
A teacher checks the label on a new bottle of lab reagent. Which description fits a hazard pictogram under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard?Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "Hazard Communication Standard Pictogram", note on Appendix C, C.2.3.1. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 001
A thermometer in a beaker of water reads 25 °C. What is that temperature in kelvins?National Institute of Standards and Technology, "SI Units – Temperature", opening section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 002
An advertisement says a water filter "removes every toxin." A class is asked whether the school should buy it. Which approach do the Texas science standards describe for an informed decision?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(4)(B). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 004
For two weeks a class records which kinds of birds visit a feeder and how many. The students state no hypothesis and compare nothing. Which type of investigation is this in the Texas science standards?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (a)(1)(A). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 003
One lab reports a surprising result. Two other labs then run a similar investigation and get the same basic results. Which feature of science does this show?University of California Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Science, "Copycats in science: The role of replication", snapshot. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 003
Students time ten swings of a pendulum in three trials: 12.4 s, 12.9 s and 12.2 s. Which value should they report as the mean of the trials?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(1)(F). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain I, competency 002
Physical science 13
A metal block at 80 °C is lowered into an insulated cup of water at 20 °C. What happens to the thermal energy?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(8)(B). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 009
A neutral atom has 11 protons. How many electrons does it have, and why?U.S. Energy Information Administration, "The science of electricity", section on atoms. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 008
A plastic cube has a mass of 46 grams and a volume of 50 milliliters. What is its density, and will it sink or float in water?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Water Density", opening section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 007
A runner goes once around a 400-meter track in 80 seconds and stops where she started. What are her average speed and average velocity for the lap?HyperPhysics, Georgia State University, "Velocity", definitions of average speed and average velocity. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 006
A student mixes two clear liquids. Which observation do the Grade 6 Texas standards list as evidence that a new substance may have formed?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.26, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 6 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(6)(E). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 007
A student pushes a 4.5-kilogram lab cart so that the net force on it is 18 newtons. What is the cart's acceleration?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.28, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 8 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(7)(A). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 006
A toy car rolls 7.2 meters along a hallway in 4.8 seconds. What is its average speed?HyperPhysics, Georgia State University, "Velocity", definition of average speed. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 006
How many oxygen atoms are in one unit of aluminum sulfate, Al₂(SO₄)₃?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(6)(B). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 008
The lens of a camera and the lens of the eye both form images. Which behavior of light lets lenses form images?HyperPhysics, Georgia State University, "Refraction of Light", opening definition. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 009
Methane burns: CH₄ + 2 O₂ → CO₂ + 2 H₂O. In a closed container, 16 grams of methane react completely with 64 grams of oxygen and form 44 grams of carbon dioxide. What mass of water forms?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.28, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 8 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(6)(E). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 010
Ripples in a tank pass a marker 6 times each second, and their crests are 0.25 meter apart. How fast do the ripples travel?HyperPhysics, Georgia State University, "Traveling Wave Relationship", wave relationship. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 009
Water falling through a dam spins a turbine connected to a generator. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which energy change takes place in the generator?U.S. Energy Information Administration, "How electricity is generated", turbine driven generators. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 010
Which change is a physical change, one that alters the form of a substance but not its chemical composition?Wikipedia, "Physical change", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain II, competency 007
Life science 13
A new pond is stocked with a few sunfish. Their number climbs for several summers and then holds near 300 as food runs short. What does the figure of 300 represent?Wikipedia, "Carrying capacity", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 015
A strawberry plant sends out runners that root and grow into new plants. How do these offspring compare with the parent plant?Wikipedia, "Asexual reproduction", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 012
Food passes through the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines. Which organ helps digestion although food never passes through it?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, "Introduction to the Digestive System", introduction. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 011
The Grade 7 Texas science standards describe four levels of organization within plants and animals. Which level comes directly between cells and organs?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(13)(B). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 011
Grasses in a meadow store 20,000 kilocalories of energy. Grasshoppers eat the grasses, and sparrows eat the grasshoppers. If about 10% passes from each trophic level to the next, about how much reaches the sparrows?Wikipedia, "Ecological pyramid", section on the pyramid of energy. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 015
Human height varies smoothly from short to tall and does not fall into two or three clear groups. Which term describes a trait influenced by two or more genes?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Polygenic Trait", definition. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 012
In pea plants, tall (T) is dominant over short (t). Two plants that are each Tt are crossed. What is the probability that an offspring is short?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Recessive Traits and Alleles", definition. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 012
Muscle cells that work hard for long periods hold many copies of one organelle. Which organelle generates most of the chemical energy a cell needs, stored as ATP?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Mitochondria", definition. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 011
Mushrooms and molds do not make their own food. In the Texas Grade 7 standards, which example shows the importance of the fungi kingdom in ecosystems?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(14)(B). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 013
On a cold morning a student starts to shiver, and the muscle activity warms the body. Keeping stable internal conditions despite changes outside is called what?Wikipedia, "Homeostasis", section on core temperature. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 014
On dark lava rock, owls catch light-furred mice more often than dark-furred mice. Fur color is inherited, and after many generations most mice there are dark. Which process is this?University of California Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, "Natural selection", opening section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 013
Researchers use laboratory tools to add a gene to rice plants so that the grain makes a vitamin precursor. What is this process called?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Genetic Engineering", definition. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 012
Sunflower seedlings are grown in a closed box with one hole cut in its side, and all of them grow leaning toward the hole. What is this response to an outside stimulus called?Wikipedia, "Phototropism", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain III, competency 014
Earth and space science 13
A class diagram of the carbon cycle has an arrow that runs from "atmosphere" to "plants." Which label belongs on that arrow?National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "Carbon cycle", carbon storage and exchange. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 017
A student says the Moon shows a thin crescent tonight because only a small part of the Moon is lit by the Sun. What does NASA say?NASA Science, "Moon Phases", opening section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 019
A teacher has students sort four statements under the headings Weather and Climate. Which statement belongs under Climate?National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, "What is the difference between weather and climate?", opening answer. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 018
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, which part of Earth is liquid and creates the magnetic field as it spins?U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth, "Inside the Earth", paragraph on the core. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 016
An air mass forms over the cold northern Pacific Ocean and then moves over land. How does NOAA classify and describe it?National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, JetStream, "Air Masses", classification of air masses. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 018
Granite is made of quartz, feldspar and mica grains locked together. In the U.S. Geological Survey's terms, what are granite and quartz?U.S. Geological Survey, "What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?", answer. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 017
On a sunny afternoon at the coast, the land is warmer than the water. Which way does the sea breeze blow at the surface, and why?National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, JetStream, "The Sea Breeze", how the sea breeze forms. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 018
On a topographic map, the contour lines on the east side of a hill are close together and those on the west side are far apart. What does this show?Wikipedia, "Contour line", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 016
Potassium-40 decays to argon-40 with a half-life of 1.25 billion years. A mineral grain holds one fourth of its original potassium-40. About how old is the grain?U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Time, "Radiometric Time Scale", table of parent and daughter isotopes. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 020
Rain that falls anywhere on a certain area of land drains to the same river mouth. What is this area of land called?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Watersheds and Drainage Basins", opening definition. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 016
The same kinds of fossils are found in rock layers at two sites hundreds of kilometers apart. By the Law of Fossil Succession, what can geologists conclude?U.S. Geological Survey, Fossils, Rocks, and Time, "Fossil Succession", Law of Fossil Succession. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 020
Sand settles on a river delta, is buried by later deposits and hardens into rock that shows clear layers. Which kind of rock is it?U.S. Geological Survey, "What are sedimentary rocks?", opening answer. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 017
Which two planets does NASA call the ice giants of our solar system?NASA Science, "Solar System: Facts", formation. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain IV, competency 019
Science learning, instruction and assessment 8
A seventh grader writes, "A giraffe that stretches its neck all its life evolves a longer neck." Which correction addresses the misconception?University of California Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, "Misconceptions about evolution", misconception "Individual organisms can evolve during a single lifespan". Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 021
A teacher helps groups turn their ideas into questions for a classroom investigation. Which question can be tested with evidence the students collect?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (a)(3)(C). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 022
A teacher wants questions that move students past recall. In the 2001 revision of Bloom's taxonomy, which list orders three levels from lowest to highest?Wikipedia, "Bloom's taxonomy", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 021
After a lab on dissolving, two groups reach opposite conclusions about stirring. Which practice from the Texas science standards should the teacher set up?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (b)(3)(C). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 022
Before a lab begins, a teacher hands out the rubric that will be used to score the lab reports. What is a rubric?Wikipedia, "Rubric (academic)", lead section. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 023
Six weeks after a unit on density, a teacher brings the idea back with a short review task. Which recommendation of the IES guide on organizing instruction does this follow?Institute of Education Sciences practice guide "Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning" (2007), recommendation 1. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 021
Students give fertilizer to one tray of seedlings and none to a second tray kept in the same light and with the same water. In an experimental investigation, what is the second tray?19 Texas Administrative Code §112.27, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 7 (Legal Information Institute copy), (a)(1)(A). Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 022
Which task is a summative assessment of a unit on forces?Carnegie Mellon University, Eberly Center, "What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?", summative assessment. Written to TExES Science 4–8 (116), Domain V, competency 023
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam framework of TExES Science 4–8 (116) 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_116.htm (copyright Texas Education Agency), read 2026-10-12: 100 selected-response questions in five domains, Scientific Inquiry and Processes about 22%, Physical Science 22%, Life Science 22%, Earth and Space Science 22%, and Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment 13%. This bank holds 60: 13, 13, 13, 13 and 8. Each question rests on one public page, named and linked under it and opened 2026-10-12: the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grades 6 to 8, 19 Texas Administrative Code §§112.26 to 112.28 (Legal Information Institute copies); pages of NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, NIST, OSHA, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute; university pages (HyperPhysics at Georgia State, Understanding Science and Understanding Evolution at Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon); one practice guide of the Institute of Education Sciences; and Wikipedia articles for terms. Each computed answer and each named wrong value was worked out a second time (2026-10-12). Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
A free TExES Science 4-8 practice test: 60 questions of our own across the five domains of Science 4–8 (116), each linked to its source. Unofficial: not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Texas Education Agency or Pearson.
Read the full guide
Five domains, weighted like the exam
Scientific Inquiry and Processes, Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science each carry about 22% of the exam, and Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment 13%. This bank holds 13, 13, 13, 13 and 8.
Length and timing
The exam asks 100 selected-response questions in 4 hours 45 minutes of testing. Exam mode gives these 60 questions 171 minutes, the same pace.
Science as Texas teaches it
Seventeen questions quote the science standards for Grades 6 to 8: the kinds of investigation, observation against inference, what counts as evidence of a chemical change. The rest link to NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, NIST and other public pages.
The teaching questions cover a misconception, questioning, controls, argument from evidence and assessment.
Computed questions name the wrong choice a common slip gives, such as dividing time by distance for speed.
Questions and answers
Is this TExES Science 4-8 practice test online and free?
Yes. All 60 questions run in the browser with no account or sign-up, and a question sheet with its answer key prints from the page.
Does this Science 4-8 TExES practice test show a passing score?
No. It gives a count of right answers and no pass or fail. The real exam is passed at 240, a scaled score, and may include questions that do not count.
Is a periodic table provided on the Science 4-8 TExES exam?
Yes. The exam's page lists a periodic table under reference materials and says it is provided on screen as part of the exam.
Does this TExES 4-8 science practice test use real exam questions?
No. Each was written for this page from one of the 23 competencies of the exam 116 framework and one public source. The manual's sample questions were not used, and no exam question is copied or reworded.