A light wave has a wavelength of 532 nanometers. What is that length in meters?NIST, Metric (SI) Prefixes. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain I, competency 001
A researcher drops three data points that do not fit her model and reports the rest as the full data set. Which form of research misconduct is this?U.S. Office of Research Integrity, Definition of Research Misconduct. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain I, competency 003
Before a lab, a teacher wants to know which gloves and eye protection a reagent calls for. Which section of its safety data sheet lists personal protective equipment?OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1200 Appendix D, Safety Data Sheets. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain I, competency 001
In the Texas high school science TEKS, what sets an experimental investigation apart from a comparative one?Texas Education Agency, 19 TAC Chapter 112, Subchapter C, §112.42(b)(4). Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain I, competency 002
Which question lies outside what science can answer?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Science 101, Science has limits. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain I, competency 002
Show all 50 questions (45 more)
Physics 10
A 3 kg cart moving at 4 m/s hits a 1 kg cart at rest, and the two stick together. What is their speed just after the collision?NASA Glenn Research Center, Conservation of Momentum. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 008
A 5 kg crate is pulled across a floor with a 30 N horizontal force while friction pulls back with 10 N. What is its acceleration?NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 005
A bar magnet rests motionless inside a coil of wire that is connected to a voltmeter. What does the meter read?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Faraday's Law. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 006
A cart starts from rest and speeds up at a constant 4 m/s² for 5 s. How far does it travel?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Description of Motion. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 004
A string 0.60 m long, fixed at both ends, vibrates in its fundamental mode. What is the wavelength of the standing wave?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Standing Waves on a String. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 010
An ideal transformer raises 120 V to 480 V. If the primary coil carries 8 A, what current flows in the secondary coil?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Transformer. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 007
Light above the threshold frequency ejects electrons from a metal. The light is made brighter at the same frequency. What changes?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Wave-Particle Duality: The Photoelectric Effect. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 011
Two balls are launched at the same speed, one at 30° and one at 60° above level ground. Ignoring air friction, how do their horizontal ranges compare?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Trajectories. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 004
Two small charged spheres repel each other with a force F. The distance between them is tripled. What is the new force?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Electric forces: Coulomb's Law. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 006
Which statement follows from the second law of thermodynamics?Georgia State University, HyperPhysics, Second Law of Thermodynamics. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain II, competency 009
Chemistry 10
A gas under a freely moving piston has a volume of 6.0 L at 200 K. It is heated to 300 K at constant pressure. What is its new volume?NASA Glenn Research Center, Charles and Gay-Lussac's Law. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 013
A nucleus with atomic number 92 and mass number 238 emits one alpha particle. What are the atomic number and mass number of the nucleus left behind?U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Radiation Basics. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 018
A reaction gives off heat (ΔH < 0) and increases disorder (ΔS > 0). What does this say about ΔG?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Gibbs Free Energy. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 017
A student dissolves 0.50 mol of NaCl in enough water to make 250 mL of solution. What is the molarity?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Solutions. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 016
An element is 20% an isotope of mass 10 amu and 80% an isotope of mass 11 amu. What is its atomic weight?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Stoichiometry. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 012
In a voltaic cell, zinc metal is oxidized at one electrode while hydrogen ions are reduced at the other. What is the zinc electrode called?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Electrochemical Reactions. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 019
In the reaction 2 H₂ + O₂ → 2 H₂O, how many moles of oxygen gas are used up when 6 moles of water form?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Chemical Reactions. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 015
N₂ + 3 H₂ ⇌ 2 NH₃ is at equilibrium in a sealed vessel, and extra N₂ is pumped in. Which way does the equilibrium shift?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Le Chatelier's Principle. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 015
The oxygen atom in water holds two bonding pairs and two nonbonding pairs of electrons. What shape does VSEPR theory give the molecule?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Valence-Shell Electron-Pair Repulsion Theory (VSEPR). Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 014
When ammonia dissolves in water, an NH₃ molecule takes an H⁺ ion from a water molecule. In the Brønsted model, what is ammonia here?Purdue University, General Chemistry Topic Review, Definitions of Acids and Bases, and the Role of Water. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain III, competency 020
Cell structure and processes 4
In a human embryo, the cells between the forming fingers die on schedule and the fingers separate. Which process is this?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Apoptosis. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IV, competency 024
In an all-out sprint, a runner's muscle cells run short of oxygen but keep breaking down carbohydrate for energy. Which product forms as a result?MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (National Library of Medicine), Lactic acid test. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IV, competency 023
Which organelle packages molecules that the endoplasmic reticulum has processed so they can be carried out of the cell?MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine), What is a cell?. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IV, competency 022
Which three parts make up a single nucleotide?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Nucleotide. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IV, competency 021
Heredity and evolution of life 4
A lab photographs the chromosomes of a single cell and arranges them in numerical order to look for an extra or a missing one. What is the arranged image called?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Karyotype. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain V, competency 025
A living coelacanth found in 1938 looked very similar to fossils of its lineage, which was thought to have died out 80 million years ago. Which pattern of macroevolution is this?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Patterns in macroevolution. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain V, competency 028
A storm carries a few birds from a mainland flock to an island, where they found a colony. Generations later a feather color that is rare on the mainland is common there. What explains this best?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Bottlenecks and founder effects. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain V, competency 027
During meiosis, paired homologous chromosomes swap segments of DNA. What does this exchange produce?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Crossing Over. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain V, competency 026
Diversity of life 4
A gland senses that the blood level of a substance it regulates has risen, and it responds in a way that brings the level back down. What is this kind of control called?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Characteristics of Hormones. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VI, competency 031
Bird wings and bat wings both serve flight, yet they were not inherited from a common ancestor that had wings. As wings, what are they?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Homologies and analogies. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VI, competency 029
In transpiration, water taken up by the roots of a plant leaves it as vapor. Through which structures does the vapor exit?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, Evapotranspiration and the Water Cycle. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VI, competency 030
Newly hatched ducklings follow the first moving object they see, even a cardboard box, and the attachment does not reverse. What is this kind of learning called?Karolinska Institutet, press release, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1973 (NobelPrize.org). Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VI, competency 032
Interdependence of life and environmental systems 3
At Glacier Bay, ground bared by retreating ice is colonized by moss and dryas, then alder, then spruce and hemlock forest. How do dryas and alder help the plants that follow?National Park Service, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Plant Succession. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VII, competency 034
Counts on Isle Royale since 1980 show the moose population rising when the wolf population falls, and the reverse. What kind of population pattern is this?National Park Service, Isle Royale National Park, Wolf & Moose Populations. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VII, competency 035
Which abiotic feature is a defining characteristic of the tundra biome and helps keep trees from growing there?NASA Earth Observatory, Biome: Tundra. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VII, competency 033
Earth's history and Earth systems 5
A road cut exposes five sedimentary beds that have not been overturned. By the law of superposition, which bed is the oldest?U.S. Geological Survey, Fossils, Rocks, and Time: Rocks and Layers. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VIII, competency 038
A student picks up an igneous rock whose mineral grains are large and easy to see. What does the grain size say about how the rock formed?U.S. Geological Survey, FAQ, What are igneous rocks?. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VIII, competency 036
Seafloor mapping in the 1950s found stripes of rock with normal and reversed magnetic polarity. How are the stripes laid out?U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth, Developing the theory. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VIII, competency 037
Sun-warmed ground heats the air touching it. That air rises as a bubble while cooler, denser air moves in underneath. Which process is carrying the heat upward?NOAA JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VIII, competency 040
Wind piles surface water up against a coastline, and the surface water eventually sinks toward the bottom. What is this process called?NOAA National Ocean Service, What is upwelling?. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain VIII, competency 039
Solar system and the universe 3
Asteroids are rocky leftovers from the formation of the planets. Which small bodies does NASA describe as cosmic snowballs of gas and dust?NASA Science, Asteroids, Comets & Meteors. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IX, competency 043
At which phase of the Moon can a solar eclipse happen?NASA Science, Eclipses and the Moon. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IX, competency 042
Which type of galaxy usually holds little gas and dust, shows very little structure and is made up of generally older stars?NASA Science, Galaxy Types. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain IX, competency 044
Science learning, instruction and assessment 2
Midway through a unit on circuits, a teacher has students draw a concept map, then reteaches the links many of them got wrong. What kind of assessment is the concept map?Carnegie Mellon University, Eberly Center, What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?. Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain X, competency 047
The Texas high school science TEKS set a minimum share of instructional time for students to plan and conduct classroom, laboratory and field investigations. What is it?Texas Education Agency, 19 TAC Chapter 112, Subchapter C, §112.42(c)(1). Written to TExES Science 7–12 (236) Domain X, competency 046
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam framework of TExES Science 7–12 (236) 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_236.htm (copyright Texas Education Agency), read 2026-10-08: 140 selected-response questions in ten domains, Scientific Inquiry and Processes about 10%, Physics 20%, Chemistry 20%, Cell Structure and Processes 8%, Heredity and Evolution of Life 8%, Diversity of Life 8%, Interdependence of Life and Environmental Systems 6%, Earth's History and the Structure and Function of Earth Systems 9%, Components and Properties of the Solar System and the Universe 6%, Science Learning, Instruction and Assessment 5%. This bank holds 50 in those shares: 5, 10, 10, 4, 4, 4, 3, 5, 3 and 2. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question (49 pages, each opened 2026-10-08): HyperPhysics at Georgia State University, Purdue University's general chemistry review, NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the National Human Genome Research Institute, MedlinePlus, the National Cancer Institute's SEER training, EPA, OSHA, NIST, the Office of Research Integrity, UC Berkeley's Understanding Science and Understanding Evolution, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for science (19 TAC Chapter 112), Carnegie Mellon University and the Nobel Prize press release of 1973. Twelve answers are arithmetic from a rule the source gives. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
A free TExES 236 practice test for Science 7–12: 50 questions written for this site across the exam's ten domains. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Texas Education Agency or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What the TExES 236 covers
Physics and Chemistry each carry about 20%, Scientific Inquiry and Processes 10% and Earth's history and systems 9%. Cells, heredity and evolution, and diversity of life carry 8% each, ecology and the solar system and universe 6% each, and science teaching and assessment 5%.
Length and timing
The exam asks 140 selected-response questions in 4 hours 45 minutes, inside a 5-hour appointment. Exam mode gives 50 questions 102 minutes, the same pace.
Where answers were checked
Physics mostly at HyperPhysics (Georgia State University), chemistry mostly at Purdue University's topic review, the rest at NASA, NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, National Human Genome Research Institute and other public pages. Two questions rest on the Texas science TEKS.
The real exam puts a periodic table, a page of definitions and physical constants and a scientific calculator on screen.
Twelve of the 50 questions need arithmetic, nearly all of them in physics and chemistry.
Questions and answers
Where is the TExES 236 study guide?
The Texas Educator Certification Examination Program publishes a free preparation manual for Science 7–12 (236). Section 3 lists the ten domains and their 47 competencies, and each question here names the competency it was written to.
Is there a free printable TExES 236 practice test?
Yes. This page prints a question sheet of as many of the 50 questions as you choose, with the answer key on its own page if you want it. Free, with no sign-up.
What score do you need to pass TExES Science 7-12?
240, according to the exam's page on the program site. Scores are scaled and an exam may include questions that do not count, so a number right on a practice page cannot be turned into that figure.
Are these real TExES 236 questions?
No. Each was written for this site from one competency of the framework and one public source. The manual's sample questions were not used, and no exam question is copied or reworded.