Certification Overview

What are the basic requirements to become a teacher in Texas? 

(1) You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Texas institutions do not offer a degree in education. Every teacher must have an academic major, as well as teacher training courses.

(2) You must complete teacher training through an approved program, such as Trinity’s M.A.T. program. 

(3) You must successfully complete the appropriate teacher certification tests for the subject and grade level you wish to teach.

Once these three conditions are met, you will be eligible to be certified to teach in an EC-12 public school in the State of Texas.  Trinity's Program in Teacher Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and graduates who wish to obtain certification in other states will benefit from this association.

What are the costs associated with teacher certification?

                                State Certification                                                            $77.00
                                Fingerprinting                                                                  $47.00
                                Fingerprinting Processing Fee                                         $10.00
                                Exam Costs                                                                  $240.00* 
                                TOTAL                                                                            $374.00

*All students take a minimum of two exams (one TExES Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities & one Subject-Area Test) at a cost of $120 per administration.  Additional subject tests, the TOPT, and re-takes are $120.00 each.  There are additional fees associated with late registration and for tests taken on a computer.  A full list of related fees can be found online.

About the Certification Exams

Test Format & Scoring

How many questions are on the test?

Half-session tests have 70-100 multiple choice questions.  Full-session tests range from 170-225 questions.  Certain tests may also have an essay or performance assessment component. See the individual test preparation manuals for more details.

How are test sessions divided?  

Each session is five hours in length.  Candidates can take up to two tests during one five-hour session.  If a candidate takes two half tests, s/he may work at his/her own pace on each test during the five-hour session (working on both tests simultaneously or one at a time).  There are two five hour sessions each day (a morning and an afternoon session). The department recommends that students take no more than two tests in one day.

What is the passing score?

In order to pass the TExES, you must receive a minimum scaled score of 240 (range 100-300) or receive a 70 on the ExCET (range 0-100).  The minimum passing score for the TOPT is 6. 

When do I receive my score?  

Test scores will be mailed to you in approximately 3-4 weeks.  For more information on scoring, consult ETS. If you take the on-line, Computer Automated Test (C.A.T.), you will receive your scores within five days.

Students requiring any test assistance due to a disability should contact ETS to discuss the necessary accommodations.