The Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) Social Studies 4-8 exam was created as a way of testing and credentialing prospective educators who want to teach the subject of social studies to students in grades four through eight.
How Can I Register to Take the TExES Exam on Social Studies?
The TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam is offered by Pearson VUE, an international, computer-based standardized test provider. It is given at testing centers throughout Texas and around the country. Interested participants can find the specific testing location that works best for them on Pearson’s website and can make a specific appointment that fits their schedule there.
The exam requires a $116 fee to register and additional fees may apply.
How Is the TExES Social Studies 4-8 Exam Administered?
The TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam is administered via computer. There are 100 total selected-response questions and participants are given four hours and 45 minutes total to take the exam, with 15 extra minutes allocated to complete and unscored tutorial and compliance agreement.
Pearson recommends that participants in the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam arrive at the testing center at least 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time, in order to complete the required sign-in activities.
Participants must bring with them two pieces of original and valid identification. These must be printed in English and bear the name in which they registered for the exam. A primary identification must have been issued by the government, such as a passport or driver’s license. The secondary identification requires a recognizable photograph, name and signature.
Personal items are not permitted in the testing room and participants may not bring any bags, notes, cell phones, books, watches, wallets or pagers.
How Are the TExES Social Studies Questions Formatted?
As a computer-administered test, the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam asks participants to respond to questions in a variety of digital ways. For the most part, participants will select their answers by clicking particular ovals that corresponds with them. But other questions may ask them to select all options that apply. Other questions ask participants to type answers into an entry box, to click check boxes or to interact with a graphic.
There are also questions with reading passages in which participants will be asked to choose answers by clicking on sentences within the passage or dragging answer choices into target areas on the screen.
How Is the Content on the Social Studies Exam From TExES Divided?
Divided into two primary domains, the content on the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam is meant to cover every significant facet of middle school social studies education. Both domains cover different areas of this content, with several specific content areas within each, and both take up a different percentage of the total exam.
- Domain One: Social Studies Content (71 percent of total exam)
- Significant historical events, interpretations and the relationship between the past, present and future
- Geographic relationships between people, places and environments around the world, the U.S. and in Texas
- Economic systems and how they produce, distribute and consume goods
- Governments, democracy and citizenship
- Cultural development, diversity and adaptation, as well as interactions between society and science and technology
- Domain Two: Social Studies Skills, Foundations and Instruction (29 percent of total exam)
- The foundations of social studies education and knowledge of the skills used in social sciences
- Effective assessment and instruction in social studies
What Is a Passing Score on the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards’ Social Studies Exam?
In order to pass the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam, participants must achieve a score of at least 240.
How Can I Get a Passing Score on the TExES Social Studies 4-8 Exam?
Because the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam asks participants to display a broad and comprehensive knowledge of middle school social studies fundamentals, it is critical that participants spend their time studying in an efficient and effective way. Prospective participants in the exam should develop a study plan that is designed to address the specific gaps in their knowledge and that will cater to their learning style.
Many TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam participants have found success by splitting their study time between a tailor-made study guide and a set of specialized flashcards. Particularly, many have achieved passing scores on the exam by leveraging Mometrix Test Preparation’s study guide and flashcard options.
