The TExES Social Studies 4-8 (118) exam is administered for those interested in becoming an entry-level educator within the Texas public school system, specifically for teaching social studies to students from 4th to 8th grade.
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TExES Social Studies 4-8 Exam Outline
The TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam contains 100 selected-response questions and has a time limit of 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Teaching Standards
The exam is aligned with the 10 standards for educators that have been outlined by the State Board for Educator Certification.
Click the button below to see the full list of approved educator standards:
Approved Educator Standards
Standard I: You are expected to understand the social sciences and recognize their value.
Standard II: You are expected to effectively integrate the various social science disciplines.
Standard III: You are expected to plan and implement effective instruction, assessment, curriculum, and evaluation.
Standard IV: You are expected to understand significant historical events, developments, interpretations, and ideas to facilitate student understanding of relationships among the past, present, and future.
Standard V: You are expected to facilitate students’ understanding of geographic relationships in the world, the United States, and Texas.
Standard VI: You are expected to enable students to understand economic systems and make informed economic decisions.
Standard VII: You are expected to understand how governments and structures of power function, provide order, and allocate resources.
Standard VIII: You are expected to understand citizenship in the United States and other societies.
Standard IX: You are expected to understand cultures and how they develop and adapt, and use this knowledge to enable students to appreciate and respect cultural diversity in the world, the United States, and Texas.
Standard X: You are expected to understand developments in science and technology.
Exam Domains
The exam is split into two domains, each of which covers one or more of the 10 standards mentioned above.
| Domain | Percentage of Exam | Standards Used |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Social Studies Content | 71% | IV-X |
| 2. Social Studies Foundations, Skills, and Instruction | 29% | I-III |
1. Social Studies Content
For the questions in this domain, you will be asked to demonstrate your knowledge in the following areas:
- History
- Geography
- Economics
- Government
- Citizenship
- Culture
- Science
- Technology
- Society
2. Social Studies Foundations, Skills, and Instruction
For the questions in this domain, you will be asked to demonstrate your knowledge in the following areas:
- Foundations and skills
- Instruction and assessment
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TExES Social Studies 4-8 Exam Registration
To register for the exam, you must create an online NES account via their website. Once your account has been created, you can use it to register for the exam and schedule an exam date. When you register, you will need to pay the $116 examination fee.
Test Day
You should arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes early on the day of your testing appointment to allow time for the check-in process. Upon arrival, you will be asked to sign in and provide at least one form of valid photo ID.
After the check-in process is complete, you will be asked to leave all personal items (cell phone, watch, wallet, keys, etc.) in a locker outside the testing area.
Once you enter the testing room, you will be given a brief tutorial on the computer-adaptive testing system before the exam begins.
How the Exam is Scored
The TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam is computer-adaptive. Here’s a look at how it works:
The first question is judged to be of medium difficulty, and depending on your performance, the next question may be easier or harder. If you do well on the first question, the second question will be harder; conversely, if you do poorly on the first question, the second question will be easy.
The questions on this exam are rated on a scale of 100-300. The higher a question is rated, the harder the question is (e.g., a question marked as 234 will be more difficult than a question marked 145).
To pass the exam, your final question must be on or above the 240 mark. If your final question is below this mark, you will not pass the exam, even if you have answered some questions above the 240 mark at some point during the exam. This is because the computer has rated the difficulty of your final question based on how you answered the previous questions.
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FAQs
Q
How many questions are on the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam?
A
There are 100 selected-response questions on the exam.
Q
How long is the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam?
A
The time limit for the exam is 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Q
What is the passing score for the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam?
A
To pass the exam, you must achieve a scaled score of at least 240.
Q
How much does the TExES Social Studies 4-8 exam cost?
A
The examination fee is $116.
