What Is TX PACT 740 Certification?

What TX PACT 740 Actually Is

TX PACT: Chemistry: Grades 7-12 (740) is a Pre-Admission Content Test developed for the Texas Education Agency and administered by Pearson Evaluation Systems. Unlike a standard certification exam that follows completion of a teacher preparation program, TX PACT 740 is designed to be taken before admission to an Educator Preparation Program (EPP). It exists so that candidates who already hold a bachelor's degree, but have never been formally admitted to a Texas-approved EPP, can demonstrate subject-matter mastery in chemistry as part of the admission process.

This distinction matters because a lot of confusion online treats "740" as interchangeable with other credentials that share similar naming conventions. On this site, every fact about TX PACT 740 refers specifically to the chemistry content test for grades 7-12, administered under the parameters described here. If you want a broader breakdown of how this fits into the certification pathway, our TX PACT 740 Certification overview and our What Is TX PACT 740? explainer both dig into this from slightly different angles.

Who TX PACT 740 Is Designed For

TX PACT 740 is built for a specific candidate profile: someone who already has a bachelor's degree in hand (often in chemistry, biology, a related science, or even an unrelated field with strong science coursework) and who has not yet been admitted to a Texas-approved educator preparation program. Passing the test lets that person prove they know the chemistry content well enough to be admitted into an EPP, rather than requiring a separate battery of undergraduate coursework review.

There are two common routes candidates take once they're eligible:

• EPP admission testing: Used to qualify for entry into a preparation program. Attempts made for this purpose are not subject to the standard five-attempt limit that applies to certification tests.
• Intensive pre-service route testing: Candidates on this specific path are limited to five attempts, with a mandatory 30-day wait between attempts.

Because these rules differ depending on why you're testing, it's worth reviewing the full eligibility breakdown in our TX PACT 740 Requirements guide before you register. If you're just trying to understand the terminology itself, TX PACT 740 Meaning and What Does TX PACT 740 Stand For? cover the naming and origin in more detail.

Exam Format, Fee, and Appointment Structure

TX PACT 740 is a computer-administered test (CAT) offered at testing sites in Texas and nationwide. The exam fee is $106. On test day, your total appointment runs 4 hours, broken down as follows:

• 15 minutes for the CAT tutorial and compliance agreement
• 3 hours and 45 minutes of actual testing time

The test itself consists of 125 selected-response questions covering grades 7-12 chemistry content. Some of those questions may be unscored field-test items mixed in to gather data for future exam versions - you won't know which ones, and your final scaled score is calculated only from the scored questions. This is a fairly standard practice in large-scale testing programs, but it means you should treat every question on screen as if it counts.

For a complete breakdown of every dollar involved - registration, retake fees, and any related costs - see our dedicated TX PACT 740 Certification Cost guide. And if you're mapping out when to sit for the exam relative to EPP application deadlines, the TX PACT 740 Exam Dates article walks through scheduling considerations.

The Five Content Domains

TX PACT 740's content is organized into five domains, which are further broken into 17 competencies. Here's how the exam weighting breaks down:

Notice that Energy and Chemical Bonding and Chemical Reactions together make up 46% of the entire exam - nearly half of all 125 questions come from these two domains. That's a critical planning detail: no amount of general chemistry review substitutes for deliberately mastering these two areas.

Because these two domains carry so much weight, a targeted breakdown of all five content areas - including the three lighter domains - is essential before you build a study plan. Our full TX PACT 740 Exam Domains Guide walks through each competency area in depth.

Tools Provided During Testing

TX PACT 740 isn't a closed-book memorization exercise. The exam interface provides several reference tools directly on screen:

• A periodic table
• A constants and formulas reference page
• An on-screen scientific calculator

This matters for how you prepare. Rather than memorizing every constant or atomic mass, your prep time is better spent learning when and how to apply formulas correctly, interpreting what a question is actually asking, and practicing calculator-based problem-solving under time constraints. Many candidates lose points not because they don't know the formula, but because they're unfamiliar with locating and using the on-screen reference tools quickly during a timed test.

Scoring and What "Passing" Means

The passing score for TX PACT 740 is 240 on the scaled scoring system. Because unscored field-test items may be interspersed among the 125 questions, your final scaled score reflects only the scored portion of the test - you're not penalized for encountering experimental items, but you also can't identify which questions those are during the test.

If you want the exact mechanics of how raw performance translates to that scaled score of 240, our TX PACT 740 Passing Score article breaks it down further. For a broader look at how challenging the exam tends to be for candidates across different domains, see How Hard Is the TX PACT 740 Exam?, and for data-driven context on outcomes, check the TX PACT 740 Pass Rate page.

Preparing for the Specific Content Load

Given that Energy and Chemical Bonding and Chemical Reactions account for nearly half the exam, your preparation schedule should reflect that weighting rather than splitting time evenly across all five domains.

This kind of proportional scheduling - spending more calendar time on the two 23%-weighted domains - is more useful than a generic study calendar, because it directly mirrors how the 125 questions are distributed. For a more detailed week-by-week study plan tailored to first-attempt success, see our TX PACT 740 Study Guide 2026. If you want a compact reference you can review the night before your appointment, the TX PACT 740 Cheat Sheet condenses the must-know facts into one page. You can also build test-day stamina and pacing by working through full-length questions on our practice test platform before your scheduled appointment.

After You Pass: EPP Admission and Beyond

Passing TX PACT 740 opens the door to EPP admission, but it's worth understanding where this fits in the bigger picture of becoming a certified science teacher in Texas. Because PACT exams taken for EPP admission purposes aren't subject to the standard five-attempt certification test limit, candidates generally have more flexibility here than they would with a certification-stage exam - though the separate intensive pre-service route does cap attempts at five, with a 30-day wait required between each.

Once admitted to an EPP, candidates continue through the program's requirements toward full certification. If you're weighing whether pursuing this credential and teaching path makes sense for your situation, our Is the TX PACT 740 Certification Worth It? analysis and TX PACT 740 Salary Guide are useful starting points. For a look at where chemistry-certified teachers find opportunities, see TX PACT 740 Jobs, and if you're deciding between self-study and structured coursework, TX PACT 740 Training compares your options. You can also start practicing content right away using our TX PACT 740 practice tests to get a feel for question style before committing to a formal training program.

Frequently Asked Questions