- What TX PACT 702 Actually Tests
- Registration, Fees, and Test-Day Mechanics
- The Four Domains at a Glance
- Scoring, Passing Score, and Retake Rules
- The Constructed Response: Your Highest-Value Section
- One-Page Cheat Sheet Table
- A Compressed Review Timeline
- Who Actually Needs This Exam
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Subtest II has 36 selected-response questions plus 1 constructed-response item in 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Passing score is 240 on a scaled score, per subtest, not a raw percentage.
- Fee is $56 for one subtest alone or $106 for all three subtests (701, 702, 703) together.
- The constructed response is scored holistically on a 4-point scale across six specific criteria.
What TX PACT 702 Actually Tests
TX PACT: Essential Academic Skills (Subtest II: Writing) (702) is the writing-focused portion of the three-part TX PACT Essential Academic Skills battery, governed by the Texas Education Agency and administered by Evaluation Systems, a Pearson business. It is delivered as a computer-administered test through Pearson VUE sites in Texas and nationwide, by appointment, year-round - there is no fixed testing window to plan around, which is different from many licensure exams. If you need a refresher on how this credential fits into the broader TX PACT system, the What Is TX PACT 702? overview lays out the basics before you dive into content review.
This cheat sheet condenses the numbers, rules, and domain content you need memorized before test day. Use it as a final review layer after you've worked through the TX PACT 702 Study Guide and practiced with full-length questions on our practice test platform.
Registration, Fees, and Test-Day Mechanics
Subtest II is one of three subtests (701, 702, 703) that make up the full Essential Academic Skills exam. First-time candidates must register for all three subtests. The fee structure is straightforward:
- $56 to test one subtest in a single session
- $106 to test all three subtests (701, 702, 703) in a single session
- Additional fees are possible depending on registration circumstances
Subtest II itself runs 1 hour 30 minutes and contains 36 selected-response questions plus 1 constructed-response item. If you're sitting for the full 700 exam in one appointment, budget 4 hours 15 minutes of total appointment time - that figure includes a 15-minute CAT tutorial and compliance agreement before any actual test questions appear. For a complete breakdown of every dollar amount and registration scenario, see the TX PACT 702 Certification Cost guide, and for exact appointment scheduling logistics, check TX PACT 702 Exam Dates.
The Four Domains at a Glance
Subtest II content is organized into four domains. Selected-response questions draw primarily from the first three; the constructed-response item draws on all four simultaneously since it requires you to actually produce writing rather than just identify correct answers.
Domain 1: Purpose, Audience, Organization, and Development in Writing
Tests your ability to evaluate whether a passage fits its stated purpose and audience, whether ideas are logically sequenced, and whether supporting details actually develop the main point.
- Recognizing shifts in tone or purpose within a passage
- Identifying weak transitions or organizational gaps
- Evaluating whether evidence supports a stated claim
Domain 2: Problems in Sentence Formation
Focuses on structural sentence-level errors rather than word-choice or spelling issues.
- Fragments and run-ons
- Faulty parallelism and misplaced modifiers
- Subject-verb agreement across complex clauses
Domain 3: Conventions of Standard Written English Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
Covers the rule-based mechanics that selected-response items test directly.
- Punctuation (commas, semicolons, apostrophes)
- Capitalization and standard usage conventions
- Commonly confused words and homophone traps
Domain 4: Composing a Developed Composition in Standard Written English
This domain is assessed entirely through the constructed-response item - you must produce, not just evaluate, writing.
- Building a 300 to 400 word composition with a clear controlling idea
- Sustaining unity and focus across paragraphs
- Applying correct grammar and mechanics under time pressure
For a deeper walkthrough of each domain with sample question types, see the TX PACT 702 Exam Domains Guide. If you're still weighing how much prep time these domains realistically demand, How Hard Is the TX PACT 702 Exam? breaks down difficulty by domain.
Scoring, Passing Score, and Retake Rules
The passing score for Subtest II is 240, reported on a scaled score basis rather than a raw percentage - a scaled score normalizes difficulty across different test forms, so don't try to reverse-engineer it from a simple "questions correct" count. Some administrations include unscored field-test questions mixed in with real items; these don't count toward your score, but you won't know which ones they are, so treat every question as scored.
- Scores post at 10:00 p.m. Central on published score report dates.
- If you fail two or more subtests, you retake the entire exam.
- If you fail only one subtest while passing the other two, you may retake just that subtest.
- Your best attempt on each subtest is the one retained for admission purposes.
- A 30-day wait applies between attempts on the same subtest.
- You get 5 total attempts before a TEA test-limit waiver becomes required.
Full mechanics and edge cases around passing thresholds are covered in TX PACT 702 Passing Score.
Key Takeaway
Because your best attempt on each subtest is retained, a strong retake strategy for a single failed subtest is often more efficient than treating every attempt as an all-or-nothing event.
The Constructed Response: Your Highest-Value Section
The constructed-response item is the single heaviest-value component of Subtest II. You'll produce a composition of 300 to 400 words, scored holistically on a 4-point scale against six specific criteria:
- Purpose and Appropriateness
- Unity and Focus
- Development
- Organization
- Usage and Sentence Structure
- Grammar and Mechanical Conventions
Notice that three of these six criteria (Usage and Sentence Structure, Grammar and Mechanical Conventions, and elements of Organization) overlap directly with Domains 2 and 3 content - meaning your grammar and sentence-formation review isn't just for selected-response items. It directly feeds your constructed-response score. Treat the essay not as a separate skill but as Domains 1 through 3 applied under a word-count constraint.
One-Page Cheat Sheet Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Governing body / administrator | Texas Education Agency / Evaluation Systems, a Pearson business |
| Test delivery | Computer-administered, Pearson VUE sites, year-round by appointment |
| Subtest II format | 36 selected-response + 1 constructed-response |
| Subtest II time limit | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Full 700 exam appointment time | 4 hours 15 minutes (includes 15-min tutorial) |
| Passing score | 240 scaled score per subtest |
| Fee (single subtest) | $56 |
| Fee (all three subtests) | $106 |
| Wait between attempts | 30 days |
| Attempt limit before waiver | 5 total attempts |
| Constructed response length | 300-400 words, 4-point holistic scale |
| Score posting time | 10:00 p.m. Central on published dates |
A Compressed Review Timeline
If you're using this cheat sheet in the final stretch before your appointment, sequence your remaining review around the domain structure rather than studying everything at once. This isn't a generic Pomodoro plan - it's built around which domains feed into which question types on this specific exam.
Domains 2 and 3 - Mechanics First
- Drill sentence-formation errors and grammar/mechanics rules daily
- These skills underpin both selected-response items and two of the six essay scoring criteria
Domain 1 - Purpose and Organization
- Practice evaluating passages for audience fit, unity, and development
- Time yourself answering selected-response items in blocks that mirror the 90-minute limit
Domain 4 - Timed Composition Practice
- Write full 300-400 word compositions under a strict clock
- Score your own drafts against the six holistic criteria before moving on
Full Simulation
- Take a complete timed practice session covering both formats
- Review this cheat sheet the night before as your last-pass memory check
For a fuller version of this plan with practice question breakdowns, revisit the TX PACT 702 Study Guide, and run timed simulations on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the pacing before appointment day.
Who Actually Needs This Exam
TX PACT is a program-admission credential, not a renewable teaching certificate - once you clear it, there's no recertification cycle to track. Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree or be in the final semester of one. PACT becomes legally required for admission into a Texas educator preparation program when either of these applies:
- Your GPA is below 2.5, or
- You have fewer than 12 semester credit hours in your certificate subject area (15 hours if the subject is math or science above grade 7)
If you clear the GPA or credit-hour thresholds through your coursework, you may not need to take TX PACT at all - but if you're on the borderline, plan for it early rather than discovering the requirement late in your program timeline. Full eligibility rules, including how the bachelor's degree requirement interacts with in-progress semesters, are detailed in TX PACT 702 Requirements. If you're still deciding whether the time and fee investment makes sense for your specific program-admission situation, Is the TX PACT 702 Certification Worth It? walks through that decision.
Key Takeaway
Check your GPA and subject-area credit hours before assuming you need TX PACT 702 - the requirement is triggered by specific thresholds, not automatically applied to every applicant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Subtest II contains 36 selected-response questions plus 1 constructed-response composition item, all within a 1 hour 30 minute time limit.
You need a scaled score of 240 on Subtest II specifically. Each of the three subtests is scored and passed independently.
Yes, if you passed the other two subtests. If you failed two or more subtests, the entire exam must be retaken, and your best attempt on each subtest is what gets retained.
Testing one subtest in a single session costs $56. Testing all three subtests together in one session costs $106, with additional fees possible depending on your registration.
Your composition should fall between 300 and 400 words and is scored holistically on a 4-point scale across six criteria, including Purpose and Appropriateness, Development, and Grammar and Mechanical Conventions.