TExES 164 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown

Total Cost Breakdown for 2026

Before you schedule an appointment, it helps to see the full financial picture rather than just the headline exam fee. TExES Bilingual Education Supplemental (164) is administered by Pearson Evaluation Systems on behalf of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification, and every fee associated with it flows through that same testing infrastructure - not through a national or out-of-state certifying body. That distinction matters because pricing, waivers, and attempt rules for this exam are set entirely by Texas policy.

The standalone exam fee is $116. On top of that, candidates pursuing standard certification also pay a separate $78 certification application fee once they've passed. Neither of these numbers is negotiable at the individual candidate level - they're set fees for a computer-administered test delivered at sites across Texas and nationwide.

How the HB2 Fee Waiver Actually Works

This is the single biggest cost variable for 2026 test-takers, and it's frequently misunderstood. Under House Bill 2, the registration fee for a candidate's first attempt at exam 164 is waived for eligible Bilingual Education certification candidates. The $78 certification application fee follows the same eligibility path and can also be waived.

Two words matter enormously here: first attempt. The waiver is not a blanket exemption from all TExES 164 costs - it applies specifically to the initial sitting. If you don't pass on your first try, the retake fee is the full $116, out of pocket, with no second waiver attached to a repeat attempt.

Because the waiver is attempt-specific, treating your first sitting as a "practice run" is financially unwise. Walking in prepared - understanding the exact structure of the 80 selected-response questions, the domain weighting, and the competencies tested - is the difference between using a free attempt productively and burning it. Our TExES 164 Study Guide lays out a preparation sequence built around that reality.

What Your $116 Actually Pays For

The exam fee covers a single, unified assessment: TExES 164 is structured around one domain - Bilingual Education - weighted at 100% of the exam. That domain is built on Bilingual Education Standards II through VI and is broken into four competencies that your score report evaluates individually, alongside your total performance.

Your $116 buys you a five-hour testing appointment covering 80 selected-response questions, some of which may be unscored field-test items used by TEA to calibrate future exams. You won't know which items are field-test questions, so every question deserves full attention. For a deeper breakdown of exactly what's tested inside each competency, see the TExES 164 Exam Domains Guide.

Hidden Costs Beyond the Exam Fee

The advertised $116 fee is only part of the real cost of earning this credential. Because exam 164 is a supplemental certification - not a stand-alone credential - Spanish-track candidates must also pass the BTLPT 190, which carries its own separate registration fee and preparation timeline. Skipping this in your budgeting is one of the most common oversights candidates make.

• BTLPT 190 pairing: Required alongside 164 for Spanish bilingual certification; budget for it as a second exam, not an afterthought.
• Study materials: Practice tests, domain-specific guides, and review resources aren't included in the exam fee.
• Educator preparation program (EPP) costs: Approval to test typically runs through an EPP, out-of-state route, charter pathway, or certification-by-exam route - each with its own program-level costs separate from TEA's fees.
• Retake fees: Full $116 per attempt after your first, with no HB2 waiver applying.

If you're still mapping out whether you even qualify to sit for the exam under one of these pathways, our TExES 164 Requirements guide walks through eligibility in detail before you spend a dollar.

Retake Costs and the Five-Attempt Ceiling

TEA caps candidates at five attempts on exam 164, with a mandatory 30-day wait between each attempt. Beyond five attempts, a test-limit waiver from TEA is required to sit again - an administrative hurdle on top of the financial one.

Do the math on worst-case cost: a candidate who uses all five attempts pays for the exam fee up to four additional times beyond a waived (or paid) first attempt, since only the first sitting qualifies for the HB2 waiver. That's a meaningful multiplier if preparation is rushed the first time around. Understanding realistic difficulty and where candidates typically lose points - covered in our TExES 164 difficulty guide - is a cost-control strategy as much as an academic one.

Passing requires a scaled score of 240 out of a 100-300 range. If you want the exact scoring mechanics and what "240" actually represents on the competency breakdown, our passing score guide covers it in full.

Cost Comparison by Candidate Scenario

Because eligibility for the HB2 waiver and the number of attempts needed vary by candidate, actual out-of-pocket cost differs significantly. Here's how a few realistic scenarios compare:

These figures reflect only TExES 164 fees as defined by TEA and Pearson Evaluation Systems. Spanish-track candidates should add BTLPT 190 costs separately, since that exam is billed on its own schedule.

Why the TExES 165 Deadline Affects Your Budget

Cost planning for this credential can't be separated from its timeline. TEA is actively retiring the 164/190 pathway. The replacement, TExES 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental, launches September 1, 2026. August 31, 2027 is the last day candidates can sit for exam 164 or the BTLPT 190, and September 1, 2028 is the final date TEA will accept applications or recommendations based on 164/190 scores.

That means every failed attempt doesn't just cost $116 and 30 days - it eats into a finite, closing window. A candidate who starts late in 2027 and needs multiple attempts risks running out of eligible testing dates entirely before the pathway closes. Check current appointment availability and plan your attempts against these fixed dates using our TExES 164 Exam Dates guide.

Spending Study Time and Money Where It Counts

Since the exam fee itself is largely fixed (or waived once), the real cost-control lever is preparation efficiency - spending study time where it prevents a $116+ retake rather than spreading effort evenly across material you already know.

A practical allocation, built around the exam's own domain weighting, looks like this:

Running full-length timed practice on our TExES 164 practice test platform before appointment day is one of the most cost-effective steps available, since it surfaces competency gaps while the retake fee is still avoidable. It's also worth reviewing our TExES 164 Cheat Sheet in the final days before your appointment as a condensed final review.

Frequently Asked Questions