- 2026 Testing Overview: Windows, Sites, and Appointment Length
- Registration Mechanics, Fees, and Deadlines
- Critical Retirement Timeline: Why Your 2026 Date Matters
- Who Can Schedule: Eligibility Before You Book
- Attempt Limits, Retakes, and the 30-Day Wait
- Planning Your Test Date Around the Four Domains
- A Domain-Aware Scheduling Timeline
- Frequently Asked Questions
- TExES 164 is computer-administered year-round at Pearson sites, not tied to fixed quarterly windows.
- House Bill 2 waives the $116 exam fee and $78 application fee for eligible first-attempt candidates.
- August 31, 2027 is the last day to take 164 and BTLPT 190; TExES 165 launches September 1, 2026.
- September 1, 2028 is the final date to apply or be recommended using 164/190 scores.
2026 Testing Overview: Windows, Sites, and Appointment Time
Unlike paper-based exams tied to a handful of fixed dates each year, the TExES Bilingual Education Supplemental (164) is a computer-administered test delivered through Pearson Evaluation Systems at approved testing centers across Texas and at select sites nationwide. This means there is no single "2026 testing window" in the traditional sense - instead, candidates book an individual appointment based on seat availability at their chosen center, typically choosing from dates available in the coming weeks rather than waiting for a seasonal registration cycle.
Each appointment includes 5 hours of total time to complete 80 selected-response questions, with the possibility of unscored field-test items mixed in. Because the clock covers check-in, tutorials, and the exam itself, most candidates find the pacing comfortable if they've prepared using a structured TExES 164 study guide rather than cramming the night before.
Registration Mechanics, Fees, and Deadlines
Scheduling begins with registration through your educator preparation program (EPP) or approved testing pathway. Once your eligibility is confirmed in the system, you can select a testing site and appointment date, generally with several options within a rolling multi-week horizon.
The standard exam fee for 164 is $116. However, under House Bill 2, signed into law June 4, 2025, the registration fee for a candidate's first attempt at exam 164 is waived for eligible Bilingual Education certification candidates. That same legislation also waives the $78 certification application fee for eligible candidates - a meaningful reduction in the total certification cost for those testing for the first time.
- Standard exam fee: $116 (waived for eligible first attempts under HB 2)
- Certification application fee: $78 (also waived for eligible candidates)
- Retake fees: Full fee applies to second and subsequent attempts
Key Takeaway
Confirm your fee-waiver eligibility with your EPP before scheduling your first appointment - this determines whether you pay the $116 fee out of pocket or test at no cost on attempt one.
Deadlines in this context are less about a fixed application date and more about your own planning: EPPs often set internal cutoffs for when candidates must be approved to test, so check with your program coordinator well ahead of any target semester in which you hope to complete your Bilingual Education Standards coursework and testing.
Critical Retirement Timeline: Why Your 2026 Date Matters
The single most important scheduling fact for 2026 is that TEA is phasing out the 164/BTLPT 190 pathway in favor of a new exam. If you're planning your testing calendar this year, these dates should anchor every decision you make:
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | TExES 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental launches as the replacement pathway |
| August 31, 2027 | Last day candidates may sit for TExES 164 and BTLPT 190 |
| September 1, 2028 | Last day candidates may apply for or be recommended for certification using 164/190 scores |
In practical terms: even though 164 will continue to be offered alongside 165 for a period after September 2026, every candidate should build a personal buffer into their plan. Waiting until the final testing window in 2027 leaves no room for a retake if you fall short of the required score, and it leaves almost no time to complete the certification application before the 2028 cutoff.
Who Can Schedule: Eligibility Before You Book
You cannot simply register for 164 on your own; approval to test comes through one of a few defined routes. Understanding which route applies to you is the first step in any scheduling plan, and it's covered in depth in our TExES 164 requirements guide.
- Educator preparation program (EPP) approval - the most common route, where your program certifies you're ready to test based on coursework progress.
- Out-of-state candidates - educators certified elsewhere who need the Bilingual Education Supplemental to add the credential in Texas.
- Certification-by-exam candidates - those pursuing an alternative certification pathway that permits testing without a traditional EPP.
- Charter school pathway candidates - educators approved through charter-specific certification routes.
Because 164 is a supplemental certification and not a stand-alone credential, Spanish-track candidates must also plan their BTLPT 190 appointment in tandem. Scheduling both exams with enough spacing to prepare for each - without letting momentum lapse between them - is a common pain point worth mapping out early.
Attempt Limits, Retakes, and the 30-Day Wait
If your first attempt doesn't produce a passing scaled score of 240, your scheduling plan needs to account for TEA's retake rules, not just your own study pace.
- Mandatory 30-day wait between attempts - you cannot rebook for the next day even if a seat is open.
- Five-attempt limit on any certification exam before a test-limit waiver from TEA is required to continue.
- Full fee applies on retakes, since the HB 2 waiver only covers a candidate's first attempt.
This is where understanding the exam's difficulty profile pays off in scheduling terms: candidates who read our difficulty guide and review what the pass-rate data shows tend to build in a realistic prep window rather than assuming they'll pass on the first try and scrambling if they don't.
Key Takeaway
Book your first attempt with at least 30 days of slack before any hard deadline (like a hiring start date or the 2027 retirement cutoff) so a mandatory retake wait doesn't derail your plans.
Planning Your Test Date Around the Four Domains
Because the entire exam sits under one domain - Bilingual Education, weighted 100% - your scheduling decisions should really be driven by how ready you are across its four competency areas, detailed fully in our exam domains guide. Your score report will break out performance by competency, so uneven preparation shows up clearly.
Domain 1: Foundations of Bilingual Education, Bilingualism and the Learning Environment
Covers historical, legal, and theoretical foundations of bilingual education models and the classroom environments that support bilingual learners.
- Program models (dual language, transitional, maintenance) and their rationale
Domain 2: First-Language and Second-Language Acquisition and Development
Focuses on how L1 and L2 develop, including stages of acquisition and factors that influence the pace and quality of bilingual development.
- Cross-linguistic transfer and common acquisition stage indicators
Domain 3: Development and Assessment of L1 Literacy and Biliteracy
Tests knowledge of how literacy develops in a student's first language and how biliteracy assessment should be approached.
- Formal and informal biliteracy assessment tools and their appropriate use
Domain 4: Content-Area Instruction in L1 and L2
Addresses how to deliver academic content - math, science, social studies - effectively in both languages.
- Scaffolding strategies for content-area instruction across L1 and L2
If you find one domain consistently weaker on practice questions, schedule your test date a few weeks later rather than testing on your original target - a delayed appointment with a stronger domain balance beats an on-time appointment with a shaky Domain 3 or 4.
A Domain-Aware Scheduling Timeline
Rather than a generic countdown, build your calendar around which domain needs the most runway. Foundational content (Domain 1) tends to be quicker to review than the assessment-heavy material in Domain 3, so sequence accordingly.
Domain 1 & 2 Foundations
- Review bilingual program models and acquisition theory
- Take a diagnostic set of practice questions on the main practice test site
Domain 3 Deep Dive
- Study biliteracy assessment tools and L1 literacy development stages
- Flag any competency scoring below target on practice sets
Domain 4 & Integration
- Practice content-area scaffolding scenarios across subjects
- Run full-length timed practice exams to build stamina for the 5-hour appointment
Booking & Confirmation
- Lock your appointment date once competency-level scores are consistently near the 240 passing score
- Confirm testing site details and required ID
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Because 164 is computer-administered through Pearson, candidates schedule an individual appointment based on seat availability rather than waiting for a fixed quarterly window.
August 31, 2027 is the final day candidates may sit for TExES 164 and the paired BTLPT 190 before the pathway is retired in favor of TExES 165.
Eligible Bilingual Education certification candidates have the $116 fee waived for their first attempt under House Bill 2, along with the $78 certification application fee. Retakes are charged the standard fee.
TEA requires a mandatory 30-day wait between attempts, and candidates are capped at five total attempts unless granted a test-limit waiver.
Yes. Score reports display total performance alongside performance broken down by each of the four competencies within the single Bilingual Education domain.
Whether you're scheduling your first attempt or planning around the 2027 retirement deadline, treat your test date as the last step in a domain-by-domain readiness process rather than a fixed point on a calendar. For more on what happens after you pass, see our guides on TExES 164 certification and TExES 164 jobs, and when you're ready to gauge your readiness, run a full timed session on our practice test platform.