- TExES 164 has one domain, Bilingual Education, split into 4 competencies covering Standards II-VI.
- The exam is 80 selected-response questions across a 5-hour appointment, with a $116 fee.
- House Bill 2 waives the first-attempt fee and the $78 certification application fee for eligible candidates.
- Passing score is 240 on a 100-300 scale, so training should target competency-level mastery, not just a total score.
What "Training" Actually Means for TExES 164
Training for the TExES Bilingual Education Supplemental (164) is not the same as generic test-prep. Because the exam is governed by a single domain - Bilingual Education, weighted at 100% - every hour you spend preparing should map directly to one of four competencies drawn from Bilingual Education Standards II-VI. There is no partial credit for "general test-taking skill" here; the score report itself breaks your performance down by competency, so training that ignores that structure wastes time.
This article treats "training" as the process of building competency-specific fluency: knowing the vocabulary, models, and instructional scenarios TEA expects a bilingual educator to recognize on sight, then practicing that recognition under timed, selected-response conditions. If you want the conceptual map of what each competency covers before you build a training plan, the TExES 164 Exam Domains 2026 guide is the companion reference to read alongside this one.
Exam Format, Fees, and Registration Mechanics
Before building a training plan, lock in the mechanics so you're not surprised on test day. TExES 164 is administered by Pearson Evaluation Systems at computer-administered testing sites in Texas and nationwide, under the authority of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification. The exam consists of 80 selected-response questions, with 5 hours of appointment time, and may include unscored field-test items mixed in with scored questions - you won't know which is which, so every question deserves full attention.
The standard exam fee is $116. Under House Bill 2, signed June 4, 2025, eligible Bilingual Education certification candidates get their first-attempt registration fee for exam 164 waived, along with the separate $78 certification application fee. That's a meaningful reduction in your total path cost if you qualify, and it makes it worth reviewing the full TExES 164 Certification Cost breakdown before you register so you know exactly what applies to your situation.
- Passing score: 240 on a 100-300 scaled range - see the TExES 164 Passing Score guide for how raw performance converts to that number.
- Attempt limits: TEA caps candidates at five attempts on a certification exam, with a mandatory 30-day wait between attempts; a test-limit waiver from TEA is required beyond five.
- Eligibility routes: approval from an educator preparation program, or qualification through an out-of-state, charter, or certification-by-exam route - full detail in the TExES 164 Requirements guide.
- Supplemental status: 164 is not stand-alone. For Spanish bilingual certification, it is paired with the BTLPT 190.
You can check current testing windows and appointment availability directly through the registration process; for a full breakdown of deadlines and how they interact with the program's retirement, see the TExES 164 Exam Dates guide.
Domain-by-Domain Training Plan
Because the framework is organized around four competencies rather than four weighted domains, your training should treat each one as a self-contained unit with its own vocabulary, key theorists, and scenario types. Use the domain names exactly as TEA defines them so your review materials stay aligned with the actual test blueprint.
Domain 1: Foundations of Bilingual Education, Bilingualism and the Learning Environment
This competency tests your grasp of program models, historical and legal foundations, and how to structure a learning environment that supports bilingual and biliterate development.
- Know the distinctions between program models (e.g., transitional, dual-language, maintenance) and what each is designed to accomplish
- Understand the legal and policy foundations behind bilingual education in Texas
- Be able to identify classroom environment features that support additive bilingualism
Domain 2: First-Language and Second-Language Acquisition and Development
This is theory-heavy: you need working familiarity with how L1 and L2 develop, including stages, influencing factors, and common instructional misapplications.
- Differentiate between simultaneous and sequential bilingual acquisition patterns
- Recognize how sociocultural and cognitive factors affect the pace of L2 development
- Match acquisition-stage descriptions to appropriate instructional responses in scenario questions
Domain 3: Development and Assessment of L1 Literacy and Biliteracy
This competency asks you to connect literacy development theory to assessment practice - knowing not just what biliteracy looks like, but how to measure and support it.
- Understand transfer between L1 and L2 literacy skills and where transfer breaks down
- Know formal and informal assessment approaches used to monitor biliteracy growth
- Be ready to interpret assessment data in scenario-based questions, not just define terms
Domain 4: Content-Area Instruction in L1 and L2
This competency tests applied pedagogy - how content-area instruction (math, science, social studies) should be delivered and scaffolded across L1 and L2 depending on student proficiency.
- Know strategies for making grade-level content comprehensible in L2 without diluting rigor
- Understand how to sequence L1 and L2 use across content areas as proficiency grows
- Practice matching classroom vignettes to the most appropriate content-area scaffold
Key Takeaway
Train competency by competency, then take full-length practice sets that mix all four - the real exam won't group questions by competency, so your final review weeks should reflect that mixed format.
A Focused Training Timeline
A generic weekly template won't help much here, but a timeline built around the four competencies will. The sequence below assumes you're starting from a teacher-preparation background and need focused review rather than first-time learning.
Foundations of Bilingual Education
- Review program models and the legal basis for bilingual education in Texas
- Build a glossary of terms tied to Standards II-VI as they relate to Domain 1
Acquisition and Development
- Study L1/L2 acquisition stages and the factors that influence them
- Practice scenario questions that ask you to identify a student's acquisition stage
Literacy and Biliteracy Assessment
- Review assessment tools used to track L1 literacy and biliteracy
- Practice interpreting sample assessment data in question form
Content-Area Instruction and Full Review
- Study scaffolding strategies for content-area instruction in L1 and L2
- Take mixed, timed practice sets covering all four competencies
If you'd rather follow a more detailed, day-by-day version of this plan, the TExES 164 Study Guide 2026 expands on each week with specific resources and review checklists. And once you've worked through the content, running full-length simulations on our TExES 164 practice test platform is the best way to confirm you can perform under the actual 5-hour, 80-question conditions.
Who Hires Candidates After TExES 164 Training
TExES 164, paired with the BTLPT 190, leads to a supplemental Bilingual Education certification layered onto a base Texas teaching certificate. That means the training you complete translates directly into eligibility for bilingual and dual-language classroom roles in Texas public schools - positions that specifically require this supplemental credential rather than a standalone bilingual license.
Districts with dual-language programs, transitional bilingual programs, and ESL-adjacent bilingual classrooms are the primary destinations for candidates who complete this pathway. Because the credential is tied to a specific certification structure rather than a broad market designation, the practical value of your training shows up most clearly in job postings that name bilingual certification as a requirement. For a closer look at where this credential fits into district hiring and career paths, see the TExES 164 Jobs guide, and for a broader view of whether the time investment pays off, the Is the TExES 164 Certification Worth It? ROI Analysis and TExES 164 Salary Guide walk through the considerations without relying on borrowed numbers from unrelated credentials.
Training Around the TEA Retirement Timeline
One detail that should shape your training schedule directly: TEA is retiring this pathway. The replacement, TExES 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental, launches September 1, 2026. August 31, 2027 is the last day to take exam 164 and the BTLPT 190. September 1, 2028 is the last day for a program to apply for or recommend a candidate using 164 and 190 scores.
Candidates who are early in an educator preparation program should confirm with their program which exam they'll be tested under - 164 or the incoming 165 - since training materials and competency structures are not identical between the two. This is a scheduling decision as much as a content decision, so factor these dates into any timeline you build alongside the TExES 164 Exam Dates guide.
Common Training Mistakes to Avoid
Most training missteps on this exam come from misunderstanding its structure rather than lacking content knowledge. Because there's only one domain, candidates sometimes under-prepare for how granular the competency breakdown on the score report actually is.
- Treating all four competencies as one blob of "bilingual ed theory." Each competency has a distinct focus - acquisition theory is not the same skill as literacy assessment interpretation.
- Skipping timed practice. With 80 selected-response questions and 5 hours of appointment time, pacing feels generous, but scenario-based items still take real thinking time - practice under those conditions, not open-book review.
- Ignoring the field-test question possibility. Since scored and unscored items are mixed, don't waste energy trying to guess which questions "don't count" - treat every item as scored.
- Not checking attempt-limit math. With a five-attempt cap and a 30-day wait between attempts, a failed attempt has real time cost - training thoroughly the first time matters more than it might for exams with looser retake rules.
If you want a data-informed sense of how challenging candidates generally find this exam, the How Hard Is the TExES 164 Exam? Difficulty Guide and the TExES 164 Pass Rate 2026 article both dig into what the available data actually shows, without inflating numbers that aren't documented for this specific exam.
For a fast final review once your competency training is complete, keep the TExES 164 Cheat Sheet 2026 handy, and run a few more timed sets on the practice test site to confirm you're comfortable with the pacing before your appointment.
FAQ
Yes. TExES 164 is a supplemental credential, not stand-alone. For Spanish bilingual certification, it must be paired with the BTLPT 190, and both scores are used together in the certification recommendation process.
The exam has 80 selected-response questions, with 5 hours of appointment time. It may also include unscored field-test questions mixed in with scored items.
Under House Bill 2, signed June 4, 2025, eligible Bilingual Education certification candidates get the first-attempt registration fee for exam 164 waived, along with the $78 certification application fee. The standard exam fee otherwise is $116.
TEA limits candidates to five attempts on a certification exam, with a required 30-day wait between attempts. A test-limit waiver from TEA is required to attempt beyond five.
That depends on your educator preparation program's approval and timeline. TExES 165 launches September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027 is the last day to take exam 164 and the BTLPT 190, so candidates already approved to test under 164 typically continue on that path rather than waiting.