TExES 268: The Complete Guide

The TExES 268 is the first of two exams Texas requires for Principal as Instructional Leader certification, alongside the PASL 368. It combines selected-response questions with four constructed response questions, and the constructed responses are where most candidates win or lose. This guide covers the whole exam and links into deep walkthroughs of each part.

What is the TExES 268?

The TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268) is the Texas certification exam for aspiring principals and assistant principals, administered through Pearson. It replaced the old 068 and shifted the focus hard toward instructional leadership: coaching teachers, using data, and building campus culture, rather than pure operations. You need a scaled score of 240 to pass, and Texas law limits you to five total attempts on any certification exam, so a deliberate study plan matters.

What domains are on the 268?

The exam framework covers six domains: School Culture, Leading Learning, Human Capital, Executive Leadership, Strategic Operations, and Ethics, Equity, and Diversity. Leading Learning carries the most weight, which tells you where the test's heart is: the best answer is nearly always the one where the principal acts as an instructional coach, uses data, centers students, and works collaboratively. Check the official preparation manual on the Pearson TExES site for the current framework and domain weights.

What are the 268 constructed response questions?

Four constructed response questions, each with a predictable job. The scenarios change every administration; the structure of a passing answer does not.

CRQ	The job	Your 4-paragraph frame
1	Coaching plan from an observed lesson	One high-leverage practice needing improvement plus two pieces of evidence, one aligned action step, one probing question, how the step and question improve practice and learning
2	Build an exemplar from a lesson plan and exit ticket	Improvement area one with evidence, improvement area two with evidence, the exemplar itself, how coaching with it builds independence
3	Lead a data conversation	What the data shows, reflective questions to root cause, cited data sources, how reflection changes the next instructional decision
4	Culture: vision, plan, monitor	Most pressing need with evidence, recast the vision, plan with timeline and SMART goals and PD, monitor with walkthroughs, all tied to student achievement

The recurring high-leverage practices in CRQ 1 are pacing, alignment to the rigor of the standard, and missing explicit instruction. The recurring CRQ 4 answer is ineffective communication of the vision. Learn the frames cold and let each scenario fill in the details.

How should I study for the 268?

The method that passed, in five moves. Read answers and rationales before questions on practice items, because the exam rewards recognizing what a correct answer looks like, and rationales teach the test writers' logic faster than guessing. Take the official Pearson practice test repeatedly; I took it seven times and nearly memorized it, which is the point, because you are memorizing the shape of correct answers: student-centered, data-driven, collaborative. Work one content module a day from a structured program. Watch constructed response walkthrough videos, then rehearse the four writing setups mentally everywhere: the car, the hallway, the shower. And do a ten-minute brain dump of all four CRQ frames from memory, every single day, because on test day you should be filling in a structure you have written fifty times, not deciding what to write.

Four to six weeks of that rhythm is enough for most candidates working full time.

How is the 268 scored, and what if I don't pass?

Pass is a 240 scaled score combining the selected-response and constructed-response sections. The constructed responses are scored against a rubric that rewards answering every part of the prompt and citing specific evidence from the provided documents and video. If you fall short, you can retake after the required wait, but every attempt counts toward the five-attempt state limit, and many preparation programs require a study plan and practice-test benchmark before approving a retake, so treat the first attempt as the real one.

Is the 268 hard?

It is passable with the right preparation and frustrating without it. Candidates who struggle usually studied content but never trained the constructed responses, or picked "sounds reasonable" answers instead of the test's consistent logic. Candidates who pass on the first attempt trained pattern recognition on rationales and rehearsed the four CRQ frames until they were reflexes.

268 FAQ

How many questions are on the 268? Selected-response questions plus four constructed responses. Check the official Pearson preparation manual for the current counts and timing.

What score do I need to pass the 268? A scaled score of 240.

How many times can I take the 268? Texas limits candidates to five total attempts on any certification exam, with a waiver process for exceptional cases.

Do I also have to take the PASL? Yes. Texas principal certification requires both the 268 and the PASL 368. Start with the PASL 368 Complete Guide.

What are the hardest parts of the 268? The four constructed responses, and specifically citing two pieces of evidence for every claim and asking probing rather than closed questions. The frames above fix both.

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Get the four CRQ frameworks on one page: the free 268 Cheat Sheet. Ready for the full weekly schedule, brain dump templates, and score tracker? That's the 268 Study System Workbook.