HSRT for Allied Health: Dental Hygiene, Sonography, Respiratory Care, and More
The HSRT is not only a nursing admissions exam. Dental hygiene, sonography, respiratory care, Medical Laboratory Technician, and LPN-to-ADN bridge programs also require it, each with its own rules for minimum scores, attempts, and how the score counts. It is the same 33-question critical thinking test in every case, so the preparation is the same regardless of which program you are applying to.
The detail most allied health applicants miss: many programs do not treat the HSRT as pass/fail. Some rank all applicants by score, some admit only the top scorers, and one even breaks ties using an HSRT subscore. In a ranked pool, any published minimum is only the floor. Every point above it improves your position for a limited number of seats.
Confirmed allied health HSRT requirements
These are published, verified requirements as of August 2026. Requirements change between admission cycles, so always confirm directly with your program before scheduling your test.
| Program | School | HSRT requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygiene | Lone Star College (TX) | Required, one attempt per application period | Testing at multiple campuses in the same period invalidates the application |
| Dental Hygiene | Palo Alto College (TX) | Top 45 applicants invited; top 30 HSRT scorers admitted | Evaluation subscore breaks ties; access code required, no self-registration |
| Dental Hygiene | Portland Community College (OR) | Administered during Phase II of selection | Taken online by invited applicants; no published minimum |
| Dental Hygiene | Utah Valley University (UT) | Scored admission factor | Applications scored on prerequisite grades plus HSRT score |
| Respiratory Care | Lone Star College (TX) | Required for application | Kingwood campus Respiratory Therapist program |
| Sonography-Echocardiography Technology | M State (MN) | 73% minimum | Eligible applicants ranked by HSRT-AD overall score |
| LPN-to-ADN Bridge | M State (MN) | 70% minimum | Check bridge admission requirements to confirm the HSRT applies to your pathway |
| Medical Laboratory Technician | M State (MN) | 60% minimum | New requirement, effective fall 2026 admission |
Applying to a nursing program instead? See the full list on our HSRT schools page and state guides for Minnesota, Texas, New Jersey, and Oregon.
Why the minimum score is the floor, not the target
Allied health cohorts are small. A dental hygiene or sonography program may admit 30 or fewer students per cycle, far fewer than a nursing program at the same college. That is why many of these programs rank applicants by HSRT score, or reserve the test for a shortlist, rather than treating it as pass/fail.
The minimum gets you eligible
Clearing a published cutoff puts your application in the pool. It does not place you in the class.
The rank gets you admitted
When a program ranks by HSRT score, seats go to the highest scores first. At Palo Alto College, only the top 30 scorers among invited dental hygiene applicants receive offers, and even ties are broken by an HSRT subscore.
Attempts are limited
One attempt per application period at Lone Star College dental hygiene, and two per cycle with a 14-day wait at M State. There is little room to treat the first sitting as practice.
Scores expire
HSRT-AD scores expire one year after the test date at M State and must be valid at the application deadline, so timing your test matters.
For a deeper look at how programs weigh the HSRT alongside GPA and other factors, see HSRT admissions models and what counts as a good HSRT score. Texas applicants can find campus-by-campus details in our Texas allied health HSRT guide.
Same exam, same preparation
There is no dental hygiene edition or sonography edition of the HSRT. Every program administers the same exam: 33 questions, a 50-minute window, and six reasoning domains with no science memorization. Analysis, Inference, Evaluation, Induction, Deduction, and Numeracy. Every question contains all the information needed to answer it, which is why programs across such different fields can use the same test.
That means preparation transfers completely across programs. If you practiced for a nursing HSRT requirement and later apply to dental hygiene, your preparation still applies. It also means content-heavy study guides built for other admissions exams will not help here, because the HSRT does not test content.
New to the exam? Start with what the HSRT is and the HSRT study guide, then take a timed practice test to see where you stand.
Allied health HSRT questions
Do dental hygiene programs require the HSRT?
Yes, several do, and dental hygiene has some of the strictest HSRT rules of any discipline. Lone Star College requires the HSRT for all dental hygiene applicants and allows only one attempt per application period; taking it at multiple campuses invalidates your application. Palo Alto College (Alamo Colleges, TX) invites only the top 45 applicants to sit for the HSRT and admits the top 30 scorers, with the Evaluation subscore used as a tiebreaker. Portland Community College (OR) administers the HSRT during Phase II of its selection process, and Utah Valley University scores dental hygiene applications on prerequisite grades plus the HSRT score.
Do respiratory care programs require the HSRT?
Some do. Lone Star College requires completion of the Health Sciences Reasoning Test as part of the admission requirements for its Respiratory Therapist program at the Kingwood campus. Respiratory care programs elsewhere more commonly use other entrance exams, so confirm which test your specific program requires before you start preparing.
Do sonography programs require the HSRT?
Some do. M State (Minnesota State Community and Technical College) requires the HSRT-AD for its Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program with a minimum overall score of 73 percent, and eligible applicants are ranked by their HSRT-AD overall score. Most sonography programs nationally use other admissions tests, so always confirm the exact exam with your specific program.
Do Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) programs require the HSRT?
M State requires the HSRT-AD for its Medical Laboratory Technician program with a minimum score of 60 percent, effective for fall 2026 admission. This is a recent addition, so older program guides may not mention it. If you are applying to an MLT program for fall 2026 or later, check the current admissions page directly.
Is the HSRT different for allied health programs than for nursing?
No. It is the same 33-question critical thinking exam regardless of which program requires it, covering Analysis, Inference, Evaluation, Induction, Deduction, and Numeracy. Community college and two-year programs typically administer the HSRT-AD version. What differs by program is the minimum score, the number of allowed attempts, and how the score is weighted in selection.
What HSRT score do I need for an allied health program?
It depends on the program, and some programs publish no minimum at all because they use the score to rank applicants instead. At M State, sonography requires 73 percent or higher, the LPN-to-ADN Bridge requires 70 percent or higher, and MLT requires 60 percent or higher effective fall 2026. At Palo Alto College, admission goes to the top 30 HSRT scorers among invited applicants, so there is no fixed passing score. When selection is ranked, treat any published minimum as a floor, not a target.
How many times can I take the HSRT for an allied health program?
Retake rules are set by the administering program and are often stricter in allied health than in nursing. Lone Star College dental hygiene allows exactly one attempt per application period, and taking the test at another campus in the same period invalidates your application. M State allows up to two attempts per cycle with a 14-day wait between them, and scores expire one year after the test date. With attempts this limited, each sitting counts.
How should I prepare for the HSRT if I am not a nursing applicant?
The same way nursing applicants should. The HSRT tests reasoning, not program-specific content, so there is no dental hygiene version or sonography version to study for. Every question contains all the information needed to answer it. Practice with HSRT-format critical thinking questions across all six reasoning domains, work under the 50-minute timer, and use a diagnostic to find your weakest domain first.
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