How Black Hawk College uses the HSRT in admissions
Black Hawk College requires Occupational Therapy Assistant applicants to schedule and take the HSRT (50-minute limit) in the BHC Testing Center, then complete a writing prompt; scores are sent directly to the program director. Applications are submitted through OTACAS. There is no published minimum score.
No published minimum. Submit observation hours, a personal statement, and two letters of recommendation alongside the HSRT.
HSRT testing at Black Hawk College
- Location: Black Hawk College Testing Center (Moline, IL).
- Fee: Contact the BHC Testing Center. (non-refundable)
Retake policy
Contact the Black Hawk College OTA program for the current retake policy.
About Black Hawk College's Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program
Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois requires the HSRT for its Occupational Therapy Assistant program (Fall start; OTACAS application by March 1). Confirmed on the official BHC OTA program page.
About the HSRT exam
The Health Sciences Reasoning Test is developed by Insight Assessment. Unlike the TEAS or HESI, it does not test science, math, or vocabulary. The Standard HSRT reports an overall score plus eight critical thinking skills: analysis, interpretation, inference, evaluation, explanation, induction, deduction, and numeracy. The HSRT-AD form reports six of those skills (it does not report interpretation or explanation separately). Programs choose which HSRT form they administer. The Standard HSRT is 38 questions in 55 minutes, and the HSRT-AD is 35 questions in 50 minutes. Confirm with Black Hawk College admissions which form and time limit you will sit.
Illinois allied health programs use the HSRT because occupational therapy assistant (ota) requires strong clinical decision-making ability. The HSRT is designed to assess whether applicants can reason through novel problems, the core skill of clinical practice.
How to prepare for the HSRT at Black Hawk College
Because there is no content to memorize, HSRT preparation looks different from TEAS or HESI prep. Effective preparation involves:
- Understanding the skill areas the HSRT reports (eight on the Standard HSRT, six on the HSRT-AD)
- Taking a baseline diagnostic to identify your weakest subscale
- Practicing argument analysis, inference, and logical reasoning with original HSRT-style practice questions
- Completing full-length practice exams under realistic conditions (50 minutes time limit at Black Hawk College)
- Reviewing every wrong answer by skill area, not just overall score
StudyBuddy is a dedicated HSRT prep platform: 1,331 questions across eight skill modules (one per reported skill) and a mixed-reasoning module, 70 interactive lessons, and 10 timed mock exams in the Standard HSRT format (38 questions, 55 minutes). It is designed to build the reasoning skills publicly described for the HSRT. Our questions are original practice material and do not reproduce the proprietary exam. If Black Hawk College uses the HSRT-AD, the same course applies, and the pace per question is about the same (about 86 to 87 seconds).
Registration at Black Hawk College
Registration for the HSRT is coordinated through Black Hawk College's admissions office. You will receive a direct link and access code to the Insight Assessment online testing platform. Do not attempt to register independently, the test requires a program-issued access code.
Contact: www.bhc.edu/academics/programs/occupational-therapy-assistant-aas/
