How HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant uses the HSRT in admissions
HCC Coleman OTA awards 25% of rubric points from HSRT, 20% from a virtual interview, and 5% from an essay sample. Academic criteria make up the remainder. No minimum HSRT score is required, but higher scores earn more points. The HESI critical thinking exam may be accepted in lieu of the HSRT.
HSRT testing at HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Location: HCC Coleman College Testing Center
- Fee: $25 per attempt (non-refundable)
- How to register: Schedule by emailing coleman.testing@hccs.edu or calling 713-718-5170. Mon-Thu at 10 AM.
Retake policy
Up to 2 HSRT results may be submitted with your application. Scores valid for 3 years.
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 HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant admissions which form and time limit you will sit.
Texas allied health programs use the HSRT because ota aas 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 HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant
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
- 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 HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant uses the HSRT-AD, the same course applies, and the pace per question is about the same (about 86 to 87 seconds).
Registration at HCC Coleman — Occupational Therapy Assistant
Schedule by emailing coleman.testing@hccs.edu or calling 713-718-5170. Mon-Thu at 10 AM.
