How Lone Star College uses the HSRT in admissions
Lone Star College-Kingwood requires every Occupational Therapy Assistant applicant to complete the HSRT and submit it with the program application. Top-ranking applicants are invited to an interview; after the interview, admissions examination, and writing samples, applicants are re-ranked and the top applicants are selected. There is no published minimum.
No published minimum. Score as high as possible since the HSRT is one weighted input in a ranked, interview-based selection.
HSRT testing at Lone Star College
- Location: Lone Star College testing centers; the program is based at the Kingwood campus. OTA HSRT testing is offered during the June through August application window.
- Fee: $15 (non-refundable)
Retake policy
One attempt per application period.
About Lone Star College's Occupational Therapy Assistant program
The LSC-Kingwood OTA application period runs from the first business day in June to the last business day in August, and the program begins each January. Confirmed via the official OTA Application Process and Department pages.
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 Lone Star College admissions which form and time limit you will sit.
Texas allied health programs use the HSRT because occupational therapy assistant 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 Lone Star 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 Lone Star 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 Lone Star 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 Lone Star College
Registration for the HSRT is coordinated through Lone Star 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.lonestar.edu/occupational-therapy-requirements.htm
