How Portland Community College uses the HSRT in admissions
PCC Dental Hygiene uses a three-phase, points-based selection process. In Phase I, applicants earn points for prerequisites, GPA, and dental experience. The roughly 40 highest-scoring Phase I applicants are invited to Phase II to take the HSRT. The 20 highest scorers from Phase II are offered seats. There is no published minimum HSRT score — your score directly ranks you against the other Phase II invitees for the 20 available seats.
Competitive applicants typically have around a 3.6 GPA. Only ~40 applicants reach the HSRT and only the top 20 are admitted, so every HSRT point counts toward your final rank.
HSRT testing at Portland Community College
- Location: Completed online (Phase II invitees)
- Fee: Coordinated through PCC admissions (non-refundable)
- Format: 35 multiple-choice questions, ~50 minutes time limit. Unanswered questions scored as incorrect. You can navigate forward and backward during the exam.
- How to register: You do not register for the HSRT independently. If your Phase I application ranks in the top group (about 40 applicants), PCC invites you to Phase II and schedules the HSRT online in late May or early June. You must RSVP for Phase II to keep your spot.
Retake policy
Contact PCC Dental Hygiene admissions for the current retake policy. The HSRT is administered only to Phase II invitees in late May or early June.
Eligibility requirements
Residency: No in-district residency requirement published. Out-of-state applicants should verify eligibility with the program.
About Portland Community College's Dental Hygiene (AAS) program
PCC has run its CODA-accredited Dental Hygiene program since 1970 and admits just 20 students each fall. The HSRT is a Phase II gate reached only by the top ~40 Phase I applicants, making it one of the most selective allied-health uses of the exam in Oregon.
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). Portland Community College lists its HSRT as 35 questions with a ~50 minutes time limit. 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 Portland Community College admissions which form and time limit you will sit.
Oregon allied health programs use the HSRT because dental hygiene (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 Portland Community 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 Portland Community 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 Portland Community College uses the HSRT-AD, the same course applies, and the pace per question is about the same (about 86 to 87 seconds).
Prep timeline for Portland Community College's Fall 2026 admission cycle
With the deadline on Applications January 1 – April 15; HSRT scheduled late May / early June, here are two recommended study plans:
4-week plan (recommended if you have time):
- Week 1: Analysis, Interpretation + Evaluation, learn to break down arguments, read what claims mean, and assess evidence
- Week 2: Inference, Explanation + Induction, practice drawing and justifying conclusions from incomplete data
- Week 3: Deduction + Numeracy, work through logical reasoning and quantitative scenarios
- Week 4: Full practice exams + review weak areas. Take at least 3 timed exams.
2-week sprint (if your deadline is close):
- Week 1: Take the diagnostic. Focus all study time on your 2 weakest skill areas. Complete 100+ practice questions.
- Week 2: Take 3–4 full practice exams. Review every wrong answer. Retake your diagnostic to measure improvement.
Registration at Portland Community College
You do not register for the HSRT independently. If your Phase I application ranks in the top group (about 40 applicants), PCC invites you to Phase II and schedules the HSRT online in late May or early June. You must RSVP for Phase II to keep your spot.
