SKILL 1
Read the colors
Orange, green, blue and black tell you what a thing is made of before you know what it is. Metal tools and blades show up blue. Dense spots show black.
TSA X-ray test · Legacy CBT · Object recognition
Master the TSA X-Ray ORT Test in 2026: spot the item before the clock runs out
On the X-ray part of the TSA computer-based test you see a bag scan, one question and a few seconds to answer. TSA QuickPass trains your eye on 556 X-ray images in the real format, from everyday items to guns and knives, and then on the clock.
- 556 X-ray images in 9 practice tests and 3 full legacy CBT exams
- Three X-ray lessons: everyday items, threat items, then speed, each with a video
- A written guide per lesson: colors, shapes and where items hide
- The English section too: reading, vocabulary and writing, three tests each
★★★★★4.3 on Trustpilot from 441 reviews
Questions before or after you buy? [email protected], answered by a person.
FREE X-RAY CHECK · 10 SCANS⏱ 15 s each
Orange organic: food, clothes, paper, liquids
Green mixed and light metals, plastics
Blue dense metal: tools, blades, gun parts
Black too dense to see through
Ten real-format scans from the course. One question each, 15 seconds per scan. See how many items you'd let through, and how fast you decide.
Free · no account, no email · your result appears right away
QUESTION · YES / NOPER SCAN · 15 S
Check your invite first
Will you get the X-ray test at all?
Most current TSO job postings describe the TSO Assessment Battery (TAB): Connect the Dots, Image Matching and Shape Folding. It has no X-ray and no English section. Some airports still run the older computer-based test with X-ray images. Your invite email tells you which one you have.
Invite mentions X-ray or English
Legacy CBT
X-ray object recognition plus reading, vocabulary and writing.
Get TSA QuickPass: $68Invite mentions shapes, dots or matching
TSO Assessment Battery (TAB)
Connect the Dots, Image Matching and Shape Folding, with a named method for each task.
Try the free TAB practice testIt's a pattern test with a clock on it
Nobody fails the X-ray section because they don't know what a gun looks like. They fail because a gun seen from the side, half hidden behind a laptop, in blue and green, doesn't look like a gun. And there are only seconds to decide.
13item types in the course tests: guns, knives, weapons, tools, cables, bottles, cans, cosmetics, shoes, meds, wallets, laptops, keys
SKILL 2
Know the shapes
Every item has a signature: barrel and grip, blade and handle, a can's round shoulder. You learn to see it from any angle, not just side-on.
Yes / Noin seconds, scan after scan
SKILL 3
Decide on the clock
Two errors cost you points: letting an item through, and flagging a clean bag. Speed comes from a fixed way of scanning each bag, not from guessing.
21 days
from your test invite to sit the test, or the application closes.1
3 levels
in the course: everyday items, threat items, then timed blocks, so the real scans feel familiar.
0 undo
A scan you skip or run out of time on is a lost point. You can't come back to it.
Get TSA QuickPass: $687-day money-back · instant access
A fixed routine for every scan
The X-ray guides in the course turn "look for the gun" into four steps you run the same way on every bag.
Colors2 s
Sweep5 s
Shape4 s
Decide1 s
One scan, with time to spare~12 seconds
Unsure?Something dense you can't see through is a reason to look twice, not to skip.
From the course: blue means dense metal, and the marked shape is a tool. This is how every answer image in the course shows you where the item was.
- 1
Colors first
Find the blue and the black. That's where metal and anything hidden will be.
- 2
Sweep in a fixed order
Same path every time, so nothing in a corner or along the frame gets skipped.
- 3
Match the signature shape
Look for the part of the item that never changes, from any angle.
- 4
Decide and move on
Answer, then give the next scan your full attention.
Try it on ten scans first: start the free X-ray check.
Get TSA QuickPass: $68One payment · 90 days
Free X-ray images vs TSA QuickPass
Free image galleries show you what a scan looks like. Here's what they leave out.
| Free X-ray images | TSA QuickPass | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | A handful of examples | 556 images in 9 practice tests and 3 full exams |
| Difficulty | Mostly obvious items | Everyday items, threat items, timed blocks |
| Why an answer is right | Rarely shown | Marked answer image for the scans that contain the item |
| Method | None | A guide and a video per X-ray lesson |
| English section | Not covered | Reading, vocabulary, writing: 3 tests each |
| After the test | Nothing | Interview and background check guides |
| Cost | $0 | $68 once, 90 days |
“I tried multiple free versions and discovered I would need a bit more than what was available for free on the internet.”Joshua K. · Trustpilot
Your plan, sized to your test date
The only deadline on this page is yours. Pick it and see the route.
Guide tonight, practice tests every day.
Read the X-ray guides first, then work through the threat items: guns, knives, weapons and tools. Leave time for one reading test.
- Day 1X-ray guides, everyday items test 1~1.5 h
- Day 2–4Threat items tests 1–3: guns, knives, weapons, tools~1 h/day
- Day 5–6Timed x-ray blocks 1–3~1 h/day
- Last dayOne reading test and one full legacy CBT exam~1 h
Every X-ray test, then the English section.
One or two X-ray tests a day, timed blocks last, and the English lessons in the second week.
- Week 1Guides, then everyday and threat item tests~45 min/day
- Week 2Timed x-ray blocks, vocabulary and reading comprehension~1 h/day
- Week 3Written communication, 3 full legacy CBT exams, repeat missed scans~1 h/day
Start now, walk in with a trained eye.
Once the invite lands you get 21 days to book and sit the test. Training your eye now leaves those days for the timed blocks and the English section.
- NowX-ray guides and the everyday items testsflexible
- WeeklyThreat items and timed blocks~1 h/week
- InviteCheck the version, then English and the full exams21 days
Get TSA QuickPass: $6890 days covers the whole window, invite to test
Everything in the course
The whole Legacy CBT, X-ray and English, plus what comes after the test.
B1
Legacy CBT overviewWhat's on the X-ray and English test and how it runs
videoB2
X-ray reading: everyday itemsColors, shapes, viewing angles; guide and 3 tests
3testsB3
X-ray threatsGuns, knives, weapons, tools and where they hide; guide and 3 tests
3testsB4
X-ray speedA label per target and timed x-ray blocks; guide and 3 tests
3testsB5
Reading comprehensionGuide and 3 tests
3testsB6
VocabularyGuide and 3 tests
3testsB7
Written communicationGuide and 3 tests
3testsB8
Legacy CBT strategy and full examsX-ray and English together, 3 full exams
3examsC1–C5
After the testInterview, medical and drug test, background check, until day one
video
Plus the new TAB format
If your invite names the TSO Assessment Battery instead: connect the dots, image matching and shape folding (A1–A7), in the same course.
Candidates with as little time as you
“I only had two days to prep before taking the test.”
Anthony M. · Trustpilot · 2025“With 4 days of studying I still managed to pass my exam.”
Kay · Trustpilot · May 2025“Lots of practice, way harder than the actual TSA test and I passed very easily. Worth every penny to study for a couple of days!”
Grant M. · Trustpilot · March 2026“I passed the test easily and received my Tentative Job Offer the following day.”
Tess S. · Trustpilot · April 2026
A note from Michael
I built the X-ray part of this course after seeing how many capable candidates froze on scans that weren't textbook pictures: a blade end-on, a gun under a laptop. The fix isn't more confidence, it's more scans with a fixed routine, from easy to hard, until the shapes jump out. If the course isn't right for you, email us within seven days and you get your money back. I answer the refund emails myself.
Michael Lerner
TSA X-ray test FAQ
What is the TSA X-ray test?
It's the object recognition part of the older TSA computer-based test (CBT). You see X-ray scans of bags and answer whether a named item, like a gun, a knife or a bottle, is in the bag. The same test also has an English section with reading, vocabulary and writing.
Will I get the X-ray test or the new TAB?
Most current TSO job postings describe the TSO Assessment Battery (TAB) with Connect the Dots, Image Matching and Shape Folding, which has no X-ray part. Your invite email tells you which version you have. If it mentions X-ray or English, take TSA QuickPass. If it mentions shapes or dots, start with the free TAB practice test on our TSA practice test page.
How much time do I get per X-ray image?
TSA doesn't publish an official figure. Test-prep providers estimate around 15 seconds per image, which is the pace of the free check on this page.
What do the colors on an X-ray scan mean?
Orange shows organic material like food, clothing, paper and many liquids. Green shows mixed materials, light metals and some plastics. Blue shows dense metal such as tools, blades and gun parts. Black means the X-ray couldn't get through, which is a reason to look twice.
Are these the real TSA images?
No. The scans in the course are practice images in the real test format. The real test images are not published.
My test is in two days. Is it still worth it?
Yes, if you use it in the right order: the X-ray guides first, then the threat items (guns, knives, weapons, tools) and the timed blocks, and one reading test.
What if it isn't right for me?
7-day money-back guarantee. If TSA QuickPass is not right for you, email support within seven days and you get a full refund.
Is this the official TSA test?
No. Prepterminal is independent test prep and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the TSA or DHS.
TSA QuickPass™ · Legacy CBT
X-ray, English and the steps after the test
- 556 X-ray images: 3 lessons, 9 practice tests, 3 full legacy exams
- Everyday items, threat items and timed blocks, each with a video
- Reading comprehension, vocabulary, written communication: 3 tests each
- Plus the TAB shape tasks and the steps after the test
- Background check and interview guides
One payment · 90 days
$68once
Get TSA QuickPass: $68
7-day money-back. If TSA QuickPass is not right for you, email support within seven days and you get a full refund.
Instant access · [email protected]
Your eye can be trained.
556 images, three lessons, one routine. Then the real scans look familiar.
Get TSA QuickPass: $68P.S. Not sure yet? Take the free X-ray check, then decide.