United States
Hong KongThe cheapest way through, in order
USD 0, if you hold a qualifying SAT, ACT, GRE or CLT score, because Rule 6A-4.0021(12) accepts those in place of subtests. If not, the floor is USD 130 for all four and free state documents, and every saving after that comes from not retaking at USD 32.50 a time.
There are exactly two levers on what this test costs you. One of them is worth checking tonight.
Lever one: you may not have to pay at all
Rule 6A-4.0021(12) lets qualifying GRE, SAT, ACT or CLT scores satisfy the general knowledge requirement, and it works subtest by subtest. One SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 560 covers the essay, English Language Skills and Reading. Add Mathematics at 540 and the requirement is met with a score report you already own.
The catch is a date. GRE administrations count from 1 July 2015 and SAT, ACT and CLT administrations from 1 March 2016. Anything earlier doesn't qualify however high it is, which is what rules out most career changers. The full table of accepted scores has every figure the rule lists.
Half an hour finding an old score report against USD 130 is the best return available on this examination, and it's the reason this page opens here rather than with study tips.
Lever two: the fee schedule is linear, so there's no bundle to game
| Registration | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single subtest | USD 32.50 |
| Two subtests | USD 65 |
| Three subtests | USD 97.50 |
| Full battery, all four | USD 130 |
Multiply 32.50 by four and you get 130 exactly. There is no discount for registering the battery and no penalty for registering one at a time, so anyone telling you to book all four to save money has not read Rule 6A-4.0021(4)(b). Register whatever you're actually ready to sit.
Which means the only real money question left is retakes.
Where the money actually goes
A retake is a fresh single-subtest registration at USD 32.50, and only the failed subtest is retaken. That sounds cheap. It is cheap, and that's the problem: at a quarter of the battery price the fee is low enough to feel disposable, which is why so many people sit before they're ready.
The published figures say 37.2% of candidates retake at least one subtest, and the average candidate generates 3.38 subtest sittings across the General Knowledge Test. The 30-day wait between attempts is the real cost, not the money.
Check your old admissions score report. Read Section 82 for whichever subtest worries you. Sit something timed and free to find out which subtest is your actual problem. Then, and only then, buy material for that subtest. Most people do these in reverse and buy a four-subtest product to fix one subtest.
The free material is genuinely free
- Section 82 of the Twenty-Eighth Edition, which is the syllabus and is part of the rule
- The FTCE Test Structure document: 30, 30 and 35 questions, in 40, 55 and 100 minutes
- The Maximum Percentages table, which is what a scaled 200 is worth per subtest
- The 2025 Annual Administration and Technical Report, which is where every pass rate on this site comes from
Nothing on that list is a teaser for a paid version. It's the state publishing the specification for a state examination, and it's more authoritative than anything on sale.
Two false economies
Sitting early to save on material. The fee is low, so an early attempt feels like cheap reconnaissance, and it isn't: a fail costs you 30 days you can't buy back, and if it's the essay you're also waiting about four weeks for the score before you even know.
The other one is buying by question count. A bank of thousands of unweighted questions with no reading passages is worse value than a small set that's timed and weighted, whatever the price per question works out at.
Our own product is USD 79 for 12 months, and we'll say the obvious thing: it's not the cheapest way to pass. The cheapest way is the free documents and a lot of self-discipline. What you're paying us for is not having to supply all of the second one.
Common questions
What's the cheapest way to satisfy Florida's general knowledge requirement?
A qualifying SAT, ACT, GRE or CLT score, which costs nothing because you already hold it. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) accepts those subtest by subtest, with cutoff dates of 1 July 2015 for the GRE and 1 March 2016 for the others.
Is it cheaper to register all four subtests at once?
No. A single subtest is USD 32.50 and the full battery is USD 130, which is exactly four times the single fee. There's no bundle discount, so register only what you're ready to sit.
How much does a retake cost?
USD 32.50, a fresh single-subtest registration, and you retake only the subtest you failed. You can't sit it again until at least 30 days have elapsed since the previous administration of that subtest.
What free FTCE material is worth using?
Section 82 of the Twenty-Eighth Edition, the FTCE Test Structure document, the Maximum Percentages table and the annual technical report. All are published by the Florida Department of Education and all are more authoritative than any commercial guide.
Does sitting early to test the water save money?
Rarely. The fee is low enough to feel disposable, but a fail costs 30 days before you can retake, and an essay result takes about four weeks to arrive. Published data shows 37.2% of candidates retake at least one subtest.