United States
Hong KongThe FTCE if you have not done algebra in years
Mathematics is the most forgiving subtest on this test. It passes 71% of first-time candidates, gives you 2.86 minutes a question against English Language Skills' 1.33, supplies an on-screen calculator and a reference sheet, and needs at most 22 of 35 correct.
Every set of conditions on this subtest is better than the equivalent condition on the other three. More time per question, tools supplied, and a pass mark tied for the lowest on the test. The fear is real and the numbers do not support it.
What you are actually walking into
- Questions
- 35
- Minutes
- 100
- Minutes per question
- 2.86, derived from the two figures above
- Pass mark is worth
- At most 63% correct, so at most 22 of 35
- Supplied
- An on-screen calculator and a mathematics reference sheet
- First-attempt pass rate
- 71%
- Best-attempt pass rate
- 83%
- Cost to sit it alone
- $32.50
You can get thirteen of the thirty-five wrong. That is more than a third of the paper, and it is the number to hold onto when you hit a question you cannot do. Skip it. There is room.
The 22 figure is our conversion of FLDOE's published maximum percentage into questions, and it is a ceiling rather than a threshold, because a harder version of the subtest may require slightly fewer correct answers.
The syllabus is four competencies and 21 skills, and it is finite
| Competency | Skills | Estimated questions |
|---|---|---|
| Number sense, concepts and operations | 3 | 5 |
| Geometry and measurement | 4 | 7 |
| Algebraic thinking and the coordinate plane | 7 | 12 |
| Probability, statistics and data interpretation | 7 | 11 |
FLDOE publishes 35 questions for the Mathematics subtest and does not publish a split below that. Distributing the 35 in proportion to the number of skills the rule lists under each competency gives the estimated column. It is mechanical, it is not a published weighting, and you should treat it as a rough ordering rather than as counts.
Even as an estimate it tells you where to start. Algebraic thinking is the largest block, with 7 of the subtest's 21 skills, and probability and statistics is level with it. Between them those two competencies plausibly account for most of the paper, and neither is the arithmetic-heavy material people picture when they worry about math.
Rusty is a different problem from never learned
Read the 21 skills before you decide you have a problem. Solving linear equations. Slope. Mean, median, mode and range. Perimeter, area and volume. Reading a table or a chart. Ratio and proportion.
Most adults who say they have not done algebra in years can still do a good deal of that. What they have lost is speed and confidence with notation, and both come back faster than knowledge does. The 100-minute clock is deliberately generous about exactly this.
The calculator changes what you should practice
An on-screen calculator and a mathematics reference sheet are supplied during the subtest, per FLDOE's Test Structure document. Which means arithmetic speed is not what is being tested and drilling long division is wasted time.
What is being tested is setting a problem up: reading a word problem and knowing which operation, which formula, which relationship. Practice the translation, not the computation. We do not reproduce the reference sheet on this site, because it is published on the vendor's own site and we describe what FLDOE says is supplied rather than restating its contents.
Sit it on its own if it worries you
The four subtests are registered and passed separately. Mathematics on its own costs $32.50, takes 100 minutes, is scored before you leave the center, and the pass does not expire. If math anxiety is the thing standing between you and starting, taking it first and alone removes it from the rest of the process permanently.
The counter-argument is money. Four separate single registrations cost the same $130 as the full battery, but four appointments cost four trips. Splitting into two sittings at $65 each is often the compromise.
The opinion, and the concession
The opinion: candidates spend too much of their preparation on this subtest. It passes 71% first time against 68% for English Language Skills and 64% for the essay, and it hands you a calculator. The hours would do more good on conventions and on a timed essay.
The concession: FLDOE publishes no competency-level performance data, so we cannot tell you that rusty algebra specifically is or is not what sinks people on this subtest. The pass rate, the clock, the cut and the skill list are all published. The diagnosis is ours.
Common questions
How hard is the FTCE math subtest?
71% of candidates pass it at the first attempt, more than English Language Skills at 68% or the essay at 64%. It gives you 35 questions in 100 minutes, supplies an on-screen calculator and a reference sheet, and needs at most 22 correct.
Can you use a calculator on the FTCE math subtest?
Yes. FLDOE's Test Structure document states that an on-screen calculator and a mathematics reference sheet are supplied during the Mathematics subtest. Neither is available on the other subtests, which do not need them.
How many questions can you get wrong on FTCE math?
Around thirteen of the 35. The pass is a scaled score of 200, published as at most 63% correct, which converts to at most 22 right. That conversion is ours and it is a ceiling, since a harder version may require slightly fewer.
What math is on the FTCE General Knowledge Test?
Four competencies and 21 skills: number sense and operations with 3 skills, geometry and measurement with 4, algebraic thinking and the coordinate plane with 7, and probability, statistics and data interpretation with 7.
Can I take just the math subtest?
Yes. A single subtest registration is $32.50 and each subtest is passed separately. The result is scored at the test center and a passing subtest score does not expire, so you can take it on its own and come back for the others later.