United States
Hong KongRetaking a failed subtest
You retake only the subtest you failed, as a fresh single-subtest registration at USD 32.50, once at least thirty days have elapsed since the previous administration of it. Passed subtests are banked permanently and cannot be retaken. Failing one subtest is the normal outcome, not an unusual one.
Failing a subtest of this test is ordinary. In 2025, 37.2 percent of FTCE and FELE candidates retook at least one subtest, and on our own compound of the Department's four published first-attempt rates, roughly a quarter of General Knowledge candidates clear all four the first time.
That compound is ours, derived by multiplying the published rates rather than published by anyone, and the working is set out in full. The point stands either way: most people do not walk this in one go.
The rules, in four lines
- What you retake
- Only the failed subtest
- How
- A fresh single-subtest registration
- Fee
- USD 32.50
- Wait
- At least thirty days since the previous administration
- Passed subtests
- Banked permanently, and cannot be retaken
- Fee waivers
- Military waivers exist, but retake fees may not be waived
Rule 6A-4.0021(3)(d) sets the thirty days, and 6A-4.0021(3)(e) prohibits retaking an examination you have passed. The fee schedule is in 6A-4.0021(4)(b).
What a retake actually costs
USD 32.50 against USD 130.00 for a fresh sitting of all four. A single retake is a quarter of the price of starting over, which is one of the more forgiving structures in professional testing.
The real cost is the thirty days. If you are certifying against a district start date, a failed subtest is a month, not a fee, and the essay's four-week rating time can stack on top of that.
Diagnose before you spend
Your score report gives you a scaled score and a decision. It does not tell you which questions you missed, and it cannot distinguish a knowledge problem from a pacing one.
That distinction is worth an hour of your life to establish, because the two problems have opposite fixes. Sit a full timed paper on the failed subtest under the real clock and mark it yourself.
| What the mock shows | What it probably is | What to do in the thirty days |
|---|---|---|
| You finished with time left and still missed a cluster of similar items | A knowledge gap in one competency | Work that competency, not the whole subtest |
| You ran out of clock with questions unanswered | Pacing | Timed sets at the published per-question pace, no new content |
| Scattered misses, no pattern, finished comfortably | Accuracy under pressure | Full papers rather than topic drills |
| You could not start most of the second half | Both | Pacing first, because it is the faster fix |
English Language Skills gives you 1.33 minutes a question and Mathematics gives 2.86. Those are our figures, divided out from the published counts and minutes, and a candidate who fails the tightest subtest on the test should check the clock before blaming the grammar.
One retake at a time
If you failed two subtests, you can register both again as a two-subtest registration for USD 65.00 once the thirty days have passed on each. Whether you should is a different question.
Our view: retake the one you are closest on first, alone. A pass banked permanently changes how the next attempt feels, and a second simultaneous failure costs you another thirty days on both. Splitting costs nothing extra in fees.
The route that avoids the retake entirely
Before you re-register, check whether a test score you already hold covers the subtest you failed. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) allows qualifying GRE, SAT, ACT or CLT scores to satisfy the requirement subtest by subtest, and the Department decides whether a particular score qualifies.
An old SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 560 reaches three of the four subtests. If that is your situation, the cheapest thing you can do after a fail is dig out a score report rather than buy anything. The alternative routes are set out here.
Common questions
What happens if you fail one FTCE subtest?
You retake only that subtest. The others are unaffected and any passing score you hold is banked permanently. The retake is a fresh single-subtest registration at USD 32.50, available once at least thirty days have elapsed since you sat it.
How much does an FTCE retake cost?
USD 32.50, the same as any single-subtest registration. Against USD 130.00 for a full battery, one retake costs a quarter of a fresh sitting. Military fee waivers exist for sittings but may not be applied to retake fees.
How many times can you retake a subtest?
Rule 6A-4.0021 sets a waiting period of at least thirty days between administrations of the same examination rather than a cap on attempts. Check the current rule text before planning around repeated attempts.
Do you have to retake subtests you passed?
No, and you are not permitted to. Rule 6A-4.0021(3)(e) states that an examinee may not retake an examination they have passed. A passing subtest score does not expire, so it stays on your record.
Is failing a subtest unusual?
No. In 2025, 37.2 percent of FTCE and FELE candidates retook at least one subtest. Our compound of the Department's four published first-attempt rates puts roughly a quarter of General Knowledge candidates through all four at the first attempt.