United States
Hong KongCan you skip the FTCE General Knowledge Test?
Often, yes. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) lets qualifying GRE, SAT, ACT or CLT scores satisfy the general knowledge requirement, subtest by subtest. One SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 560 covers three of the four subtests. The administration date has to qualify, and most candidates have never heard of the rule.
This is the page we would rather you read before the ones that assume you are sitting the test. If you already hold a qualifying admissions test score, Florida accepts it and you do not need to sit anything or buy anything to prepare.
The rule, in one line each
- Authority
- Rule 6A-4.0021(12), Alternative Assessments
- Tests accepted
- GRE, SAT, ACT, CLT
- How it works
- Subtest by subtest, with a passing score required in each content area
- GRE dates
- Administrations on or after 1 July 2015
- SAT, ACT and CLT dates
- Administrations on or after 1 March 2016
The full table of qualifying scores, and which of them covers which subtest, is set out in every alternative score the rule accepts. Rather than restate it here, go and read your own score report against it.
The date is what disqualifies most people
Not the score. The cutoffs are hard: a GRE sitting before 1 July 2015 does not count, and an SAT, ACT or CLT sitting before 1 March 2016 does not count, however high the result was. Career changers are the group this rules out most often, and it is the first thing to check rather than the last.
Skipping some of it is still worth doing
The rule works per subtest, so a score can cover the subtests it qualifies for while you sit the rest. Cover one and you register for three at USD 97.50 instead of four at USD 130. Cover three and you sit one for USD 32.50.
We would take the exemption every time. Others argue for sitting all four to have one clean Florida result on file, and it is a fair argument, but it is an argument for paying money and spending a morning to buy tidiness.
What skipping does not get you
A certificate. The exemption covers the general knowledge requirement only. The subject area examination and the professional education test are separate requirements and this rule does not touch either. Nor is it self-executing: the rule sets minimum scores that may be used, and the Department decides whether your particular score qualifies.
Send the score report to the Bureau of Educator Certification and get their answer before you cancel an appointment. We are not a Florida-approved teacher preparation program and this page is not that decision.
Common questions
Can you skip the FTCE General Knowledge Test?
Often. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) allows qualifying GRE, SAT, ACT or CLT scores to satisfy the general knowledge requirement, subtest by subtest. If your scores clear the thresholds and the administration dates qualify, you do not sit the test.
What SAT score replaces the FTCE General Knowledge Test?
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing at 560 covers the essay, English Language Skills and Reading subtests, and Mathematics at 540 covers the Mathematics subtest, for administrations on or after 1 March 2016.
Do old test scores count?
Only after the cutoffs. The rule accepts GRE administrations on or after 1 July 2015 and SAT, ACT and CLT administrations on or after 1 March 2016. An earlier score does not qualify regardless of how high it is.
Can I use a score for some subtests and sit the others?
Yes. The rule works subtest by subtest, so a qualifying score exempts only what it covers. You register and pay for whatever is left, at USD 32.50 each or USD 97.50 for three.
Does the exemption cover the whole FTCE?
No. It satisfies the general knowledge requirement only. The subject area examination and the professional education test are separate requirements, and this rule does not affect them at all. Nor does it make you certified on its own.