United States
Hong KongRule 6A-4.0021, read subsection by subsection
Rule 6A-4.0021, F.A.C. governs the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations. It sets the fee schedule, the thirty-day retake wait, the scaled score of 200, the score-report rules, the review rights for near misses, and the GRE, SAT, ACT and CLT alternatives. It also incorporates the competencies.
Almost everything a candidate wants to know about this examination is answered in one document, and it is not a study guide. It is a rule in the Florida Administrative Code, it runs to fourteen subsections, and most of what circulates online about the FTCE is a paraphrase of a paraphrase of it.
So here is the map. Not every subsection matters to a General Knowledge candidate, and we have said which ones do.
The subsections, and what each one settles
| Subsection | What it settles | Matters to you? |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Scope | The rule governs the written examinations for teacher certification | Context |
| (2) Description and competencies | Incorporates the competencies by reference and makes them part of the rule | Yes |
| (3) Administration | Retake wait, and the bar on retaking a passed examination | Yes |
| (4) Registration, fees, refunds | The fee schedule and the refund deadline | Yes |
| (5) Admission | Site communication, and that late arrivals are not admitted | Yes |
| (6) Examinee with a disability | How to request special arrangements and what they can include | If it applies |
| (7) Scoring the general knowledge subtests | The scaled score of 200 and the essay's raw passing total | Yes |
| (8) Scoring the professional education test | That examination's passing standard | Later |
| (9) Scoring subject area examinations | How subject area passing scores are set and approved | Later |
| (10) Score reports | What an authenticated report is and how scores are reported | Yes |
| (11) Review | Verification and score verification sessions for near misses | If you fail narrowly |
| (12) Alternative assessments | GRE, SAT, ACT and CLT scores that satisfy general knowledge | Read this first |
| (13) Military testing fee waivers | Who qualifies, and that retake fees are not waived | If it applies |
| (14) Retired first responder fee waivers | The equivalent waiver for retired first responders | If it applies |
The four subsections worth reading in full
(3) Administration
Paragraph (3)(d) is the retake wait, and it is precise: an examinee may retake a failed examination provided at least thirty days have elapsed since the previous administration of the failed examination. Thirty, not thirty-one. We had 31 in an internal file from a secondary source and corrected it against the rule text.
Paragraph (3)(e) runs the other way. You may not retake a passed examination, subtest or section, with three narrow exceptions written into the rule. The examinations are also to be administered at least four times each year, which is a floor rather than a description of how Pearson actually schedules them.
(4) Registration, fees and refunds
- Single subtest
- USD 32.50
- Two subtests
- USD 65
- Three subtests
- USD 97.50
- Full battery
- USD 130
- In force since
- 22 April 2019
- Refund
- Written request at least 24 hours before the examination date
Failure to appear for or to complete an examination forfeits the fee. The schedule in (4)(b) also prices the professional education test and the subject area examination, both higher per registration than a General Knowledge subtest.
(7) Scoring the general knowledge subtests
The multiple-choice subtests pass at a scaled score of at least 200. The essay passes on a total raw score of at least 6, summed from independent raters. The rule then anchors each scaled standard to the raw scores on specific standard-setting forms, which is how a scaled 200 gets its meaning. Subsection (7) also requires the Commissioner to review every passing score at least once every five years.
(11) Review
This one is almost never mentioned anywhere and it matters if you fail narrowly. An examinee who fails within ten scale score points of the passing scale score may file a written request with the test administration agency to verify that the examination was scored accurately, within thirty days of the score report being released. A fee applies. There is also a score verification session route that lets you review the incorrect items and raise scoring errors.
Paragraph (11)(b) says an examinee may retake a reviewed examination provided at least thirty days have elapsed since the date of the review, and that taking it inside that window invalidates the examination. So a verification session is not free in time terms. If you failed by a wide margin, skip it and book the retake.
Why we keep citing the rule instead of a study guide
Because for this examination the syllabus is law. Subsection (2)(c) incorporates the competencies by reference and makes them part of the rule, which means the list of skills you are being tested on is a legal instrument you can quote rather than a publisher's interpretation. That is unusual and it is the reason our explanations cite competencies rather than chapters.
The concession is that a rule is a terrible study document. It tells you what is tested and nothing about how, it gives no sample questions, and its scoring paragraphs are written for administrators rather than candidates. FLDOE's Test Information Guides fill some of that gap and they live on the testing vendor's site, which blocks automated access, so we describe what the rule and the published test structure say and do not reproduce the vendor's material.
Common questions
What is Rule 6A-4.0021?
It is the Florida Administrative Code rule governing the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations. It sets the fee schedule, the retake wait, the passing scores, the score-report rules, the review rights and the alternative admissions test scores, and it incorporates the competencies by reference.
Which subsection has the alternative scores?
Subsection (12), headed Alternative Assessments. It names the GRE Revised General Test, SAT, ACT and Classic Learning Test, gives the minimum score for each General Knowledge content area, and sets the administration dates from which each test counts.
What does the rule say about retaking?
Paragraph (3)(d) allows a retake of a failed examination provided at least thirty days have elapsed since the previous administration of it. Paragraph (3)(e) bars retaking a passed examination except in three narrow circumstances written into the rule.
Can I challenge a failing score?
Subsection (11) allows a written verification request if you failed within ten scale score points of the passing scale score, filed within thirty days of the score report's release, for a fee. A separate score verification session route lets you review incorrect items and report scoring errors.
Where do I read the rule itself?
On the Florida Rules website, under rule number 6A-4.0021. It is worth reading rather than relying on summaries, including ours: most FTCE advice online is a paraphrase of this document and the paraphrases drift, particularly on the retake wait and the score dates.