United States
Hong KongWhat the FTCE General Knowledge Test is
It is Florida's general knowledge requirement for a teaching certificate, and it is four subtests rather than one exam: an essay, English Language Skills, Reading and Mathematics. You register, sit and pass each separately at USD 32.50. Qualifying SAT, ACT, GRE or CLT scores can replace it.
Most people meet this test as one line on a certification checklist and assume it is one exam sat on one afternoon. It is four.
That single fact reorganizes everything else - the fee, the booking, the retake rules, the pass mark, and how you should study. So start there and the rest of the test stops being confusing.
Who sets it, and what the syllabus actually is
The Florida Department of Education sets the examination by rule and issues the certificate. Pearson runs the test centers. Rule 6A-4.0021 of the Florida Administrative Code governs the examinations, the passing scores and the alternatives to them.
The syllabus is Section 82 of Competencies and Skills Required for Teacher Certification in Florida, Twenty-Eighth Edition, effective 1 September 2025. The rule incorporates it by reference, which makes it part of the rule. You are being tested against the text of a state regulation, and you can read that text for free.
The four subtests
| Subtest | Code | Length | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 825 | One written response | 50 minutes |
| English Language Skills | 826 | 30 multiple choice | 40 minutes |
| Reading | 827 | 30 multiple choice | 55 minutes |
| Mathematics | 828 | 35 multiple choice | 100 minutes |
Ninety-five multiple choice questions, plus the essay. The three multiple choice subtests run 195 minutes between them, and 245 with the essay added. Sit all four in one appointment and a scheduled 15-minute break comes on top.
There is no overall score
Each subtest passes on its own at a scaled score of 200. There is no combined mark, no average, and no percentage for the test as a whole. Anyone quoting you a single FTCE pass percentage has invented it.
The Department does publish what a scaled 200 is worth as a share of correct answers, per subtest, and those figures are maximums: at most 63 percent for English Language Skills, at most 70 percent for Reading, at most 63 percent for Mathematics. A harder version of a subtest can need slightly fewer. That is covered in why there is no single FTCE pass percentage.
What it costs
- One subtest
- USD 32.50
- Two subtests
- USD 65.00
- Three subtests
- USD 97.50
- All four
- USD 130.00
- Retake
- USD 32.50, a fresh single-subtest registration
- Prerequisite
- None
No degree, no approved course and no supervised experience is required before you sit. Anyone can register.
You may not have to sit it at all
This is the part almost nobody is told, and it argues against buying anything from us. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) lets qualifying GRE, SAT, ACT or CLT scores satisfy the general knowledge requirement, subtest by subtest. An SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 560 covers three of the four.
Check your old scores before you pay a fee. The alternatives to the FTCE General Knowledge Test page sets out which score covers which subtest and the dates they have to fall after.
How many people pass
In 2025, first-attempt pass rates were 64 percent for the essay, 68 for English Language Skills, 78 for Reading and 71 for Mathematics. Read individually those look comfortable. They are not the number that matters, because you need all four.
Multiply the four together and roughly a quarter of candidates clear the whole test at the first attempt. That compound figure is ours, derived from the Department's four published rates, and it assumes the four results are independent - which is a simplification. We show the working in roughly a quarter pass all four first time.
Everything on this page traces to Rule 6A-4.0021, the competencies the rule incorporates, and the Department's own test structure and annual report documents. Where a number is ours rather than the Department's, the page says so. Sitonce is not a Florida-approved teacher preparation program and cannot stand in for one.
Common questions
Is the FTCE General Knowledge Test one exam or four?
Four. The essay, English Language Skills, Reading and Mathematics are registered, sat and passed separately. You can sit them in one appointment or spread them out, and a failure only sends you back for that one subtest.
What score do you need to pass?
A scaled score of 200 on each subtest. The Department publishes what that is worth as a share of correct answers: at most 63 percent for English Language Skills, at most 70 percent for Reading, at most 63 percent for Mathematics. There is no combined score.
How much does it cost?
USD 32.50 for a single subtest, USD 65.00 for two, USD 97.50 for three and USD 130.00 for the full battery, under the fee schedule in Rule 6A-4.0021(4)(b). A retake is a fresh single-subtest registration at USD 32.50.
Do you need a degree to take it?
No. There is no prerequisite of any kind. Anyone may register and sit, which is also why an alternative test score can substitute for it: the requirement is a demonstration of mastery, not the completion of a course.
Can an SAT or ACT score replace the test?
Yes, subtest by subtest, if the score meets the minimum in Rule 6A-4.0021(12) and the administration falls after the cutoff date. The Department decides whether a particular score qualifies. Check yours before you register for anything.