United States
Hong KongFTCE subject area examinations, in brief
The subject area examination tests the field you intend to teach, and there is one for each certification subject. It passes at a scaled score of 200, set by the State Board on the Commissioner's recommendation. No alternative admissions test score can replace it, and we publish no preparation for it.
This page exists so you know what the neighbor is, not so we can sell you anything about it. We publish for the General Knowledge Test. The subject area examination is somebody else's territory and we would rather point at the source than pad out a page.
What it is
One examination per certification subject, testing the content of the field you want to teach. Rule 6A-4.0021 calls it the subject area specialty examination and it sits alongside the General Knowledge Test and the professional education test as one of the three examination requirements for a Professional Certificate.
- What it tests
- The certification subject you intend to teach
- How many you sit
- One, matched to your field
- Passing standard
- Scaled score of 200
- Who sets it
- The State Board, on the Commissioner's recommendation
- Alternative score route
- None
- Competencies
- Published by FLDOE, incorporated into Rule 6A-4.0021
Three ways it differs from General Knowledge
First, you have to pick one. General Knowledge is the same for everybody; the subject area examination depends on a decision you make about your career, and picking the wrong one is an expensive mistake in a way that nothing on the General Knowledge side is.
Second, there is no exemption. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) covers general knowledge and only general knowledge, so a strong SAT or GRE does nothing here.
Third, the structure varies. Some subject area examinations are single papers and some are split into subtests with their own registration fees, which the rule's fee schedule makes visible. General Knowledge is always four subtests. There is no equivalent uniformity across subject areas.
Sitonce covers the General Knowledge Test. We publish no questions, no lessons and no mocks for any subject area examination, and we are not a Florida-approved teacher preparation program. Nothing on this site should be read as preparation for a subject area examination, and if a page ever implies otherwise it is wrong and we would like to know.
How the passing score is set
Subsection (9)(a) of the rule puts it plainly: the Commissioner of Education recommends a passing score for each subject area specialty examination to the State Board of Education for approval, and the score takes effect when the State Board designates it. The rule then carries a long historical list of those scores, examination by examination, effective date by effective date.
That list is genuinely interesting to read once. It shows a passing standard being reset over decades as fields were added, merged and re-standardized, and it explains why a scaled 200 is worth a different number of correct answers in every field.
What to do next
- Decide the certification subject before spending anything on preparation for it
- Find the competencies FLDOE publishes for that specific examination
- Check the current test structure for that examination, since subtests vary by field
- Ask the Bureau of Educator Certification which examination matches the certificate you want
That fourth step is not a formality. The mapping between a job you want and the certification subject you need is not always obvious, and it is the Bureau's call rather than a prep site's.
One honest observation
The subject area examination is the one most candidates should worry about and the one that gets the least attention online, because general knowledge content is easy to write about and every field's subject matter is not. That asymmetry is why there is so much General Knowledge material and so little for the rest. We are part of that pattern and it seems fair to say so.
Common questions
What is an FTCE subject area examination?
It is the examination covering the field you intend to teach, one per certification subject. It sits alongside the General Knowledge Test and the professional education test as one of three examination requirements for a Florida Professional Certificate, and it passes at a scaled score of 200.
Can an SAT or GRE score replace it?
No. Rule 6A-4.0021(12) applies to the general knowledge requirement only. There is no alternative admissions test route for subject area examinations, so whatever field you choose, you sit the examination for it.
How is the passing score decided?
Under subsection (9)(a), the Commissioner of Education recommends a passing score for each subject area specialty examination and the State Board of Education approves it. The score takes effect when the Board designates it, which is why standards differ field by field.
Does Sitonce sell preparation for it?
No. We publish for the General Knowledge Test only, and we are not a Florida-approved teacher preparation program. For subject area preparation, start with the competencies FLDOE publishes for that specific examination and with what your program recommends.
Which subject area examination do I need?
That depends on the certificate you are applying for, and the Bureau of Educator Certification is the body that maps one to the other. The link between a teaching job and a certification subject is not always intuitive, so ask before you buy any material.