Florida Teacher Certification Exam

The Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE) is required by Florida law for teachers to teach school in the state of Florida. The FTCE test consists of three main areas: general knowledge, professional education, and the subject area of specialization. The FTCE test that you need to take for certification is determined by the Department of Education, and it will inform you of your eligibility status.

To take the FTCE test, you must first register. Registration is available online 24 hours a day for seven days a week. There are no registration deadlines, but it is recommended that you register as early as possible. This is because testing is first-come, first-served, and seating may be limited. You must include payment at the time of registration. Each of the three sections of the FTCE test requires a fee. The general knowledge section costs $130; the professional education test costs $150; and the subject area test is the most costly at $200. It’s important to pass the FTCE test the first time because in order to retake the test, you must pay a fee that costs more than the original fee. For example, the general knowledge test will cost $150 the second time around, the professional education test will cost $170, and the subject area test will cost $220. After you have successfully registered for the FTCE test, you will receive either a confirmation or an admission ticket via e-mail. This admission ticket will contain your testing information, such as where to report and at what time.

On the day of your FTCE test, you should plan to arrive 30 minutes early to check-in. You must bring your admission ticket and two forms of valid ID, one of which must contain a photograph and a signature. The other must have a signature and/or a photo. You will not be allowed to bring any personal items into the testing area. This includes cell phones, purses, wallets, scratch paper, calculators, food, or drink. Anything you bring must be placed in a locker provided to you. No breaks are scheduled during the FTCE test, but you can take them as needed.

The general knowledge portion of the FCTE test includes basic skills and contains four subtests: English language (40 minutes), reading (50 minutes), math (100 minutes), and a written essay (50 minutes). All sections, except for the essay, are multiple-choice. A calculator is provided at the testing center for the math portion of the FTCE test. The professional education test assesses your knowledge of professionalism and pedagogy. This test is also multiple-choice and takes 2.5 hours. The subject area portion offers 42 different tests, including agriculture, art, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, drama, elementary education, English, health, marketing, math, music, physical education, reading, speech, and foreign languages. This section takes 2.5 hours except for the elementary education test, which lasts four hours and 20 minutes.

Your official score for the FTCE test will be available three to six weeks after the test, depending on the test(s) taken. You can opt to receive an e-mail informing you when your score is available. It will be posted online in your account. This score is available for 60 days. It is recommended that you save the score report to your computer for future reference. If you pass the test, you become certified to teach in Florida. If you fail the FTCE test, you must wait 31 days in order to retake it. You must also re-register and pay another fee to retake the test.