FTCE General Knowledge Test 2026: 4 Subtests, 200 to Pass

What’s on the FTCE General Knowledge Test?

Subtest	Questions	Time
Essay (825)	1 essay	50 minutes
English Language Skills (826)	About 30	40 minutes
Reading (827)	About 30	55 minutes
Mathematics (828)	About 35	1 hour 40 minutes

Take all four in one appointment and you get a 15-minute break. For the math subtest you get a mathematics reference sheet and an on-screen four-function calculator, and you can’t bring your own.

The test information guide splits each subtest into competencies. In math, for example, number sense and geometry are about 25% each, algebraic thinking about 30% and probability and statistics about 20%. Reading covers key ideas and details, text structure and meaning, and integrating ideas across texts.

FTCE/FELE program: General Knowledge Test page ↗FTCE study guide: the official test information guides →

Passing the GK: the 2025 scores

New passing scores took effect on January 1, 2025, after the State Board of Education revised the GK’s competencies. You need a scaled score of at least 200 on each multiple-choice subtest. On the forms used to set that standard, 200 matched 19 right answers in English Language Skills, 21 in Reading and 22 in Mathematics, but the number can differ a little from form to form.

Two raters score the essay and their scores are added, so the most you can get is 8. You need at least 6. One table in the test information guide still says 8 of 12, which was the essay standard on the older 12-point scale from January 1, 2015 until the new passing scores took effect on January 1, 2025. Rule 6A-4.0021 and the program’s scoring pages say 6 of 8, so 6 of 8 is the one that counts.

FTCE passing score for every test →

Taking the subtests separately

You don’t have to sit all four at once. Make a separate registration for each appointment with the subtests you want in it, for example two appointments of two subtests each. You can’t change the subtests on a registration later; you’d cancel it and register again.

Each subtest costs $32.50, so all four come to $130. Subtests you take after your first appointment count as retakes, which matters if you have a fee waiver, because waivers cover first attempts only.

FTCE registration and fees →

Other ways to show general knowledge

Section 1012.56(3) of the Florida Statutes lists what counts instead of a GK pass:

A valid professional standard teaching certificate from another state
A valid National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certificate
Two semesters of full-time or part-time teaching at a Florida College System institution, state university or accredited private college
Passing scores on the GRE, SAT, ACT or CLT set in State Board rule, earned in the 10 years before you apply
A master’s or higher degree from an accredited institution the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) recognizes

The minimum scores are by subtest. For the GK Mathematics subtest, for example, the rule accepts GRE Quantitative Reasoning 147, SAT Math 540, ACT Mathematics 22 or CLT Quantitative Reasoning 20. For Reading it’s GRE Verbal 151, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 560, ACT Reading 23 or CLT Verbal Reasoning and Grammar/Writing 49 combined.

The law also waives the requirement for a teacher who has had three years of state and district support and was rated effective or highly effective in each of the last three years. The program’s own GK page says there’s no provision in law to waive it, but the statute now has that waiver, so check your case with the Bureau of Educator Certification.

From July 1, 2029, a 2025 law replaces the GRE, SAT, ACT and CLT route with completing approved introduction to education and classroom management courses. The master’s degree route stays.

Florida teacher certification: how the routes fit together →GRE test guide →SAT test guide →ACT test guide →

Sources: FTCE/FELE program · Florida Administrative Code · Florida Statutes and 3 more. Checked October 2026.