Sep 5 / DR. JASON AMPEL

FTCE Passing Score (Florida Teachers Certificate Exams)

To become a teacher in Florida, you must take the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) exam. This series of tests assesses your knowledge and skills in various subject areas and grade levels. The FTCE exam is designed to ensure that you meet the state's standards for professional educators.

To pass the FTCE exam, you must achieve a scaled score of 200 on each multiple-choice test. A scaled score converts your raw score (the number of questions you answered correctly) to a common scale ranging from 100 to 300. The scaled score reflects the difficulty level of the test and allows for fair comparisons across different versions of the test.

The FTCE exam is an important step in your teaching career. The certification demonstrates your competence and readiness to teach in Florida's public schools. With a passing score on the FTCE exam, you can apply for a professional teaching certificate and pursue your dream of making a difference in students' lives.

In this article, The Learning Liaisons discusses the FTCE passing score, how to understand the scores and prepare adequately for the FTCE to pass on the first attempt.

What Is FTCE?

FTCE stands for Florida Teacher Certification Examination. It is a program administered by the Florida Department of Education to evaluate the qualifications of prospective teachers to teach from kindergarten through 12th Grade.

There are two certification types in Florida that you can choose from:

  •   Florida Educational Leadership Examination(FELE)
  •   Florida Teacher Certification Examination(FTCE)


 The FTCE consists of three mandatory tests that you need to take and pass:

  •   The General Knowledge Test: The test includes an essay, a math test, a reading test, and an English language skills test.
  •   A Subject Area Examination: This test covers one of the 39 subject areas you want to teach, such as math, science, social studies, etc.
  •   A Professional Education Test: This test assesses your pedagogical knowledge and skills, such as instructional design, classroom management, and assessment.

Understanding FTCE Scores

FTCE scores are not easy to interpret as they use a scaled score system instead of a traditional raw score model. In the traditional raw score model, a simple percentage is used. For instance, if you answer 45 questions correctly in a test of 50 questions, your score would be 90%

For FTCE, the score is scaled on a multiple-choice test with varying numbers of questions, and the minimum passing score is always 200.
The FTCE uses a scaled score because:

  •   The various FTCE tests do not have a standard number of questions.
  •   All FTCE tests are computer-based, with a bank of questions available.


  Although FTCE test score reports include the raw score, it does not determine the passing score, so there is no way of knowing the degree of difficulty carried by the particular computer-selected group of questions a candidate is given.

Passing Scores and Pass Rate

The FTCE program aims for a minimum of 70% raw score to pass a test, but the passing raw score can be either higher or lower than 70%. For example, the Humanities K-12 and Middle Grades Social Science tests have passing raw scores of 61% or higher, while the General Knowledge sub-level Reading Test and Engineering and Technology Education 6-12 test have passing raw scores of 75% or higher.

The difficulty levels are determined by subject matter experts on a question-by-question basis, making the actual scoreless meaningful as long as the minimum passing score is achieved.

Foreign Languages

Foreign languages are not graded like other subjects. They have three parts: speaking, essay, and multiple choice. Each part has a different weight in the final score.

The scores for each language are:

Spanish K-12

  •   Speaking: 40%
  •   Essay: 10%
  •   Multiple Choice: 50%


French K-12

  •   Speaking: 25%
  •   Essay: 15%
  •   Multiple Choice: 60%


German K-12

  •   Subset 1: Essay 20%, Multiple Choice 80%
  •   Subset 2: Oral interview (Pass/Fail)

Waiting for Your FTCE Results

Once you’ve sat for your FTCE test, the only thing that really matters is the test outcome.

Typically you’ll receive your FTCE test results within four weeks of taking the test. You will receive an email confirmation that your score report is available online through the FTCE login page. Remember that scores are usually released on Monday nights, so be sure to check your email and login page during that time.

If your FTCE test only included multiple choice questions, you might receive an unofficial pass/fail status right after completing the exam. This means that you'll get an immediate idea of whether you passed or failed the exam, but it's important to note that this status is unofficial and cannot be used for certification purposes.

The unofficial status is just for your reference and doesn't guarantee that you've passed the exam. The official score report is the only document that can be used for certification purposes. However, it's important to note that this status is for your reference only and cannot be used for certification purposes.

To stay informed on specific score reporting dates for recent and upcoming exams, visit the FTCE website. By staying up-to-date on score release dates, you can plan accordingly for any necessary next steps in your certification process. Remember, your FTCE score is an important factor in obtaining your teaching certification, so be sure to stay informed and prepared.

If you didn't pass the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) on your first attempt, you can wait 31 days after your test date and retake the exam. However, if you previously passed an exam and want to retake it, you'll need to wait at least three years before attempting it again.

All retake attempts are subject to new registration and fees. When you're ready to retake the exam, you must register again and pay the necessary fees. We provide adequate study material through our FTCE exam prep course to help you avoid a retake.

Remember, passing the FTCE is crucial in obtaining your teaching certification. If you sit for your retake before the 31 days have elapsed, you retake will be invalidated, and you will not receive the new FTCE score report. There is no refund for an invalidated retake, and you’ll have to re-register and pay the retake fee again.

Note: The results from the initial test and any retakes are kept on record for five years, and you can access your scores during this period.

How to Prepare for FTCE

Passing the FTCE is one of the requirements for obtaining a teaching certificate in Florida. Therefore, preparing well for the FTCE and achieving a passing score is essential.

You can use several strategies to prepare for the FTCE, depending on your learning style, preferences, and goals. Some of these strategies include:

  •   Using study materials from teacher preparation programs, such as textbooks, course notes, practice tests, and online resources.
  •   Review the test specifications and competencies for each FTCE test that you plan to take. These documents outline the content and skills assessed by the test and the percentage of questions for each competency.
  •   Obtain the Test Information Guide (TIG) for each FTCE test you plan to take. The TIG is a custom-prepared document that provides detailed information about the test format, sample questions, answer explanations, and scoring guidelines. The TIG also includes a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of relevant sources that you can use for further study.


 The ultimate best way to prepare for an FTCE test is to obtain our custom-prepared test information guide for each one of the 41 different FTCE tests.

The custom-prepared test information guide for FTCE tests include:

  •   Preparation strategies: This section offers general tips and advice on how to study effectively and efficiently for the test.
  •   Competencies, skills, and test question percentages for each competency: This section lists the specific competencies and skills tested by the test and the percentage of questions corresponding to each competency.
  •   Test format and sample questions : This section describes the structure and format of the test, such as the number of questions, time limit, question types, and scoring method. It also provides sample questions and answers that illustrate the questions you may encounter on the test.
  •   Comprehensive, annotated bibliography: This section provides a list of books, articles, websites, and other sources that are relevant to the content and skills of the test. Each source is accompanied by a brief annotation summarizing its main points and usefulness.


Using the TIG as your primary guide can help you focus your preparation on the test's most important and relevant aspects. You can also familiarize yourself with the questions you will encounter on the test and practice your test-taking skills.

Become a Teacher in Florida

Passing the FTCE is a crucial step in becoming a teacher in Florida. The FTCE ensures you have the knowledge and skills to teach effectively in your chosen subject area or grade level. Bypassing the FTCE, you demonstrate your competence and professionalism as a teacher.

The passing score for each FTCE test varies depending on the difficulty level and content. The passing score is determined by a standard-setting process involving experts in the education field. The passing score is a scaled score ranging from 100 to 300. The minimum passing scaled score for most FTCE tests is 200.

As we’ve seen, preparing for your FTCE exam is crucial to your passing. A retake will cost you extra money and time, not to mention the delay it puts on your teaching career plans.

Start preparing for the FTCE for your FTCE today and quicken your teacher certification journey in Florida.