FTCE Testing Information

In order to teach in Florida, the No Child Left Behind legislation requires all teachers to be “highly qualified.” Part of this mandate involves passing three Florida Teacher Certification Examinations. To graduate from Florida Christian College, all Elementary Education teacher candidates must receive passing scores on the General Knowledge Exam, the Subject Area Exam, and the Professional Education Exam.

General Knowledge Exam: Students should schedule to take this exam prior to their junior year (65th hour) after they have successfully completed their math and English composition courses. The General Knowledge Exam measures very basic skills in each of four subtest areas: Essay (50 minutes), English Language Skills (40 minutes), Reading (40 minutes), and Math (100 minutes). Students can register to take the subtests separately, if desired. No other tests can be taken on the same day as the General Knowledge Exam. A passing grade is required before applying for the internship.

Subject Area Exam: Students should schedule to take this exam during their last semester of coursework (before the internship semester). There are 42 different subject areas of this exam, which include students’ knowledge of the elementary content areas: Language Arts, Reading, Social Science, Music, Visual Arts, Physical Education, Health, Science, Technology, and Math. FCC students take the K-6 Elementary Education Exam. The testing time for this exam takes all morning and most of the afternoon (with a lunch break in-between). No other test can be combined with the Subject Area Exam. A passing grade is required before applying for the internship.

Professional Education Exam: Students can schedule to take this exam during the final internship. The Professional Education Exam covers pedagogy and professional practices. This is an afternoon exam which takes 2 ½ hours to complete. A passing grade is required before graduation.

All exams are computer-based, except for the essay portion of the General Knowledge Exam. Students may register for the exams at one of many Central Florida test-site locations. Students may take these exams as many times as necessary in order to pass, although there is an important 31-day rule to note. Once you complete an exam, provide a photocopy of the results to Mrs. Guthrie and to the Registrar’s office.