1.1 FTCE 060 Test Structure, Registration, Scoring & Retake Rules

1.1 FTCE 060 Test Structure, Registration, Scoring & Retake Rules

The Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) Elementary Education K–6 (060) is the subject area examination for teachers seeking Florida certification in Elementary Education K–6. The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) owns the program, and Pearson (Evaluation Systems) administers it. Candidates test at computer-based test sites, including Pearson test centers and some college or university sites, located throughout Florida and nationwide. You book an appointment during registration, and testing is available year-round.

Before you study content, learn the rules of the test itself. Candidates regularly lose points or money by misreading how subtests, breaks, fees, and retakes work.

---

Four Separately Scored Subtests

The 060 exam is really four tests under one code. Each subtest is administered, scored, and reported independently, and you must pass all four subtests to pass the exam.

Every question is multiple choice with four answer options. The test information guide's sample-question pages describe three item formats: sentence completion, direct questions, and scenarios, where you examine a classroom situation or student work and choose the best action or evaluation. Pearson also notes that a test may include questions being tried out for future forms; these do not affect your score, and you cannot tell which ones they are, so treat every question as scored.

The times above are testing time only. Your appointment also includes check-in, a non-disclosure agreement, and a short computer-based testing tutorial.

---

Current Competencies and Weights

Pearson's current test information guide lists five competencies per subtest. Subtest 1 (Language Arts and Reading) and Subtest 4 (Mathematics) were redeveloped. The earlier versions of those two subtests were labeled "for testing until 12/31/2023," so older third-party materials built on the pre-2024 competencies (for example, penmanship or problem structures with "unknowns in all positions") no longer match the test.

Two planning implications follow from the weights. The reading process competency alone is 44% of Subtest 1. In mathematics, more than a quarter of the questions (27%) ask you to evaluate student work, interpret assessment data, or choose instruction, not just compute.

---

Registration Options and Fees

Since February 28, 2023, you no longer have to take all four subtests on your first attempt. You can take all four in one appointment, two appointments of two subtests each, four single-subtest appointments, or any other combination. Each testing appointment needs its own registration, and the subtests on a registration cannot be changed afterward. To regroup them, you cancel and register again.

The published fee is the same per subtest however you group them:

• One subtest: $37.50
• Two subtests: $75
• Three subtests: $112.50
• Four subtests: $150

Rule 6A-4.0021, F.A.C., sets the same amounts for first-time and retake registrations. Pearson also charges separate fees for extra services. A score verification session costs $75 and is available only if you miss a multiple-choice subtest by no more than 10 scaled-score points.

---

Breaks and Timing Rules

• Scheduled break: If you take three or more Elementary Education K–6 subtests in one session, you receive a 15-minute break after the second subtest. Sessions with one or two subtests have no scheduled break.
• Unscheduled breaks: You may leave for the restroom, but the clock keeps running. You must take your ID, you may not leave the test center, and you may not access personal items other than food, drink, or medication. When you return, staff check your ID and may rescan your palm before you re-enter the room.
• No time transfer: Each subtest is timed separately, so time you save on one subtest does not carry over to the next.

---

Scoring: Scaled Scores, Equating, and the Maximum-Percent Table

Your raw score is the number of questions you answer correctly. Wrong answers are not subtracted, so never leave a question blank. Raw scores are converted to a scale score, which lets different forms of the same subtest share one passing standard. The passing standard is a scaled score of at least 200 on each subtest. Because forms differ slightly in difficulty, the number of correct answers needed can vary slightly from one form to another.

FLDOE publishes the maximum percentage of correct answers needed to pass. The table updated October 1, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026 lists:

Rule 6A-4.0021 records the standard-setting raw scores equivalent to 200 on the base forms. For the redeveloped Subtest 1 and Subtest 4, the standards took effect January 1, 2025: 34 correct items on Subtest 1 and 25 correct items on Subtest 4, using forms administered January–September 2024. For Subtests 2 and 3, the 2014 base forms set the standards at 37 and 36 correct items. Treat roughly 70% correct as your working target on every subtest.

Score Reports

• For multiple-choice tests, an on-site score report is normally given at the end of the session. On-site reporting may be suspended for tests being redeveloped or revised.
• Official score reports are posted to your Pearson account within four weeks. Pearson posts them on Mondays after 10:00 p.m. Eastern time on the published score-report date.
• Reports show PASS or NOT PASS. A PASS report does not show a numeric score. A NOT PASS report shows your numeric scaled score and a detailed performance analysis: the number and percentage of questions you answered correctly in each competency. Use that analysis to plan your restudy.
• Passing scores are sent automatically to FLDOE's Bureau of Educator Certification. Scores go to a district or college only if you request it at registration.

---

Retake Rules

1. Failed subtest: You must wait 31 calendar days after the test date, or after attending a score verification session, before retaking it. If you retake it sooner, the retake score is invalidated and no score report is issued.
2. Independent subtests: The waiting period applies to the subtest you did not pass. Subtests you have already passed stay passed. If you fail only Subtest 604, you retake only Subtest 604 and pay $37.50.
3. Passed subtest: Under Rule 6A-4.0021(3)(e), you may not retake a passed subtest unless at least three years have passed, the State Board has adopted new competencies for the field, or you are applying to reinstate an expired professional certificate.

---

Test-Day Identification, Security, and Tools

• Identification: Bring two valid, unexpired IDs printed in English. The first must be U.S. government-issued with a clear photograph and your signature, such as a driver's license, state ID, U.S. military ID, passport, or permanent resident card; a candidate using a non-U.S. government ID must use a passport. The second can be another ID from that list or any ID with either a photo or a signature, such as a Social Security card, student ID, or work ID. Your name must match your registration exactly. Without proper ID you are not admitted and receive no refund.
• Check-in: Staff take your photograph and scan your palm vein pattern, and you complete a security screening. You receive an erasable notepad and pen for scratch work.
• Mathematics tools (Subtest 4 only): An on-screen four-function calculator and an on-screen K–6 Mathematics Reference Sheet are provided. You may not bring your own calculator, although a hand-held calculator or a paper reference sheet may be available on request.

What the Mathematics Reference Sheet Contains

Pearson publishes the reference sheet, so study it before test day. It lists:

• Area: triangle A = ½bh, rectangle A = lw, trapezoid A = ½h(b₁ + b₂), parallelogram A = bh, circle A = πr²; circumference C = πd = 2πr (use 3.14 or 22/7 for π).
• Surface area: the surface area of a prism or pyramid equals the sum of the areas of all faces.
• Volume: triangular or rectangular prism V = Bh; pyramid V = ⅓Bh.
• Pythagorean theorem: a² + b² = c².
• Conversions: 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches; 1 mile = 1,760 yards = 5,280 feet; 1 acre = 43,560 square feet; 1 hour = 60 minutes; 1 minute = 60 seconds; 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces; 1 pint = 2 cups; 1 quart = 2 pints; 1 gallon = 4 quarts; 1 pound = 16 ounces; 1 ton = 2,000 pounds; 1 liter = 1000 milliliters = 1000 cubic centimeters; 1 meter = 100 centimeters = 1000 millimeters; 1 kilometer = 1000 meters; 1 gram = 1000 milligrams; 1 kilogram = 1000 grams.

The sheet does not give metric-to-customary conversions, a cylinder volume formula, or perimeter formulas, so you must know those yourself. It also follows a metric formatting rule: four-digit metric numbers have no comma (9960 kilometers), and larger metric numbers use a space (12 500 liters).