FTCE PK-3 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

2025 Pass Rate Overview

If you're preparing for the FTCE Prekindergarten/Primary PK-3 (053) exam, the most useful planning tool isn't a rumor from a forum - it's the actual statewide data. In 2025, first-attempt pass rates across the four subtests ranged from 69% to 88%, and best-attempt rates (which include candidates who retested) ranged from 78% to 91%. The overall assessment-level best-attempt rate - the percentage of candidates who eventually passed all four subtests - was 77%.

Those numbers tell a clear story: most candidates pass most subtests on the first try, but the exam is structured so that clearing all four is meaningfully harder than clearing any single one. Because Florida certification requires passing every subtest, a single weak area can stall your entire certification timeline even if your other three scores are strong.

Pass Rates by Subtest

Each of the four FTCE PK-3 subtests behaves differently in terms of both content and outcomes. Here's how the 2025 statewide data breaks down by subtest, alongside the passing threshold from the FLDOE's maximum-percentage table (updated February 2026):

Notice that Subtest 3 requires the highest raw percentage correct (65%) of any subtest, and it also posts the lowest pass rate at every stage. Subtest 4, by contrast, has both a lower percentage threshold (63%) and the highest pass rate. This pattern is consistent with how test-takers describe subject difficulty in our FTCE PK-3 difficulty guide: Mathematics is the subtest most likely to require a retake.

Why Subtest 3 Mathematics Drags the Numbers Down

Subtest 3 Mathematics is 40 items in 70 minutes, and it's dominated by a single domain: Knowledge of Number Concepts and Operations in Base-10, which accounts for 33% of the subtest - easily the heaviest concentration of any domain on any subtest in the exam. That means roughly one in three Mathematics questions touches base-10 number sense, place value, and operations with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals as they apply to PK-3 instruction.

The remaining Mathematics domains are Knowledge of Student Reasoning and Instructional Practices (23%), Knowledge of Algebraic Thinking (16%), Knowledge of Measurement, Data Collection, and Analysis (15%), and Knowledge of Geometry and Spatial Concepts (13%). Candidates are given an on-screen mathematics reference sheet during Subtest 3, but calculators are not permitted, so mental fluency with base-10 concepts and quick estimation matters more here than on any other subtest.

Because this single domain carries so much weight, it deserves outsized attention in your prep - a point covered in more depth in our complete guide to all 22 content areas.

First-Attempt vs. Best-Attempt: What the Gap Means

Across all four subtests, best-attempt pass rates run five to nine percentage points higher than first-attempt rates. That gap represents candidates who didn't pass the first time but did pass on a retake. It's not evidence that the exam is inconsistent - it's evidence that retaking with targeted preparation works.

Subtest 3 shows the widest gap (69% to 78%, a nine-point jump), which lines up with it being the subtest most likely to require a second attempt. Subtest 4 shows the narrowest gap (88% to 91%), suggesting that most candidates who don't pass Science on the first try are close to the threshold already.

How the Maximum-Percentage Table Sets the Bar

Every FTCE PK-3 subtest is scored on a scale where 200 is the minimum passing scaled score. The FLDOE also publishes a maximum-percentage table that translates those scaled scores into an approximate percentage of items answered correctly. As of the February 2026 update, the figures are:

• Subtest 1 Developmental Knowledge: 64% correct
• Subtest 2 Language Arts and Reading: 60% correct
• Subtest 3 Mathematics: 65% correct
• Subtest 4 Science: 63% correct

Because forms may include unscored field-test items that don't count toward your score, the raw number of questions you see isn't a perfect proxy for your percentage - but these figures are the closest public benchmark to "how many do I need right." For a full breakdown of scaled scores, field-test items, and how the passing threshold is calculated, see our dedicated FTCE PK-3 passing score guide.

Domain Weighting and Where Points Are Won or Lost

Pass rates don't happen in a vacuum - they follow directly from how heavily each domain is weighted within its subtest. On Subtest 1, Knowledge of Developmentally Appropriate Practices carries 20% of the subtest, the single heaviest domain weighting anywhere on the exam outside of Subtest 3's number concepts domain. The remaining Subtest 1 domains are Knowledge of Child Growth, Child Development, and Relationships with Families and the Community (14%), Knowledge of Diagnosis, Assessment, and Evaluation (14%), Knowledge of Developmentally Appropriate Intervention Strategies and Resources Available to Meet the Needs of All Students (15%), Knowledge of Child Guidance and Classroom Behavioral Management (13%), Knowledge of the Profession and Foundations of Early Childhood (PreK-3) Education (12%), and Knowledge of Developmentally Appropriate Curricula (12%).

Subtest 2 Language Arts and Reading splits its weight across Knowledge of Literacy and Literacy Instruction (24%), Knowledge of Foundational Reading Skills (24%), Knowledge of Language Elements Used for Effective Oral and Written Communication (22%), Knowledge of Literary and Informational Texts (18%), and Knowledge of Assessments to Inform Literacy Instruction (12%). Subtest 4 Science is anchored by Knowledge of the Life Sciences (25%), followed by Knowledge of the Earth and Space Sciences (20%), Knowledge of Effective Science Instruction (19%), Knowledge of the Nature of Science (19%), and Knowledge of the Physical Sciences (17%).

For the complete list of all 22 domains with their exact percentages, cross-reference our FTCE PK-3 exam domains guide while you build your study schedule.

Registration, Fees, and the Cost of a Retake

The FTCE PK-3 exam is delivered by Pearson (Evaluation Systems) as a computer-based test through Pearson VUE-network sites in Florida and nationwide, under the governance of the Florida Department of Education's Bureau of Postsecondary Assessment. There's a single fee structure with no member versus non-member pricing:

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

Since February 28, 2023, candidates may split subtests across any combination of appointments rather than taking all four in one sitting. If you take three or more subtests in a single session, you receive a 15-minute break. Given that pass rates differ meaningfully by subtest - with Mathematics posting the lowest first-attempt rate - many candidates choose to schedule Subtest 3 on its own appointment so a retake, if needed, doesn't force them to repay for subtests they've already passed. Retakes require a 31-day wait and full re-payment of the fee for that subtest, and official score reports are released within four weeks. Our certification cost breakdown walks through total budgeting, including retake scenarios.

Turning the Data Into a Study Plan

Given that Mathematics has the lowest pass rate and Science has the highest, an efficient study sequence front-loads Subtest 3 preparation while still respecting how heavily weighted Knowledge of Developmentally Appropriate Practices is within Subtest 1. Spacing your review across weeks - rather than cramming - lets you revisit base-10 number concepts multiple times before test day, which matters given that domain alone is 33% of Subtest 3.

For a more detailed week-by-week framework and first-attempt strategies, see our full FTCE PK-3 study guide, and use our practice tests to simulate each subtest's timing and item count before you sit for the real thing.

Who Actually Needs to Clear These Rates

There's no coursework prerequisite to sit for the FTCE PK-3, but you do need to create an FTCE/FELE account, and Florida certification itself requires a bachelor's degree. Passing scores are only accepted toward certification if earned within 10 years of the application, and the resulting Florida Professional Certificate is valid for five years, renewable with six semester hours or 120 inservice points (including at least one semester hour or 20 points specifically in teaching students with disabilities).

This certification is the credential Florida uses to verify readiness to teach in prekindergarten through third-grade classrooms, and it's typically required by Florida public school districts hiring for early childhood and primary-grade positions. If you're weighing whether pursuing it fits your career plans, our ROI analysis and jobs overview go into more detail, and our requirements guide covers eligibility mechanics in full.

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