- Full FTCE ENG 013 registration costs $150; a single section retake costs $75.
- Retake fees are identical to first-attempt fees - there's no penalty pricing.
- Sections are scored independently since January 1, 2015, so you only pay to retake what you failed.
- Fee waivers under the Don Hahnfeldt Act only cover initial attempts, not retakes.
FTCE ENG 013 Fee Structure for 2026
The pricing structure for FTCE English 6-12 (013) is simpler than most candidates expect, and it hasn't changed dramatically from year to year. If you register for the complete exam - the Multiple-Choice Section and the Written Performance Section together - the cost is $150. If you already passed one section and only need the other, or if you strategically choose to test one section at a time, the cost drops to $75 per section.
There is no separate "retake fee" tier. Whether this is your first attempt or your third, the price for a single section stays at $75, and the price for both sections together stays at $150. That flat-rate structure matters when you're planning a testing budget, because you won't get hit with escalating costs the more times you attempt the exam.
Registration Mechanics and Retake Costs
Registration and delivery for FTCE ENG 013 run through Pearson's Evaluation Systems group, with computer-based testing available Monday through Saturday. As of 2025, candidates could choose from 45 Florida testing sites, 284 out-of-state sites, and 91 military/DoD-only locations - a network wide enough that most candidates won't need to travel far, though site availability can affect how quickly you can schedule a retake.
Because there are no prerequisites and no eligibility screening for this exam, anyone can register and pay the fee directly. That openness is convenient, but it also means the fee itself is the only real gatekeeping mechanism - there's no application review process to slow you down or add cost. For a full breakdown of who can sit for the exam and any documentation involved in certification (as opposed to testing), see the FTCE ENG 013 Requirements guide.
The exam itself runs 2 hours 30 minutes total: 1 hour 30 minutes for roughly 60 scored multiple-choice questions, and 1 hour for the single essay in the Written Performance Section. Some forms include unscored field-test items mixed in, which don't affect your score but do occupy testing time.
Key Takeaway
If you're unsure whether to register for both sections at once or split them, weigh your confidence per section. Registering for one section at $75 makes sense if you already know, based on practice performance, that one area is far weaker than the other.
Fee Waivers and Who Qualifies
Florida offers fee waivers for certain groups, but the coverage is narrower than many candidates assume. Waivers apply to initial attempts only - they do not cover retakes. Eligible groups include:
- Active-duty military personnel
- Honorably discharged veterans
- Spouses or surviving spouses of the above, under the Don Hahnfeldt Act
- Retired first responders
If you fall into one of these categories, your first attempt at either the full exam or a single section may be waived, but if you don't pass, the $75 or $150 retake fee applies just like it would for anyone else. Plan your first attempt accordingly - this is exactly why a structured FTCE ENG 013 study guide approach matters more for waiver-eligible candidates than for most: you want your one free shot to count.
Hidden Costs Beyond the Testing Fee
The $150/$75 fee is the headline number, but a realistic 2026 budget should account for a few adjacent costs:
- Retake fees if a section is failed. Since sections are scored independently, a candidate who fails only the Written Performance Section pays just $75 to retake it, not the full $150.
- Travel to a testing site. With 45 in-state Pearson VUE locations, most Florida candidates have a reasonably close option, but rural candidates may need to factor in mileage or an overnight stay.
- Study materials and practice tests. This isn't a fee charged by the state, but it's a real budget line for most candidates preparing for content spread across Domains 1 through 8.
- Time cost of the 31-day and 3-year windows. A failed section can be retaken after 31 calendar days; a passed section cannot be retaken for three years. Testing outside those windows invalidates the new score and no report is issued - meaning you'd pay the fee and get nothing for it. Full details are in the FTCE ENG 013 Exam Dates guide.
How the Fee Maps to Exam Format
It helps to see what your $150 (or $75) actually buys in terms of testing content. Here's the section breakdown:
| Section | Format | Time | Cost if Taken Alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple-Choice Section | ~60 scored multiple-choice questions | 1 hour 30 minutes | $75 |
| Written Performance Section | One essay, holistically scored by two raters | 1 hour | $75 |
| Both Sections Combined | Full exam | 2 hours 30 minutes total | $150 |
Passing standards differ by section, too, which matters when you're deciding whether a $75 retake is worth scheduling. The multiple-choice section requires a scaled score of at least 200, while the Written Performance Section requires at least 5 out of 8 total points on the rubric - a standard that took effect January 1, 2025 and replaced the older 8-out-of-12 rubric. If you're unclear on how these thresholds work, the FTCE ENG 013 Passing Score guide walks through both standards in detail, and the FTCE ENG 013 Pass Rate guide covers how candidates have historically performed on each.
Budgeting Study Time Around the Domains
Since a $75 or $150 fee is non-refundable once you sit for the test, the real way to protect your investment is making sure your study time matches how the multiple-choice section is actually weighted. The eight content domains carry different weights, and two of them dominate the scored questions:
Domain 2: Communication Skills, Techniques, and Processes (18%)
This is the single heaviest-weighted domain on the multiple-choice section. Candidates should expect substantial coverage of writing process, rhetoric, and communication strategy questions here.
- Highest-weighted domain - prioritize accordingly in review time
Domain 4: Literary and Informational Texts (17%)
The second-heaviest domain, covering a wide range of literary and informational text analysis. This overlaps conceptually with the skills tested in the Written Performance Section.
- Second-highest weight - pairs well with essay practice since Domain 8 governs the writing section
The remaining domains - Domain 1 (effective use of English language, 15%), Domain 3 (literacy processes and instructional practices, 15%), Domain 6 (pedagogical content for teaching English language arts, 15%), Domain 5 (listening, viewing, speaking, and presenting, 10%), and Domain 7 (assessments and instructional decision-making, 10%) - round out the multiple-choice section, while Domain 8 governs 100% of the Written Performance Section: evaluating a student's written analysis of a literary text. For a full walkthrough of every domain, see the FTCE ENG 013 Exam Domains Guide.
Domain 2 and Domain 4
- Focus first on the two highest-weighted domains, since they represent the largest share of scored multiple-choice points
- Use practice questions to identify weak spots before moving on
Domains 1, 3, and 6
- Cover language use, literacy instruction, and pedagogical content - each weighted 15%
Domains 5 and 7
- Round out the lower-weighted domains covering communication modes and assessment data
Domain 8 essay practice
- Draft and revise timed essays under the 1-hour written performance limit, since this section is worth the full $75 on its own if retaken
This kind of domain-weighted scheduling is a spaced, prioritized approach rather than a generic study calendar - it's designed around where the FTCE ENG 013 actually allocates its points, so your prep time and your testing fee are pointed at the same target. If you want a deeper methodology breakdown, the FTCE ENG 013 Study Guide expands on pacing and review strategy.
Retake Windows and Score Validity
Cost planning for FTCE ENG 013 isn't just about the dollar amount - it's about timing your money wisely. A few rules shape how and when you can spend that $75 or $150 again:
- A failed section or the full test may be retaken after 31 calendar days.
- A passed section or test may not be retaken for three years.
- Violating either window invalidates the new score, and no report is issued - meaning the fee is spent with no usable result.
- Passing scores remain valid for certification applications submitted within 10 years of the test date.
- Score reports stay accessible in your candidate account for five years.
Score reporting itself is staggered: multiple-choice results appear at the test center immediately, with comprehensive scores following about two weeks later, while essay scores take roughly four weeks to release. If you're budgeting for a possible retake, build that four-week wait into your planning so you're not paying for a rushed re-registration before you even know your essay result.
For candidates weighing whether the total cost and time investment make sense relative to career payoff, it's worth reading the ROI analysis on FTCE ENG 013 certification and the FTCE ENG 013 Salary Guide alongside this pricing breakdown. And if you're still deciding how difficult the exam is likely to be for your background, the FTCE ENG 013 Difficulty Guide can help you gauge how many attempts to budget for. You can also start practicing directly on our FTCE ENG 013 practice test platform to see where your baseline stands before you spend a cent on registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
The full exam, covering both the Multiple-Choice Section and Written Performance Section, costs $150. A single section costs $75, and this pricing applies equally to first attempts and retakes.
No. Because the two sections have been scored and reported independently since January 1, 2015, you only need to retake and pay for the section you failed - $75 rather than the full $150.
No. Fee waivers under the Don Hahnfeldt Act, available to active-duty military, honorably discharged veterans, their spouses or surviving spouses, and retired first responders, cover initial attempts only. Any retake requires the standard $75 or $150 fee.
You must wait 31 calendar days after a failed attempt before retesting. Testing before that window closes invalidates the new score and no report is issued, meaning the fee would be wasted.
Passing scores are accepted for certification applications submitted within 10 years of the test date. Score reports themselves remain accessible in your candidate account for five years.