- What Jobs Require the FTCE ENG 013
- Why Florida School Districts Care About This Score
- How the Eight Domains Show Up in an Actual Classroom
- Exam Mechanics You Need to Understand Before You Apply
- Building a Prep Timeline Around Your Job Search
- Multiple-Choice vs. Written Performance: A Quick Comparison
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Passing FTCE ENG 013 is the subject-area credential Florida school districts require for grades 6-12 English/language arts teaching positions.
- Competency 2 (communication skills) and Competency 4 (literary and informational texts) carry the most weight, at 18% and 17%.
- You need a scaled score of at least 200 on the multiple-choice section and 5 of 8 points on the written performance rubric.
- Fees are $150 for both sections or $75 per section, the same for first attempts and retakes.
What Jobs Require the FTCE ENG 013
The FTCE English 6-12 (013) exam exists for one practical reason: it verifies that a candidate has the subject-matter knowledge Florida expects of teachers responsible for secondary English/language arts instruction. If you're aiming for a classroom position teaching English, reading, composition, or literature to students in grades 6 through 12 in a Florida public school, this is the subject-area test tied to that certification pathway under Rule 6A-4.0021 F.A.C. and Section 1012.56, Florida Statutes.
That single fact drives almost every job-related decision a candidate makes: when to register, which domains to prioritize, and how to sequence the exam around a hiring timeline. It also explains why so many candidates search for details on FTCE ENG 013 requirements before they even schedule a test date - school districts and the certification process both expect this score on file.
Why Florida School Districts Care About This Score
Because the exam is developed and delivered by the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson on behalf of the Florida Department of Education's Bureau of Postsecondary Assessment, the resulting score carries statewide weight rather than being a district-specific hurdle. Every district hiring for a 6-12 English position is, in effect, relying on the same statewide bar.
That bar has two independent parts, scored and reported separately since January 1, 2015:
- Multiple-Choice Section: approximately 60 scored questions in 1 hour 30 minutes, covering Domains 1 through 7.
- Written Performance Section: one essay in 1 hour, scored against Domain 8's rubric for evaluating a student's written analysis of a literary text.
Because the sections are scored independently, a candidate who passes the multiple-choice section but comes up short on the essay only has to retake the written performance section - not the whole exam. That matters for job planning: you don't lose a passing score while you work on the piece that needs another attempt.
Key Takeaway
If you're already teaching under a temporary certificate or provisional status, check which section you still need - retaking only the failed section saves both time and the $75 single-section fee instead of paying for both.
How the Eight Domains Show Up in an Actual Classroom
Unlike a purely academic credential, FTCE ENG 013's content outline mirrors the actual responsibilities of a 6-12 ELA teacher. Understanding that connection helps candidates see the exam as job preparation rather than an abstract hurdle. For a full breakdown of weightings and subtopics, see the FTCE ENG 013 Exam Domains 2026 guide, but here's how the domains map to daily classroom tasks:
Domain 2: Communication Skills, Techniques, and Processes (18%)
The single heaviest-weighted competency on the multiple-choice section. This is the writing-process, rhetoric, and language-mechanics knowledge you'll draw on every time you plan a writing unit or give feedback on student drafts.
- Grammar, usage, and conventions instruction
- Rhetorical strategies and argumentation
- Writing process stages and revision techniques
Domain 4: Literary and Informational Texts (17%)
The second-heaviest competency. This domain reflects the reading list and text-analysis work central to any secondary English course - from selecting age-appropriate texts to teaching literary devices and nonfiction structures.
- Genre conventions across literary and informational texts
- Textual analysis and interpretation
- Text selection appropriate to grade band
Domain 8: Evaluating a Student's Written Analysis of a Literary Text
This is the entire written performance section - 100% of that portion of the exam. It's essentially a simulation of the job itself: you're asked to demonstrate the same analytical writing skill you'll later be responsible for teaching and grading in students.
- Holistic scoring by two independent raters, each on a 1-to-4 scale
- Requires original composition - a memorized, pre-prepared essay is treated as cheating and invalidates the score
The remaining domains - effective use of English language (Domain 1), literacy processes and instructional practices (Domain 3), listening/viewing/speaking/presenting techniques (Domain 5), pedagogical content for ELA (Domain 6), and assessment data use (Domain 7) - round out the knowledge base districts expect a certified English teacher to bring into a classroom on day one.
Exam Mechanics You Need to Understand Before You Apply
Job planning around FTCE ENG 013 means understanding the registration and scoring mechanics, not just the content. A few specifics matter more than people expect:
- Testing locations: Computer-based testing is offered Monday through Saturday at Pearson VUE sites - in 2025 that included 45 Florida locations, 284 out-of-state sites, and 91 military/DoD-only sites, which matters if you're applying to Florida districts from out of state.
- Fees: $150 covers both sections; a single section is $75. The fee is identical whether it's your first attempt or a retake.
- Passing score: at least 200 (scaled) on the multiple-choice section, and at least 5 out of 8 points on the written performance rubric - a standard effective January 1, 2025. Full detail is in the FTCE ENG 013 Passing Score guide.
- Retake windows: a failed section can be retaken after 31 calendar days; a passed section can't be retaken for three years. Violating either window invalidates the new score and no report is issued.
- Score validity: passing scores are accepted for certification applications submitted within 10 years of the test date, and score reports remain in your candidate account for five years.
- Fee waivers: available for initial attempts only, for active-duty military, honorably discharged veterans and their spouses or surviving spouses under the Don Hahnfeldt Act, and for retired first responders.
For anyone unclear on whether they even need to sit for this exam or how it fits into broader licensure, the FTCE ENG 013 Certification overview and What Is FTCE ENG 013? pages walk through the basics before you commit to a test date.
Building a Prep Timeline Around Your Job Search
Because the multiple-choice section weights Competencies 2 and 4 the heaviest, it makes sense to front-load review time on communication skills and literary/informational text analysis rather than spreading study hours evenly across all seven multiple-choice domains. A focused review sequence, paired with practice questions on our FTCE ENG 013 practice test platform, tends to work better than trying to cover every domain with equal depth in the weeks before a hiring deadline.
Domain 2 and Domain 4 Deep Review
- Grammar, rhetoric, and writing-process concepts (Domain 2)
- Literary and informational text analysis practice (Domain 4)
- Run timed multiple-choice sets on the practice test site to build stamina for the 1-hour-30-minute format
Remaining Multiple-Choice Domains
- Domains 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 - pedagogy, literacy processes, assessment, and oral communication
- Identify weak spots from practice-test results and re-review those competencies
Written Performance Section (Domain 8)
- Practice timed essay responses within the 1-hour limit
- Review rubric expectations for the 5-of-8-point passing threshold
- Never rehearse a fixed essay to reuse - it will be flagged as cheating
If you want a more granular breakdown of what to study each week and why, the FTCE ENG 013 Study Guide 2026 lays out a full first-attempt strategy, and the difficulty guide is worth reading if you're deciding how much lead time to give yourself before applying to open positions.
Multiple-Choice vs. Written Performance: A Quick Comparison
| Feature | Multiple-Choice Section | Written Performance Section |
|---|---|---|
| Format | ~60 scored questions | One essay |
| Time Allotted | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour |
| Domains Covered | Domains 1-7 | Domain 8 only |
| Passing Standard | Scaled score of at least 200 | At least 5 of 8 points |
| Scoring Method | Machine-scored, equated forms | Two independent raters, 1-4 scale each |
| Result Timing | Preliminary at test center; comprehensive ~2 weeks later | ~4 weeks after test date |
| Fee (Single Section) | $75 | $75 |
Because the sections are graded and reported independently, some candidates strategically schedule them separately - sitting for whichever section they feel less prepared for first, since a retake only affects that one section. Understanding these mechanics before you register can save both money and time relative to a district's hiring window. For a full cost breakdown across fees and waivers, see the FTCE ENG 013 Certification Cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Districts and certification applications generally look for both sections passed, but because the sections are scored independently, you can hold a passing score on one section while retaking the other without losing the first result - passing scores remain usable for certification applications for up to 10 years.
FTCE English 6-12 (013) corresponds to English/language arts instruction for grades 6 through 12, covering communication skills, literary and informational texts, literacy instruction, pedagogy, and assessment as outlined across the eight domains.
The fee is $150 for both sections together or $75 for a single section, with the same pricing for first attempts and retakes. Fee waivers for initial attempts are available to active-duty military, honorably discharged veterans and their spouses, and retired first responders.
A failed section can be retaken after 31 calendar days. A passed section cannot be retaken for three years, and testing outside either window invalidates the new score with no report issued.
Competency 2 (communication skills, techniques, and processes) and Competency 4 (literary and informational texts) carry the heaviest multiple-choice weight, at 18% and 17% respectively, so they're the most efficient places to concentrate limited review time.