Systematic Preparation for the FTCE

7 Easy Steps to Prepare for FTCE

There are several ways to prepare for the Florida Teacher Certification Exams (FTCE). This article provides you a well thought-through and focused study plan that reviews the different methods of preparing for this exam.

An Effective 7-Step Prep Plan:

Step 1: Make a List of the Tests That You Must Take

Before you begin your preparation, you must obtain a written authorization from the Board of Educator Certification, Florida, for the exams that you are eligible to take. Thereafter, you will be ready with a list of tests that you need to prepare for and pass, along with the details of the registration process.

Step 2: Know Your Tests

Once you know which tests you must take to obtain your teacher certification(s), you must learn about the same. Extensive information on the test format, structure, design, score reporting process etc. is available on the official website – www.fl.nesinc.com/FL_TIGS.asp. This website publishes Test Information Guides for every test (including the 42 subject-area tests). Each guide describes the crucial aspects of a particular test, such as the knowledge-areas and competencies that are assessed, the type of questions that will appear in that test and so on.

Step 3: Know Your Strengths & Weaknesses

The next logical step in the preparation plan is to take a shot at one or two diagnostic or practice tests which will give you an idea about the challenges that you will likely face. This will give you a rough idea on the subject areas that you must concentrate on to get the best scores possible. Practice questions are available in the official Test Information Guides that were mentioned earlier in this article.

Step 4: Review All the Prep Sources

There are several prep sources such as guides, books, websites, courses etc. available today. Hence, it is wise to review all these available sources and pick a combination of materials that is best suited to one’s learning needs. Here is a list of such prep sources for your review:

Study Books:

Study Websites:

Prep Courses:

Step 5: Develop and Follow a Study Plan

After you have collected all the materials that you need, you must spend time developing a study plan for each exam on your list. This plan must clearly delineate the effort required to cover all the study materials collected thus far, along with a clear study schedule and a list of traceable milestones. It must have specific start and end dates too. Based on your earlier diagnosis, you should decide on the priority level and the effort required for the preparation of the subjects-areas in your plan. Finally, be sure to follow this study plan to its last letter.

Step 6: Hone Your Test-Taking Skills

Either during or at the end of your study phase, you must spend time gathering tips or strategies that will help you ace the tests. Even if you feel that you are best prepared for the test, you must be aware of certain must-know techniques while tackling questions (multiple-choice or otherwise). Such test-taking guidance is widely available in the preparation sources that have been listed in Step 4.

Step 7: Practice, Practice & Practice

Finally, you must spend as much time as possible attempting full-length practice tests. These are available in study guides or books that were listed earlier in this article. However, you must be sure to evaluate your answers, determine your practice scores and track if your scores are consistently improving. If not, then you must identify the weak subject-areas and spend more time studying those. Also, make sure that these tests are timed, so that you can improve your time-management skills as well. For essays or oral tests, practice with as many written or oral prompts as possible. Here, you will need the help of a trusted expert to evaluate your responses so that you don’t go off-track.