Picking a Study Guide for FTCE

How to Choose a Good FTCE Study Guide

The FTCE stands for Florida Teacher Certification Examinations. These are actually 47 sub-tests – 42 subject area tests, 4 general knowledge tests and 1 professional education test. The purpose of developing these tests was to assess candidates on the basis of their knowledge in varied subject areas and in the domain of general education. This article mentions useful reviews of a few books that you may use for your preparation and also mentions the important points you need to keep in mind while choosing a good study guide.

Reviews of a Few Study Guides

  1. Study Guides for Professional Education:Most of the study guides for this test contain information pertaining to the 14 competencies that are tested in this exam. Apart from a detailed analysis of the competencies involved, most of the study guides also contain two or three practice tests. The book that is reviewed below specifically caters to the Professional Education sub-test.

    CliffNotes FTCE Professional Education Test with CD-ROM

    This guide is available for online purchase at the link
    http://www.amazon.com/CliffsNotes-Professional-Education-withCD-ROM-Edition/dp/1118014723/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367469825&sr=8-2&keywords=FTCE.
    It is authored by Vi Cain Alexander and Sandra Luna McCune. The list price of this book is 32.99$; however, at this link, you will be able to purchase it for 23.97$.

    The study guide begins with a general description of the test for Professional Education. Next, it describes in detail the 14 important competencies tested under this sub-test i.e. assessment, diversity, ethics, communications, planning, technology, role of a teacher etc. For each of these 14 competencies, this guide elaborates the key areas and also offers some practice questions. Each chapter is followed by sample questions and their detailed answer explanations. At the end of the book, you are provided with two full-length practice tests. Each of these two tests is followed by answer keys and detailed explanations.

  2. Study Guides for General Knowledge:The study guides for this test describe the four sub-tests that are conducted under this test namely, essay, reading, Mathematics and English language skills. Each of these areas is explained along with the competencies pertaining to each in these study guides. A prominent guide for the General Knowledge test has been reviewed below:

    FTCE General Knowledge with CD-ROM

    This book is available at the link
    http://www.amazon.com/General-Knowledge-CD-ROM-Teacher-Certification/dp/073860948X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367469825&sr=8-3&keywords=FTCE.
    The list price of this guide is 34.95$; however, at this link, you can purchase it for 24.70$. This one is authored by Leasha Barry and Alicia Mendoza.

    This study guide begins by a brief overview of the General Knowledge test and its purpose. The next chapter provides information regarding the Reading sub-test. The two competencies tested under this test (literal comprehension and inferential comprehension) are explained in detail along with practice questions and relevant strategies. The next chapter of this is based on Mathematics. The five competencies under this sub-test are described in detail along with practice drills and suitable strategies. The next chapter highlights the English Language Skills sub-test and the four competencies that are tested under this sub-test. This chapter is followed by a chapter on the Essay sub-test. There are some practice drills given for each sub-test. The book ends with three practice tests and their detailed answer explanations.

  3. Study Guides for Subject Areas:There are 42 FTCE subject area sub-tests pertaining to different grades and different subjects. For each of them, the subject area study guides contain a description of the competencies involved in each sub-test along with practice tests at the end. The one that is reviewed below is based on the English sub-test for grades 6 to 12.

    English 6-12

    This guide is written by Alicia Mendoza. It is available for online purchase at the link
    http://www.amazon.com/FTCE-English-6-12-Teacher-Certification/dp/0738601861/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1367469825&sr=8-10&keywords=FTCE.
    The list price of this guide is 32.95$; however, if you order it through this link, you will have to pay 21.59$ for it.

    This book begins with a brief overview of the English sub-test for grades 6 to 12. There are different chapters for each of the competencies involved in the sub-test. There is also a specific chapter on knowledge of literature. At the end of this book, there are two full-length practice tests that are followed by answer keys and detailed answer explanations.

Important Considerations while Choosing a Good Study Guide

Following are the important considerations you need to keep in mind before purchasing any good study guide:

  1. You must go through the customer reviews for each of the study guides. You can visit the links mentioned above and scroll down the page for reviews. You can also visit the website www.amazon.com to assess a few other study guides and scroll down to read their reviews.
  2. You must also go through the contents of the book in brief to know whether the book will contain exhaustive information on the different competencies or not.
  3. The next thing you should keep in mind is the practice material that each book offers you. There should be enough of chapter-wise drills as well as at least two full-length practice tests followed by answer explanations.

Hence, it can be concluded that a lot of research is needed from your own side before you plan to purchase a study guide. It needs to be well suited to your requirements so that you can prepare in the best way for the FTCE.