FTCE General Knowledge Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The numbers to remember

• ELS Subtest (826): ~30 questions, 40 minutes
• Reading Subtest (827): ~30 questions, 55 minutes
• Mathematics Subtest (828): ~35 questions, 100 minutes
• Essay Subtest (825): 1 essay, 50 minutes
• 15-minute break if you take all four subtests in one session
• Fees: $32.50 (one subtest), $65 (two), $97.50 (three), $130 (all four)
• Format: computer-based test (CBT)
• Official score reports are released within 4 weeks of testing — plan certification deadlines around that window, not around test day itself

Subtests and scores

• Passing scaled score on ELS, Reading, and Mathematics: at least 200 each — this is the general passing scale score for any multiple-choice or composite test, not a per-subtest special case
• Passing essay score (current standard): at least 6 of 8 total points
• If you sat for the essay on or before Dec 31, 2024: the older passing standard was at least 8 of 12 points — know which rubric applies to your test date
• You must pass all four subtests to pass the GK — there is no averaging across subtests, and no partial credit for being close on one while excelling on another
• A subtest you've already passed is locked in for three years — don't schedule a retake of something you cleared

High-yield review areas

• ELS: grammar, usage, sentence structure, editing — best built with short daily drills rather than one long cram session
• Reading: passage comprehension and analysis under a strict 55-minute clock, where rereading every passage twice will cost you time you don't have
• Mathematics: the longest subtest at 100 minutes for roughly 35 questions — don't shortchange content review here if it's been years since coursework
• Essay: full timed writing practice, not just outlining — a few minutes to plan and a few to proofread pays off inside the 50-minute limit

Top traps

• Assuming a strong subtest score offsets a weak one — it doesn't; every subtest must independently pass
• Retaking a subtest you already passed — you can't for three years, and there's no benefit to trying
• Scheduling a retake too soon — you must wait 31 calendar days after an unpassed attempt before retaking that subtest
• Treating essay prep like multiple-choice prep — the essay is scored on its own 8-point rubric, separate from the scaled-score system used for the other three subtests
• Practicing untimed — the real constraint on test day is the clock, especially on Reading and Mathematics