A class times how long identical ice cubes take to melt in cups of water at 10 °C, 30 °C and 50 °C. What is the outcome variable (dependent variable)?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.N.1.4 and the glossary in Appendix C
A class uses a globe and a lamp to model day and night on Earth. Which is a limitation of this model?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.N.3.2 and the glossary in Appendix C
A student tests whether the amount of fertilizer changes how tall bean plants grow. Four groups of plants get 0, 5, 10 or 15 grams, and she measures their height after three weeks. What is the test variable (independent variable)?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.N.1.4 and the glossary in Appendix C
A team's data fail to support its hypothesis about why frogs are disappearing from a pond. Why was the hypothesis still valuable?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.N.1.4
Show all 52 questions (48 more)
Nature of Science, continued
After five trials, a student's data agree with her hypothesis. Which statement should she write in her conclusion?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.N.1.3
Ana measures the boiling point of salt water five times in one afternoon. Later, a scientist in another city follows Ana's written procedure and gets the same result. Which words describe the two pieces of work?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.N.1.2 and the glossary in Appendix C
For decades scientists accepted one explanation of a natural event. Then better instruments produced measurements that did not fit, and the explanation was revised. What does this show about scientific knowledge?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.N.2.2
In science, what is a theory?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.N.3.1
The law of conservation of mass and the theory of plate tectonics are both in Florida's middle school standards. How does a scientific law differ from a scientific theory?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.N.3.1 and the glossary in Appendix C
Which investigation is an experiment rather than another kind of scientific study?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.N.1.3
Earth and Space Science 14
A cliff shows four flat layers of sedimentary rock that have never been folded or overturned. Which layer is the oldest?National Park Service, "Geologic Principles: Superposition and Original Horizontality"; Florida benchmark SC.7.E.6.3
During a solar eclipse, how are the Sun, Earth and the Moon lined up?NASA, "Types of Solar Eclipses"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.9
How does a heliocentric model of the solar system differ from a geocentric model?NASA Earth Observatory, "Planetary Motion: The History of an Idea That Launched the Scientific Revolution"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.8
Much of Florida lies on limestone. How does a sinkhole form there?U.S. Geological Survey, "What is a sinkhole?"; Florida benchmark SC.6.E.6.2
Our solar system formed from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust. What pulled more and more material toward the center of the cloud, where the Sun formed?NASA, "Solar System: Facts"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.4
Sand settles in layers on a sea floor and slowly hardens into rock. Much later, heat and pressure deep underground change that rock without melting it. Which two rock types formed, in order?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.E.6.2 and the glossary in Appendix C
The Sun warms the ground, the air above it warms and rises, and cooler air moves in underneath. Which kind of heat transfer keeps this air circulating?NOAA JetStream, "The Transfer of Heat Energy"; Florida benchmark SC.6.E.7.1
Sunspots look like dark patches on the Sun. Why do they look dark?NASA, "Our Sun: Facts"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.6
What causes Earth's seasons?NASA Space Place, "What Causes the Seasons?"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.9
What causes the tides in Earth's oceans?NOAA National Ocean Service, "What are tides?"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.9
What does a light-year measure?NASA, "What is a light-year?"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.1
What does the theory of plate tectonics say built the Himalayas?U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth, "Understanding plate motions"; Florida benchmark SC.7.E.6.5
Which list goes from smallest to largest?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.E.5.3
Which statement describes climate rather than weather?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.E.7.6 and the glossary in Appendix C
Physical Science 14
A bar of pure gold is cut exactly in half. How does the density of one half compare with the density of the whole bar?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.P.8.4
A cyclist coasts from the top of a steep hill to the bottom and picks up speed. Which energy change takes place?U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Forms of energy"; Florida benchmark SC.7.P.11.2
A glass prism separates a beam of white light into a band of colors. What does this show?NASA, "Visible Light"; Florida benchmark SC.7.P.10.1
A hot metal spoon is placed in a cup of cool water. What happens next?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.P.11.4
A liquid has a pH of 3. What does that tell you about it?U.S. Geological Survey, "pH and Water"; Florida benchmark SC.8.P.8.8
A metal block has a mass of 54 grams and a volume of 20 cubic centimeters. What is its density?U.S. Geological Survey, "Water Density"; Florida benchmark SC.8.P.8.3
A space probe travels to a place where the pull of gravity is weaker than on Earth. What happens to its mass and its weight?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.P.8.2 and the glossary in Appendix C
Different materials carry waves at different speeds. How does the speed of sound in water compare with its speed in air?NOAA National Ocean Service, "How far does sound travel in the ocean?"; Florida benchmark SC.7.P.10.3
How does the periodic table of the elements arrange the elements?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.P.8.6
Two students push on a crate along the same line. One pushes to the right with 30 newtons and the other pushes to the left with 20 newtons. What is the net force on the crate?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.P.13.3 and the glossary in Appendix C
Vinegar and baking soda are mixed inside a sealed bag. Bubbles of gas form and the bag swells. How does the mass of the sealed bag afterward compare with its mass before?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.P.9.1
Which describes the structure of an atom?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.P.8.7
Which list puts electromagnetic waves in order from the longest wavelength to the shortest?NASA, "Introduction to the Electromagnetic Spectrum"; Florida benchmark SC.8.E.5.11
Which of these is a chemical change?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.P.9.2 and the glossary in Appendix C
Life Science 14
Body cells need a steady supply of oxygen. Which two body systems work together to deliver it?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, "Introduction to the Respiratory System"; Florida benchmark SC.6.L.14.5
In a certain plant, the allele for purple flowers (P) is dominant and the allele for white flowers (p) is recessive. Two plants that are both Pp are crossed. What fraction of the offspring should have white flowers?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.L.16.2 and the glossary in Appendix C
In binomial nomenclature, each kind of organism has a two-word scientific name. What are the two words?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.L.15.1 and the glossary in Appendix C
Some beetles in a population are green and some are brown. On brown soil, birds find the green beetles more easily, so more brown beetles survive and have offspring. Over many generations brown beetles become more common. What is this process called?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Evolution"; Florida benchmark SC.7.L.15.2
Tiny algae live inside coral polyps. The coral gives the algae a protected place to live, and the algae give the coral food made by photosynthesis. What kind of relationship is this?NOAA National Ocean Service, "What is Zooxanthellae?"; Florida benchmark SC.7.L.17.2
What does cellular respiration do?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.L.18.2
What does the cell membrane do?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Cell Membrane (Plasma Membrane)"; Florida benchmark SC.6.L.14.4
Where in a cell are genes located?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.7.L.16.1
Which gas does a plant release during photosynthesis?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.8.L.18.1
Which infectious agent cannot make copies of itself alone and must infect a cell to do so?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Virus"; Florida benchmark SC.6.L.14.6
Which list puts the levels of organization in a living thing in order from smallest to largest?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.L.14.1
Which organelle generates most of the chemical energy a cell needs?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Mitochondria"; Florida benchmark SC.6.L.14.4
Which process produces two daughter cells with identical genomes?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Mitosis" and "Meiosis"; Florida benchmark SC.7.L.16.3
Which statement is part of the cell theory?Florida Department of Education, Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, benchmark SC.6.L.14.2
How this list was compiled: Outline: the Florida Department of Education's Test Design Summary and Blueprint: State Academic Standards for Science (updated August 11, 2023), https://flfast.org/content/contentresources/en/Science%20Test%20Design%20Summary.pdf, its Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment Test Item Specifications, https://flfast.org/content/contentresources/en/Grade%208%20Statewide%20Science%20Test%20Item%20Specifications.pdf, and its 2026-27 Florida Statewide Science Assessments Fact Sheet (August 2026), https://flfast.org/content/contentresources/en/2026-2027%20Grades%205%20%26%208%20Science%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf, all on the Florida Statewide Assessments Portal and read 2026-10-07. Facts: where a question's fact is stated in the benchmark or in the glossary of the specifications (Appendix C), that is the source named; every other fact rests on the federal page named on the question (NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute), each read 2026-10-07. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the state's public benchmarks and the public pages named on each question. Nothing is copied or reworded from a Statewide Science Assessment, an FCAT test, a released test, a sample item of the state or another practice test.
How it works
Unofficial practice for Florida's 8th grade science test, still called FCAT science; its name today is the Statewide Science Assessment. Every question is our own, written from the state's benchmarks. Not affiliated with the Florida Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What the grade 8 science test covers
Four reporting categories: Earth and space science, physical science and life science at 27 percent each, and the nature of science at 19 percent. The blueprint draws on grades 6 and 7 too, so cells, body systems, forces, weather and the rock cycle sit beside the grade 8 benchmarks on stars, atoms, chemical change and photosynthesis.
Where each answer comes from
Every question is tied to one Florida benchmark. Where the benchmark or the glossary of the state's test specifications states the fact, that is the source. Every other fact rests on a federal page named under the answer, such as NASA for space, the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA for Earth, water and weather, the National Human Genome Research Institute for cells and heredity.
Florida writes "test variable (independent variable)" and "outcome variable (dependent variable)". Learn both names for each.
Questions and answers
Is FCAT science still given in 8th grade?
Not under that name. The grade 8 test is now the Statewide Science Assessment. FCAT Science was first given in 2003, and Florida moved to FCAT 2.0 in 2011.
How many questions are on the 8th grade science test in Florida?
The state's 2026-27 fact sheet gives 48 to 54 items, all multiple choice.
How long is the Florida 8th grade science test?
It is a single 160-minute session with a short break at the halfway point, after 80 minutes. Students who need more time may keep working for up to a typical school day.
What is a passing score on the 8th grade science test?
Grade 8 scores run from 140 to 260 in five achievement levels. Level 3 starts at 203, and the state's fact sheet calls that lowest Level 3 score the passing score. A percent right here cannot be turned into a scale score.
Do 8th graders in Biology 1 take the science test?
No. A middle grades student enrolled in Biology 1 takes the Biology 1 end-of-course assessment and not the grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment. Florida law does not allow a student to be tested on both.