A compound light microscope has a 10× eyepiece and a 40× objective in place. What is the total magnification?Florida State University, Molecular Expressions Microscopy Primer, Magnification. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
A staining protocol calls for 250 microliters of buffer. How many milliliters is that?NIST, Metric (SI) Prefixes. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
A student calls a hypothesis "just a guess". Which correction matches the way scientists use the word?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Science 101, Science at multiple levels. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
DNA fragments of several lengths are loaded on a gel and the current is switched on. Which fragments end up farthest from the wells?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Electrophoresis. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
Hershey and Chase labeled bacteriophages with radioactive sulfur and radioactive phosphorus. Why those two elements?National Human Genome Research Institute, 1952: Genes are Made of DNA. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
Show all 50 questions (45 more)
Investigative processes of science, continued
In a polymerase chain reaction, what is the job of the primers?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
Other researchers repeat a published study with similar methods and cannot get the same basic result. What does that suggest?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Science 101, Copycats in science: The role of replication. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
What sets an experiment apart from other ways of testing a scientific idea?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Science 101, Tactics for testing ideas. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
Which environmental signal has the biggest influence on an organism's circadian rhythms?National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Circadian Rhythms fact sheet. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 1 (investigative processes of science)
Science, technology and society 2
Under OSHA's laboratory standard, 29 CFR 1910.1450, what is a Chemical Hygiene Plan?OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 2 (science, technology and society)
Which human practice does the World Health Organization name as a main driver of antimicrobial resistance?World Health Organization, Antimicrobial resistance fact sheet. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 2 (science, technology and society)
Chemical processes of living things 7
A molecule binds an enzyme at a site away from the substrate site, and the enzyme takes an inactive shape. What is the molecule?Nature Education, Scitable, Cell Metabolism. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
Electron transport in a mitochondrion pushes protons from the matrix into the intermembrane space. What is the proton gradient then used for?Nature Education, Scitable, Mitochondria. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
In oxidative phosphorylation, what finally accepts the electrons passed along the transport chain?Nature Education, Scitable, Cell Energy and Cell Functions. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
In the light-dependent reactions, where do the electrons that replace those lost by chlorophyll come from?Nature Education, Scitable, Photosynthetic Cells. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
Photosynthesis is powered by sunlight. What powers chemosynthesis?NOAA Ocean Exploration, What is the difference between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis?. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
What does glycolysis yield, net, from one molecule of glucose?Nature Education, Scitable, Cell Energy and Cell Functions. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
Which feature of adaptive immunity explains why a vaccine can protect against a later infection?National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Features of an Immune Response. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 3 (chemical processes of living things)
Cell structure and cell function 4
A membrane protein carries a nutrient into a cell against its concentration gradient. What does that movement require?Nature Education, Scitable, Cell Membranes. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 4 (cell structure and cell function)
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) move a cell past the checkpoints of its cycle. What turns a CDK on?Nature Education, Scitable, CDK. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 4 (cell structure and cell function)
In Micrographia (1665), which specimen did Robert Hooke describe as full of small pores, the boxes he named cells?UC Museum of Paleontology, Robert Hooke (1635-1703). Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 4 (cell structure and cell function)
Which pair of groups are both prokaryotes?Nature Education, Scitable, What Is a Cell?. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 4 (cell structure and cell function)
Genetic principles, processes and applications 6
A human body cell is found to hold 45 chromosomes. Which term describes that condition?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Aneuploidy. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 5 (genetic principles, processes and applications)
Mendel crossed F1 pea plants bred from round-seeded and wrinkled-seeded parents. What ratio of round to wrinkled seeds did he find in the F2?Nature Education, Scitable, Gregor Mendel and the Principles of Inheritance. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 5 (genetic principles, processes and applications)
Of the 64 codons of the genetic code, how many specify an amino acid?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Codon. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 5 (genetic principles, processes and applications)
What does a transfer RNA do while a protein is being made?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Transfer RNA (tRNA). Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 5 (genetic principles, processes and applications)
Which change to the coding sequence of a gene causes a frameshift mutation?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Frameshift Mutation. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 5 (genetic principles, processes and applications)
Why do X-linked disorders usually affect males?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, X-Linked. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 5 (genetic principles, processes and applications)
Viruses and prokaryotes 2
Griffith injected mice with live, harmless R-strain pneumococci together with heat-killed S-strain cells and found live S-type bacteria in their blood. What had happened to the R cells?National Human Genome Research Institute, 1944: DNA is "Transforming Principle". Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 6 (viruses and prokaryotes)
What does an infected cell do with the genome of a retrovirus?National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, Retrovirus. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 6 (viruses and prokaryotes)
Protists, fungi and plants 4
Each spring the cambium of a tree lays down new bark and new wood. Which hormones, made by leaf buds at the branch tips, trigger that growth?USDA Forest Service, Anatomy of a Tree. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 7 (protists, fungi and plants)
In a tree trunk, which layer is the pipeline that passes food from the leaves to the rest of the tree?USDA Forest Service, Anatomy of a Tree. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 7 (protists, fungi and plants)
Which trait explains why mosses stay small and low to the ground?UC Museum of Paleontology, Introduction to the Bryophyta. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 7 (protists, fungi and plants)
Why are fungal diseases of humans very difficult to treat?UC Museum of Paleontology, Introduction to the Fungi. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 7 (protists, fungi and plants)
Animals 6
Blood glucose falls between meals. Which cells of the pancreatic islets respond, and with which hormone?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Pancreas: Islets of Langerhans. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 8 (animals)
Each kidney holds over a million nephrons. What are the two parts of a nephron?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Kidneys. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 8 (animals)
Which chamber of the human heart receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Structure of the Heart. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 8 (animals)
Which description fits skeletal muscle fibers?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Muscle Tissue. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 8 (animals)
Which three structures enlarge the absorptive surface of the small intestine?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Small and Large Intestine. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 8 (animals)
Which tissue covers body surfaces, lines body cavities and hollow organs, and is the major tissue of glands?National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Epithelial Tissue. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 8 (animals)
Ecological principles and processes 5
A farm field is plowed and then left alone. Species that survived in the soil recolonize it quickly. Which kind of succession is this?Nature Education, Scitable, Succession: A Closer Look. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 9 (ecological principles and processes)
In the logistic model of population growth, what does the symbol K stand for?Nature Education, Scitable, How Populations Grow: The Exponential and Logistic Equations. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 9 (ecological principles and processes)
In the tidal waters of Everglades National Park, which mangrove is identified by its stilt-like roots?National Park Service, Everglades National Park, Ecosystems: Mangrove. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 9 (ecological principles and processes)
Robert Paine named a kind of species that exerts top-down influence and keeps species at lower trophic levels from monopolizing key resources. What is it called?Nature Education, Scitable, Keystone Species. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 9 (ecological principles and processes)
Which process of the nitrogen cycle turns ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate?Nature Education, Scitable, The Nitrogen Cycle: Processes, Players, and Human Impact. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 9 (ecological principles and processes)
Evolutionary mechanisms 5
According to the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, how old is the oldest fossil evidence for walking on two legs?Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Human Origins Program, Walking Upright. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 10 (evolutionary mechanisms)
In a population at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, 9% of individuals are homozygous recessive (aa). What share are heterozygous (Aa)?Nature Education, Scitable, The Hardy-Weinberg Principle. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 10 (evolutionary mechanisms)
On an evolutionary tree, what is a clade?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Understanding phylogenies. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 10 (evolutionary mechanisms)
Which statement gives Lamarck's account of the giraffe's long neck?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Early concepts of evolution: Jean Baptiste Lamarck. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 10 (evolutionary mechanisms)
Why is the biological species concept hard to apply to many bacteria?UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Defining a species. Written to FTCE Biology 6–12 (002), competency 10 (evolutionary mechanisms)
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the Competencies and Skills and Blueprint of FTCE Biology 6–12 (002) in the test information guide on the FTCE/FELE website, https://www.fl.nesinc.com/studyguide/FL_SG_obj_002.htm (copyright State of Florida, Department of State; site run by Pearson), read 2026-10-08: approximately 80 multiple-choice questions in ten competencies, investigative processes of science about 18%, science, technology and society 4%, chemical processes of living things 14%, cell structure and function 7%, genetics 11%, viruses and prokaryotes 4%, protists, fungi and plants 8%, animals 13%, ecology 11%, evolution 10%. This bank holds 50 in those shares: 9, 2, 7, 4, 6, 2, 4, 6, 5 and 5. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question (48 pages, each opened 2026-10-08): the National Human Genome Research Institute, Scitable by Nature Education, the National Cancer Institute's SEER training modules, UC Berkeley's Understanding Science and Understanding Evolution and its Museum of Paleontology, the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, NOAA, NIST, OSHA, NIAID, NIGMS, the World Health Organization, the Smithsonian Human Origins Program and Florida State University's Molecular Expressions. Three answers are arithmetic from a rule the source gives. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free FTCE Biology 6-12 practice test follows exam 002: 50 questions of our own across its ten competencies. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Florida Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
Ten competencies and their weights
Investigative processes of science carry about 18% of the questions, chemical processes of living things 14%, animals 13%, genetics 11%, ecology 11% and evolution 10%. Protists, fungi and plants carry 8%, cell structure and function 7%. Two carry 4% each: science, technology and society, and viruses and prokaryotes.
Timing
The real test allows 2 hours 30 minutes and provides no reference materials. Exam mode draws 48 of the 50 questions here and allows 90 minutes, the same time per question.
Where the facts come from
The National Human Genome Research Institute, Scitable, the National Cancer Institute's SEER training modules, UC Berkeley's Understanding Science and Understanding Evolution, NOAA, NIST and OSHA. Each question links the page its fact was read on.
Competency 1 is the largest: microscopes, gel electrophoresis, PCR, metric units, and how hypotheses, theories and laws differ.
Three answers here are worked out, not recalled: a total magnification, a metric conversion and a Hardy-Weinberg frequency.
Questions and answers
Is there a study guide for FTCE Biology?
Yes, and it costs nothing: the test information guide for Biology 6–12 on the FTCE site. Its competencies and skills page lists what each of the ten competencies measures, and every question here is tagged with one of them.
How many questions are on the FTCE Biology 6-12 test?
Approximately 80, all multiple choice. The FTCE site adds that a test may include questions being evaluated for future use, and those do not affect the score.
What score passes the FTCE Biology 6-12?
A scaled score of at least 200. A scaled score is not a percent, so the number right on this page cannot be converted to it, and exam mode gives no pass verdict.
Is this FTCE Biology practice test free?
Yes: all 50 questions, the timed exam and the paper test, with no account. None is taken or reworded from a real test or from the sample questions in the guide.