A 0.40 kg soccer ball at rest is kicked. The foot pushes on it with an average force of 240 N for 0.025 s. How fast is the ball moving as it leaves the foot?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Energy, Momentum, and Heat Transfer: p = mv and Δp = FΔt. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0002 (conservation of energy and linear momentum)
A 2.0 kg block on a spring slides back and forth on a frictionless table, taking 0.50 s for each full cycle. What is the spring constant?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: T = 2π√(m/k). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0003 (rotational motion and simple harmonic motion)
A 2.0 kg block starts from rest and slides down a frictionless ramp, dropping 0.80 m in height. Using g = 9.80 m/s², how fast is it moving at the bottom?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, KE = ½mv² and PE = mgh; HyperPhysics, Conservation Laws. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0002 (conservation of energy and linear momentum)
Show all 40 questions (37 more)
Motion, forces and energy, continued
A 20 kg crate is pulled across a level floor by a horizontal force of 150 N. The coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.50 and g = 9.80 m/s². What is the crate’s acceleration?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Force and Motion: ΣF = ma and F ≤ μN. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0001 (kinematics and Newton’s laws of motion)
A 1,500 kg car moving at 20 m/s runs into a 2,500 kg truck at rest, and the two lock together. How much kinetic energy is lost in the collision?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, p = mv and KE = ½mv²; HyperPhysics, Conservation of Momentum. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0002 (conservation of energy and linear momentum)
A ball is thrown horizontally at 12 m/s from a ledge 19.6 m above level ground. Ignoring air resistance and using g = 9.80 m/s², how far from the foot of the ledge does it land?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Force and Motion: xf = xi + vi t + ½at², with g = 9.80 m/s². Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0001 (kinematics and Newton’s laws of motion)
A cyclist rolling at 4.0 m/s speeds up at a steady 1.5 m/s² for 6.0 s. How far does she travel during those 6.0 s?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Force and Motion: xf = xi + vi t + ½at². Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0001 (kinematics and Newton’s laws of motion)
A grinding wheel turning at 20 rad/s is switched off, and friction slows it at a steady 2.5 rad/s². Through what angle does it turn before it stops?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Force and Motion: ωf = ωi + αt and θf = θi + ωi t + ½αt². Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0003 (rotational motion and simple harmonic motion)
A horse pulls a cart forward. A student argues that the cart can never start to move, because the cart pulls back on the horse just as hard. What is wrong with the argument?HyperPhysics (Georgia State University), Newton’s Laws: Newton’s Third Law. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0001 (kinematics and Newton’s laws of motion)
A skater spins at 2.0 revolutions per second with a moment of inertia of 4.0 kg·m². She pulls in her arms, cutting it to 1.6 kg·m², with no outside torque. What is her new spin rate?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, L = Iω; HyperPhysics, Conservation Laws (angular momentum). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0003 (rotational motion and simple harmonic motion)
A sled is dragged 20 m across level snow by a rope that pulls with 50 N at 60° above the horizontal. How much work does the rope do on the sled?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Energy, Momentum, and Heat Transfer: W = Fd cos θ. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0002 (conservation of energy and linear momentum)
Which change doubles the period of a simple pendulum that swings through a small angle?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: T = 2π√(L/g). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, competency 0003 (rotational motion and simple harmonic motion)
Electricity and magnetism 12
A 3.0 μF and a 6.0 μF capacitor are connected in series across a 12 V battery. How much charge is stored on each capacitor?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: C = Q/V and 1/C = Σ(1/Ci). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0003 (electric circuits)
A 12 V battery is wired to three resistors in parallel: 10 Ω, 15 Ω and 30 Ω. How much current does the battery supply?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: 1/R = Σ(1/Ri) and V = IR. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0003 (electric circuits)
A lamp is rated 60 W when connected to 120 V. What is the resistance of its filament at that rating?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: P = IV and V = IR. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0003 (electric circuits)
A solenoid 0.25 m long has 500 turns and carries 2.0 A. Using μ₀ = 4π × 10⁻⁷ T·m/A, what is the magnetic field inside it?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: B = μ0 N I/ℓ. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0002 (magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction)
A straight wire 0.40 m long carries 5.0 A at right angles to a uniform magnetic field of 0.30 T. How large is the magnetic force on the wire?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: F = Iℓ × B. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0002 (magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction)
A uniform electric field of 500 N/C points east. What force does it exert on a charge of −4.0 nC placed in it?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, E = F/q0; HyperPhysics, Electric Field (direction of the field). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0001 (electric charge, electric fields and electric potential)
A uniform magnetic field passing through a wire loop is steadily reduced toward zero. What does the magnetic field of the induced current do inside the loop?HyperPhysics (Georgia State University), Faraday’s Law: Lenz’s Law. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0002 (magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction)
An electron starts from rest and is accelerated through a potential difference of 100 V. Using e = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C, how much kinetic energy does it gain?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: PE = qV, with e = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0001 (electric charge, electric fields and electric potential)
The magnetic flux through each turn of a 50-turn coil falls from 0.040 Wb to 0.010 Wb in 0.15 s. What is the size of the average emf induced in the coil?HyperPhysics (Georgia State University), Faraday’s Law; GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, ε = −Δφ/Δt. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0002 (magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction)
Two parallel metal plates are 2.0 cm apart and have a potential difference of 120 V between them. How strong is the uniform electric field between the plates?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: V = −Ed. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0001 (electric charge, electric fields and electric potential)
Two small spheres carry charges of +2.0 μC and +3.0 μC, with their centers 0.30 m apart. Using k = 8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C², what force does each exert on the other?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, F = ke q1q2/r²; HyperPhysics, Coulomb’s Law (like charges repel). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0001 (electric charge, electric fields and electric potential)
Wires A and B are made of the same metal and have the same length, but B has three times the diameter of A. How does the resistance of B compare with that of A?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Electricity and Magnetism: R = ρℓ/A. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, competency 0003 (electric circuits)
Waves and light 8
A cord under a tension of 90 N has a mass per unit length of 0.0040 kg/m. How fast does a pulse travel along it?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: v = √(T/μ). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0001 (mechanical wave behavior and phenomena)
A light ray in air (n = 1.00) strikes a glass block (n = 1.50) at 30.0° from the normal. At what angle from the normal does it travel inside the glass?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0002 (electromagnetic wave behavior and phenomena)
A slide is placed 15 cm in front of a converging lens of focal length 10 cm. How far from the lens does the image form, and how tall is it compared with the slide?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: 1/f = 1/si + 1/so and M = −si/so. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0002 (electromagnetic wave behavior and phenomena)
A train sounding its horn passes a person waiting at a crossing. What does the person notice as the train goes by, and what has not changed?HyperPhysics (Georgia State University), The Doppler Effect for Sound. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0001 (mechanical wave behavior and phenomena)
An optical fiber carries telephone and internet signals as pulses of light. What keeps the light inside the fiber over long distances?HyperPhysics (Georgia State University), Fiber Optics. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0002 (electromagnetic wave behavior and phenomena)
In air where sound travels at 340 m/s, what is the wavelength of a 425 Hz tone?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: v = fλ. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0001 (mechanical wave behavior and phenomena)
Light of wavelength 600 nm passes through two narrow slits whose centers are 2.0 μm apart. At what angle from the straight-through direction does the second-order bright fringe appear?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Waves, Sound, and Light: d sin θ = mλ. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0002 (electromagnetic wave behavior and phenomena)
Waves travel at 300 m/s along a wire 0.75 m long that is fixed at both ends. What is the lowest frequency at which the wire can vibrate as a standing wave?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, 2L = nλ and v = fλ; HyperPhysics, Vibrating String. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 235 Waves and Light, competency 0001 (mechanical wave behavior and phenomena)
Modern physics and thermodynamics 8
A balloon holds 0.50 mol of an ideal gas at 300 K and 100 kPa. Using R = 8.31 J/(mol·K), what is the volume of the gas?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Energy, Momentum, and Heat Transfer: PV = nRT, with R = 8.31 J/(mol·K). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0001 (thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of matter)
A proton moves at 0.80 times the speed of light. Its total energy is how many times its rest energy mc²?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Modern Physics: E = γmc² and γ = 1/√(1 − v²/c²). Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0002 (modern physics)
An ideal heat engine runs between a 500 K source and a 300 K sink and takes in 2,000 J of heat each cycle. What is the most work it can do per cycle?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Energy, Momentum, and Heat Transfer: e = (Th − Tc)/Th. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0001 (thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of matter)
How much heat does it take to melt 0.50 kg of ice at 0°C and then warm the water to 20°C? Use a heat of fusion of 3.33 × 10⁵ J/kg and a specific heat of 4.19 × 10³ J/(kg·°C).GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Q = mL and Q = mcΔT, with the constants for water. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0001 (thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of matter)
The kelvin temperature of an ideal gas is raised from 300 K to 1,200 K. What happens to the typical (root-mean-square) speed of its molecules?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Energy, Momentum, and Heat Transfer: ½mv² = (3/2)kbT. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0001 (thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of matter)
Photons of energy 5.0 eV strike a metal whose work function is 2.3 eV. What stopping potential just halts the fastest electrons that are ejected?GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Modern Physics: hf = ϕ + eV. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0002 (modern physics)
What is the de Broglie wavelength of a proton moving at 4.0 × 10⁵ m/s? Use h = 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s and a proton mass of 1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg.GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Modern Physics: p = h/λ, with p = mv and the proton rest mass. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0002 (modern physics)
What is the energy of one photon of violet light with a wavelength of 400 nm? Use h = 4.14 × 10⁻¹⁵ eV·s and c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s.GACE Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet, Modern Physics: E = hf; Waves, Sound, and Light: v = fλ. Written to GACE Physics (6–12) (718), Testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, competency 0002 (modern physics)
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the framework of the GACE Physics (6–12) assessment (718) on the GACE website of the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/studyguide/framework/718 and https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/test/718, read 2026-10-12: testlet 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy, about 30 selected-response questions in three competencies of a third each; testlet 234 Electricity and Magnetism, about 30 in three competencies of a third each; testlet 235 Waves and Light, about 20 in two competencies of a half each; testlet 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics, about 20 in two competencies of a half each; 100 in all. This bank holds 12, 12, 8 and 8, four for every competency. Constants and formulas are those of the Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet the GACE site publishes as the on-screen reference, https://www.gace.es.pearson.com/static/docs/GT718_Formulas.pdf, read 2026-10-12, and every numeric answer was worked out a second time from the numbers in the question. Where an answer rests on a law or a definition that is not on that sheet, the question names the HyperPhysics page (Georgia State University) it was read on, opened 2026-10-12. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free GACE Physics practice test follows Physics (6–12), assessment 718: 40 questions of our own. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What the test covers
The framework lists four testlets: motion, forces and energy (about 30 questions), electricity and magnetism (30), waves and light (20), and modern physics and thermodynamics (20). This bank holds 12, 12, 8 and 8, four for each of the ten competencies.
Timing
The first testlet runs 60 minutes, the second 45 and the last two 30 each. Exam mode gives 66 minutes for the 40 questions, the same pace.
Constants and formulas
Questions use the values on the Physics (6–12) Constants and Formulas sheet that the GACE site publishes, such as g = 9.80 m/s² and c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s.
The formula sheet carries its own note: current means conventional current, and the right-hand rule is assumed.
All ten competencies are worded as content and methods for teaching a topic, not as content alone.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the GACE Physics test?
Physics (6–12) has 100 selected-response questions in four testlets, and all four must be taken to complete the assessment. The GACE site says test forms can include non-scored questions that are being tried out.
What is a passing score on the GACE Physics test?
The GACE site names three conditions for an assessment built of testlets: taking all the testlets, meeting the floor on each, and an assessment-level score of 220 or higher. Exam mode here counts right answers and gives no verdict.
Can you use a calculator on the GACE Physics test?
The GACE site lists a guide to the on-screen scientific calculator among the reference materials for Physics (6–12), next to the constants and formulas sheet. The site says these materials are on screen in all testlets.