A bottle of sodium hydroxide solution in the chemical store carries the pictogram GHS05. Which hazard does that pictogram mark?Wikipedia, GHS hazard pictograms (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 002 (methods and equipment of investigations).
A chemist balancing an equation, a geologist tracing the rock cycle and a biologist following carbon through a food web all rely on one principle. Which one?Wikipedia, Conservation of mass (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 005 (interrelationships among the sciences).
A class hangs eight different loads on a spring and measures the stretch each time. Which display best shows how stretch depends on load?Wikipedia, Scatter plot (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 001 (principles and procedures of scientific inquiry).
A power station burns coal to boil water, and the steam spins a turbine joined to a generator. Which chain of energy conversions describes it?Wikipedia, Fossil fuel power station (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 004 (science, technology and society).
Show all 50 questions (46 more)
Foundations of scientific inquiry, continued
A student measures a card as 4.2 cm by 3.15 cm and her calculator shows 13.23 for the product. How should she report the area?Wikipedia, Significant figures (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 002 (methods and equipment of investigations).
A student times how long a sugar cube takes to dissolve in water at 10, 30 and 50 °C. She uses 200 mL of water and the same brand of cube in every trial. What are the volume of water and the brand of cube in this design?Wikipedia, Control variable (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 001 (principles and procedures of scientific inquiry).
A web post claims that radio waves from a phone "strip electrons from atoms just as X-rays do". Which fact about radio waves contradicts the claim?Wikipedia, Non-ionizing radiation (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 004 (science, technology and society).
Astronomers learn which elements are in a star's outer layers without sampling it. Which method of physical science makes that possible?Wikipedia, Astronomical spectroscopy (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 005 (interrelationships among the sciences).
Eighteenth-century scientists explained heating as the flow of a weightless fluid, caloric, from hot bodies to cold. Whose observations of the boring of cannon in 1798 counted against that theory?Wikipedia, Caloric theory (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 003 (development of scientific thought).
Late in 1938 chemists in Berlin found barium after bombarding uranium with neutrons. Which physicist, with her nephew Otto Frisch, worked out the physics of the process, which the two named "fission" in 1939?Wikipedia, Lise Meitner (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 003 (development of scientific thought).
Concepts and principles of chemistry 20
A chemist turns a sample into ions and sorts them by mass-to-charge ratio to find the molar mass of an unknown compound. Which technique is this?Wikipedia, Mass spectrometry (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 011 (analytical techniques).
A spot of black ink on filter paper spreads into bands of several colors as a solvent creeps up the paper. Why do the dyes separate?Wikipedia, Chromatography (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 011 (analytical techniques).
The acid in vinegar is CH₃COOH. Which functional group makes it an acid?Wikipedia, Carboxylic acid (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 006 (chemical properties of matter).
Aluminum burns in chlorine: 2Al + 3Cl₂ → 2AlCl₃. If 4.0 mol of aluminum is put with 3.0 mol of chlorine, how much aluminum chloride can form, and what is left over?Wikipedia, Limiting reagent (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 010 (stoichiometry, nomenclature and notation).
An atom in its ground state has the configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁵. To which family of the periodic table does it belong?Wikipedia, Halogen (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 006 (chemical properties of matter).
An empty measuring cylinder has a mass of 85.0 g. With 50.0 mL of a clear liquid in it, the mass is 124.5 g. What is the density of the liquid?Wikipedia, Density (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 007 (physical properties of matter).
At 0 °C and 101.325 kPa (1 atm) one mole of an ideal gas occupies about 22.4 L. How many moles of oxygen gas are in 5.6 L under those conditions?Wikipedia, Standard temperature and pressure (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 010 (stoichiometry, nomenclature and notation).
Equal masses of water each have 1 mole of a solute dissolved in them. Which solute lowers the freezing point the most?Wikipedia, Freezing-point depression (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 007 (physical properties of matter).
Ethanol burns completely in oxygen: C₂H₅OH + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O. When the equation is balanced with the smallest whole-number coefficients, what is the coefficient of O₂?Wikipedia, Chemical equation (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 010 (stoichiometry, nomenclature and notation).
The gas in a weather balloon fills 1.8 m³ at ground level, where the pressure is 100 kPa. Higher up, at the same temperature, the pressure around it is 45 kPa. What volume does the gas fill there?Wikipedia, Boyle's law (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 007 (physical properties of matter).
In 2H₂ + O₂ → 2H₂O, breaking the bonds of the reactants takes 1,370 kJ and forming the bonds of the products releases 1,852 kJ. What is the enthalpy change of the reaction?Wikipedia, Exothermic reaction (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 008 (chemical bonds).
In a sealed tube the reaction 2NO₂(g) ⇌ N₂O₄(g) is at equilibrium, and the forward reaction is exothermic. The tube is put in ice water. Which way does the equilibrium shift, and why?Wikipedia, Le Chatelier's principle (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 009 (chemical reactions).
In a zinc–copper galvanic cell, zinc atoms give up electrons and enter the solution as Zn²⁺. What is the zinc electrode?Wikipedia, Galvanic cell (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 009 (chemical reactions).
In one form of but-2-ene the two methyl groups lie on the same side of the double bond, and in the other on opposite sides. What are the two forms?Wikipedia, Cis–trans isomerism (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 006 (chemical properties of matter).
Lemon juice has a pH of about 2 and black coffee a pH of about 5. How does the hydrogen ion concentration of the juice compare with that of the coffee?Wikipedia, pH (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 009 (chemical reactions).
Molten candle wax in a test tube cools from 75 °C. Its temperature holds at 55 °C for several minutes while the wax turns solid, then falls again. What is happening to energy during the pause?Wikipedia, Enthalpy of fusion (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 007 (physical properties of matter).
On an energy diagram the reactants sit at 40 kJ, the top of the barrier at 110 kJ and the products at 15 kJ. What are the activation energy of the forward reaction and its enthalpy change?Wikipedia, Activation energy (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 009 (chemical reactions).
On the Pauling scale sodium has an electronegativity of 0.93 and chlorine 3.16. What kind of bond does so large a difference produce between them?Wikipedia, Ionic bonding (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 008 (chemical bonds).
Water, H₂O, boils at 100 °C. Hydrogen sulfide, H₂S, has nearly twice the molar mass but boils at about −60 °C. What accounts for water's high boiling point?Wikipedia, Hydrogen bond (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 008 (chemical bonds).
Which kind of biomolecule is built from one glycerol molecule joined to three fatty acids?Wikipedia, Triglyceride (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 006 (chemical properties of matter).
Concepts and principles of physics 20
A 4.0 kg sled on level ice is pulled horizontally with a force of 26 N while friction of 6.0 N acts against the motion. What is its acceleration?Wikipedia, Newton's laws of motion (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 012 (forces and motion).
A 300 N load is slid up a smooth ramp 6.0 m long to a platform 1.5 m high. What force along the ramp is needed, and how much work is done on the load?Wikipedia, Inclined plane (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 013 (conservation laws and thermodynamics).
A block of wood that weighs 6.0 N floats at rest in a tank of water. How large is the buoyant force on the block, and what weight of water does it displace?Wikipedia, Buoyancy (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 012 (forces and motion).
A buoy rises and falls once every 4.0 s as ocean swells whose crests are 30 m apart pass under it. How fast are the swells moving?Wikipedia, Frequency (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 014 (waves, sound and acoustics).
A car battery of 12 V drives 150 A through the starter motor for 2.0 s. How much electrical energy does the battery deliver in that time?Wikipedia, Electric power (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 015 (electromagnetism).
A dental X-ray machine and a red laser pointer both give out electromagnetic waves. Why does each X-ray photon carry far more energy than a photon of the red light?Wikipedia, Electromagnetic spectrum (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 016 (the electromagnetic spectrum and light).
A diver leaves the board turning slowly, then tucks into a ball, which cuts her moment of inertia to one third. With no outside torque, what happens to her rate of rotation?Wikipedia, Angular momentum (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 013 (conservation laws and thermodynamics).
A hot steel block and a cold one are pressed together inside an insulated box and come to a single temperature. What has happened to the total energy and the total entropy of the pair?Wikipedia, Second law of thermodynamics (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 013 (conservation laws and thermodynamics).
A kettle of water at 90 °C stands at the edge of a swimming pool whose water is at 30 °C. Which statement compares the two correctly?Wikipedia, Temperature (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 013 (conservation laws and thermodynamics).
A lamp of 4.0 Ω and a lamp of 8.0 Ω are wired one after the other across a 24 V supply. What is the voltage across the 8.0 Ω lamp?Wikipedia, Series and parallel circuits (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 015 (electromagnetism).
A marble leaves a level lab bench at 1.5 m/s and reaches the floor 0.40 s later. Taking g as 10 m/s², how far from the bench does it land, and how high is the bench?Wikipedia, Projectile motion (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 012 (forces and motion).
A small coil carrying a steady current is pushed into a larger coil joined to a galvanometer, held still inside it, then pulled out. What does the galvanometer show?Wikipedia, Electromagnetic induction (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 015 (electromagnetism).
A velocity–time graph for a cart is a straight line rising from 2 m/s at t = 0 to 14 m/s at t = 4 s. What are the acceleration of the cart and the distance it covers in that time?Wikipedia, Acceleration (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 012 (forces and motion).
A wooden tool dug from a bog holds one eighth as much carbon-14 as living wood does. How many half-lives of carbon-14 have passed since the tree was felled?Wikipedia, Half-life (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 017 (modern physics).
An ambulance approaches with its siren on, passes and moves away. How does the pitch a bystander hears compare with the pitch the driver hears?Wikipedia, Doppler effect (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 014 (waves, sound and acoustics).
An optician labels a lens by its optical power in diopters, the reciprocal of its focal length in meters. What is the power of a converging lens with a focal length of 25 cm?Wikipedia, Lens (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 016 (the electromagnetic spectrum and light).
By E = mc², with c = 3.0 × 10⁸ m/s, how much energy is equivalent to 1.0 g of mass?Wikipedia, Mass–energy equivalence (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 017 (modern physics).
In the Bohr model of hydrogen, the electron drops from the orbit n = 3 to the orbit n = 2. What goes with the drop?Wikipedia, Bohr model (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 017 (modern physics).
Light entering one end of a glass optical fiber follows the fiber round bends and comes out at the far end. What keeps the light inside the core?Wikipedia, Optical fiber (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 016 (the electromagnetic spectrum and light).
Two identical tuning forks stand on a bench. One is struck and then gripped to silence it, and the second fork is found to be humming. What made the second fork sound?Wikipedia, Acoustic resonance (read 2026-10-16). Outline: MTTC Physical Science (097) test objectives, objective 014 (waves, sound and acoustics).
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test objectives of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) field 097, Physical Science, as the MTTC site prints them (https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/MI_SG_obj_097.htm and the test page https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MI097_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-16): Foundations of Scientific Inquiry, objectives 001-005, 20%; Concepts and Principles of Chemistry, 006-011, 40%; Concepts and Principles of Physics, 012-017, 40%; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time, passing score 220. This bank holds 50 questions, spread 10, 20 and 20 over those subareas. 19 answers are worked out from the figures printed in the question, with the working shown in the explanation; the law, formula or fact behind every answer was read on 2026-10-16 in the Wikipedia article named under its question. Two figures printed in question stems were read in other articles the same day: the Pauling electronegativities of sodium and chlorine in the article Electronegativity, and the boiling point of hydrogen sulfide in the article Hydrogen sulfide. Licence: Questions, passages, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free MTTC Physical Science practice test has 50 questions of our own for field 097, with chemistry and physics in equal shares. Nothing here is official: the Michigan Department of Education and Pearson, who run the real test, have no part in it.
Read the full guide
What field 097 covers
Three subareas and seventeen objectives, as read on October 16, 2026: foundations of scientific inquiry 20%; concepts and principles of chemistry 40%; concepts and principles of physics 40%. This bank holds 10, 20 and 20, matching those weights. Timed, the 50 questions get 75 minutes, which is the real test's speed over half its length.
Worked answers
Nineteen answers are calculated from figures in the question: a density, a gas in a weather balloon, bond energies, a limiting reagent, a marble leaving a bench, a ramp, a starter motor, a lens in diopters. The explanation sets out each calculation and often says which slip leads to a wrong choice.
Objective 011 names its analytical techniques: distillation, filtration, chromatography, and mass, infrared, visible and ultraviolet spectroscopy.
Questions and answers
How long is the MTTC Physical Science test?
The test page gives 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time for 100 multiple-choice questions on a computer. With the tutorial and the nondisclosure agreement, the appointment runs 2 hours 45 minutes.
Is a periodic table provided on the MTTC Physical Science test?
Yes. The test page says an on-screen periodic table comes with the test, together with an on-screen scientific calculator and on-screen constants, and it links to each of them.
What score do you need on MTTC Physical Science (097)?
220 or higher, on a scale that runs from 100 to 300; the Michigan Department of Education establishes it. The endorsement code on the test page for this field is DP.
How soon can you retake MTTC Physical Science?
After 30 days. The retake policy voids a second attempt at the same test inside a 30-day period, asks that the earlier score report be posted before you register again, and puts no limit on the number of attempts.