FCAT test sections
The FCAT test comprises of three types of questions.
- Multiple-choice – A choice of four answers are given to choose from
- Gridded-Type – The solved answers have to be placed in the answer grids provided.
- Performance task – Deriving an answer from a given question is measured in this section.
The performance task section carries 20% of the questions asked in the FCAT test test. The two types of questions that are asked in this section are Short-answers and Extended answers. It takes about 5 and 15 minutes to answer each question from these types respectively. Clues in the form of symbols are given. Every question has a clue printed at the end of the question. The possible clues are ‘Read’, ‘Think’ and ‘Explain’.
For sample questions check the FCAT test website.
FCAT test Reading Section
Passages from different sources like books, publications and magazines are taken. There is no definite passage length. But there is a range; it is usually anything between 900 to 1800 words. These passages are usually clubbed under two sections of Literature and Information. The first section consists of passages taken from sources like entertainment, selections from novels, poems etc. This section comprises of 30% of the total reading section.
The remaining 70% are passages from Information category. These passages are taken from sources like magazines, newspapers, articles, and biographies. Both multiple-choice as well as extended answer type exist in the FCAT test question format. The questioning pattern is as follows
- 6-7 reading passages
- 40-45 multiple-choice questions
- 6-8 short-answer performance tasks
- 2-3 long-answer performance tasks
FCAT test Mathematics
Three types of questions are asked in the math section. They are
- Gridded-response
- Multiple-choice
- Performance tasks
These questions are based on context approved by Florida Sunshine State Standards. The areas generally covered are arts, social studies, science, foreign language and health/physical education. Actual situation problems are asked in this section.
Types of Questions asked are
43-48 multiple-choice and gridded-response questions
6-9 short-answer performance tasks
2-3 long-answer performance tasks
Following are the assessments made by the math session.
Number Sense, Concepts and Operations 17%
Measurement 17%
Geometry and Spatial Sense 25%
Algebraic Thinking 25%