Home › FCLE facts › FCLE format and time limit
How many questions are on the FCLE, and how long is it?
80 multiple-choice questions (the state FAQ says approximately 80) covering four competencies. High-school students get one 160-minute session with a break at 80 minutes. College administrations are usually untimed, and college testing pages say most students finish in about 90 minutes.
The form
- 80 multiple-choice items on a fixed form (the fact sheet says the test is not computer-adaptive; the FAQ says approximately 80 questions).
- Four competencies: the principles and practices of American democracy; the United States Constitution; the founding documents; and landmark Supreme Court cases, legislation and executive actions. See what each competency covers. College testing pages describe the form as 20 questions from each competency; the state documents do not give the split.
- The state's published sample items have four answer choices each.
- Passing is 60 percent, 48 of 80; see the passing score.
Time, high school
One 160-minute session with a break at 80 minutes. Students who have finished may be dismissed at the break. A student who is not finished after 160 minutes may continue working for up to half a typical school day.
Time, college
College testing pages describe the FCLE as untimed at most colleges, with most students finishing in about 90 minutes; some colleges run group sessions in a fixed block. Plan on up to two hours. From college testing-center pages, not the state documents; rules differ by college and change.
Delivery
The exam is computer-based, delivered on the Cambium Assessment Test Delivery System. The fact sheet lists paper-based versions (regular print, large print, braille, one item per page) for students whose IEP or Section 504 plan requires them, and computer-based accommodations such as masking and text-to-speech.
Sample items
The Florida Department of Education publishes a PDF of sample items with an answer key and a computer-based version on the state's practice-test site, which shows the testing interface. Our free practice tests have 80 questions in four sections of 20, one per competency, with a timer you can set to 160 minutes.
More questions
- Is the FCLE all multiple choice?
- Yes. The state fact sheet describes 80 multiple-choice items, and the FAQ says approximately 80 multiple-choice questions.
- Is the FCLE taken on a computer?
- Yes, on the Cambium Assessment Test Delivery System, with paper-based accommodations for students whose IEP or Section 504 plan requires them.
Practice it
Sources
- 2025-26 FCLE (K-12) Fact Sheet, Florida Department of Education, Bureau of K-12 Student Assessment, August 2025. https://www.fldoe.org/file/5663/2526K12FCLEFactSheet.pdf
- FCLE Frequently Asked Questions for K-12 Administration, Florida Department of Education, revised July 2025. https://www.fldoe.org/file/5663/Florida-Civic-Literacy-Exam-K12-FAQ.pdf
- FCLE Sample Items and Answer Key, Florida Department of Education. https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/5663/urlt/FCLESampleItem.pdf
Checked 22 October 2026 against the documents above. Sourcebound Prep is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Florida Department of Education, the Florida State Board of Education, the Florida Board of Governors, or any Florida college or university. The practice questions on this site are original and are not the state's secure test items.