FTCE Biology 6-12 study guide
FTCE Biology 6-12 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Biology 6–12 (002) is one of the subject-area certification tests in the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) program, which appears on the official FTCE/FELE test list alongside the other certification fields. Candidates take it to demonstrate the biology content knowledge Florida expects of a teacher certified to teach biology in grades 6 through 12; it is typically taken by aspiring secondary biology teachers, career-changers coming from science or laboratory work, and educators adding a science certification to an existing certificate. The FTCE Biology 6-12 study guide has 6 sections and about 1,703 words.
01Nature of Science
Science is a process, not a collection of facts. A hypothesis is a testable, falsifiable prediction; a theory is a broad explanation supported by many lines of evidence (not a guess); a law describes a consistent relationship, often mathematically.
310 words, about 2 min02Molecular and Cellular Biology
Four macromolecule families: carbohydrates (quick energy, structural cellulose), lipids (fats, phospholipids, steroids - nonpolar and energy-dense), proteins (amino acids; enzymes, structure, transport), and nucleic acids (DNA/RNA; nucleotides). Enzymes are catalysts that lower activation energy but do not change the net energy of a reaction and are not consumed; they are specific and sensitive to temperature and pH.
292 words, about 1 min03Genetics and Evolution
Mendel's laws: segregation (alleles separate in meiosis) and independent assortment (genes on different chromosomes assort independently). Use Punnett squares and probability: multiply for independent events, add for mutually exclusive outcomes.
293 words, about 1 min04Biological Diversity
Taxonomy orders life as Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species; binomial names capitalize the genus, lowercase the species, and are italicized. The three domains are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
273 words, about 1 min05Ecology
Ecology spans organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere. Energy flows one way through trophic levels (producers → primary consumers → secondary consumers → decomposers), with roughly 10% transferred and the rest lost as heat; biomass pyramids therefore narrow upward.
266 words, about 1 min06Physiology and Behavior
Physiology is about maintaining internal stability. Negative feedback reverses a deviation (thermoregulation, blood glucose via insulin and glucagon, osmoregulation via ADH and the kidneys).
269 words, about 1 min