MTTC Physics (019) study guide
MTTC Physics (019) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Physics (019) is the subject-matter test in the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) program for candidates who want to teach physics. It is listed with endorsement codes DE and IE, meaning it is the content test tied to those physics endorsements rather than a general science credential. The exam is computer-based and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions; an on-screen scientific calculator and on-screen constants are built into the testing software, so the emphasis falls on reasoning with data, graphs, and experimental setups rather than on arithmetic or memorized constants. Coverage spans scientific inquiry and process skills, mechanics, waves, sound and optics, electricity and magnetism, and thermodynamics and modern physics. The MTTC Physics (019) study guide has 5 sections and about 1,773 words.
01Scientific Inquiry and Process Skills in Physics
This domain tests how physics knowledge is built and checked: experimental design, measurement, uncertainty, data display, and evidence-based conclusions. Expect items on variables, significant figures, unit analysis, graphs, and error.
343 words, about 2 min02Mechanics: Motion, Forces, Energy, and Momentum
This domain tests translational motion, Newton's laws, circular motion, work and energy, impulse and momentum, and conservation laws. Items often require choosing the right principle rather than brute-force algebra.
334 words, about 2 min03Waves, Sound, and Optics
This domain tests wave properties, sound, superposition and resonance, reflection and refraction, lenses and mirrors, and interference. Many items are solved by one wave or ray relationship plus a sign convention.
350 words, about 2 min04Electricity and Magnetism
This domain tests electrostatic force and field, potential, capacitance, direct-current circuits, magnetic forces, and electromagnetic induction. Expect quantitative circuit items and direction questions answered with the right-hand rule and Lenz's law.
363 words, about 2 min05Thermodynamics and Modern Physics
This domain tests heat, temperature, the first law, ideal gases, entropy, and introductory modern physics: photons, the photoelectric effect, atomic spectra, radioactivity, and mass-energy. Items often hinge on energy conservation at the photon or nuclear scale.
383 words, about 2 min