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Exam Overview
GACE Physics (6–12) is assessment 718 in the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) program. The program is administered for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), which sets certification requirements, and is delivered by Pearson. The assessment is computer delivered and uses selected-response (multiple-choice) questions. It replaces the older two-test GACE Physics format (Tests I and II), so check that any other material you use describes the four-testlet assessment.
The Four Testlets
| Testlet | Content | Fee | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 233 | Motion, Forces, and Energy | $42.50 | Section 2, with Sections 1 and 7 |
| 234 | Electricity and Magnetism | $42.50 | Section 5 |
| 235 | Waves and Light | $42.50 | Section 3 and Topic 5.12 |
| 236 | Modern Physics and Thermodynamics | $42.50 | Sections 4 and 6 |
| 718 | All four testlets together | $169.00 | Sections 1–9 |
You may register for all four testlets at once (assessment 718) or for individual testlets and take them on different days. Registering for all four together costs $1 less than buying the testlets separately. Once you submit a testlet you cannot return to it.
Questions and Timing
All questions are selected response. Published summaries describe about 100 questions in total (roughly 25 per testlet) and about 2 hours 45 minutes of testing time when all four testlets are taken together. Confirm the current counts and times in the official test framework when you register, because Pearson can adjust them.
Scoring
GACE results are reported on a scaled score range of 100 to 300. The induction-level passing standard is 220, and a professional-level standard of 250 also applies to GACE content assessments. To pass a multi-testlet assessment you must also meet the minimum score set for each testlet. If you do not pass a testlet, you generally retake only that testlet after a 30-day waiting period.
What the Exam Measures
| Testlet | Main ideas tested |
|---|---|
| 233 Motion, Forces, and Energy | Vectors, kinematics and motion graphs, projectiles, Newton's laws, friction and inclines, circular motion and gravitation, work, energy and power, momentum and collisions, rotation, simple harmonic motion |
| 234 Electricity and Magnetism | Charge and Coulomb's law, electric fields and potential, capacitors, current, resistance and DC circuits, magnetic fields and forces, induction, generators and transformers |
| 235 Waves and Light | Wave properties and behavior, superposition and standing waves, sound and the Doppler effect, the electromagnetic spectrum, mirrors, refraction and lenses, interference, diffraction and polarization |
| 236 Modern Physics and Thermodynamics | Photons and the photoelectric effect, atomic models and spectra, nuclear structure, decay and reactions, relativity, particles; temperature and heat, phase changes, heat transfer, gases and the laws of thermodynamics |
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