- What the 117-120 Set Actually Covers
- Registration, Fees, and Scheduling Mechanics
- The Four Subtests, Domain by Domain
- Why Literacy (118) Trips Up Candidates
- Building a Study Timeline Around the Domains
- Passing Scores and What Your Report Shows
- Who Hires Lower Elementary (PK-3) Certified Teachers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 117-120 is four separately scored subtests totaling 210 questions and 5 hours 30 minutes of testing.
- Each subtest needs a scaled score of 220 out of 100-300 to pass, regardless of raw question count.
- Literacy (118) had the lowest 2024-25 pass rate at 95.8% down to 78.3% initial, making it the top practice priority.
- All four together cost $246, or you can register and pay for each subtest separately as you go.
What the 117-120 Set Actually Covers
The Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) Lower Elementary (PK-3) Education field is not one exam - it is four independently registered subtests: 117 Professional Knowledge and Skills, 118 Literacy, 119 Mathematics, and 120 Science and Social Studies. Each is developed and scored by Evaluation Systems/Pearson on behalf of the Michigan Department of Education, and each is delivered on a computer at a Pearson VUE testing center. Because the program owner (the state) contracts test delivery to Pearson, the exam format, timing, and scoring rules you'll encounter are set by that partnership, not by any other testing organization that happens to share the "MTTC" acronym.
This 117-120 combination matters right now because it is the strongest current path into Lower Elementary work as the older Elementary Education (103) test winds down - 103's final administration is December 20, 2026, and it cannot be used for the ZO or ZP grade-band endorsements going forward. If you're aiming for a Lower Elementary (ZO) endorsement, the official requirement is 118, 119, and 120 plus either 117 or 121. Taking all four numbered tests, 117 through 120, is simply the most common way candidates satisfy that requirement - not the only legal combination, but the one most preparation resources (including this site) are built around.
For a broader breakdown of how this fits into the full MTTC program and its terminology, see What Is MTTC? and MTTC Meaning. If you're still confirming eligibility before you register, check MTTC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify first.
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling Mechanics
Budgeting for 117-120 is straightforward once you know the numbers: 117, 118, and 119 each cost $59, and 120 costs $69, for a combined total of $246 if you register for all four. You do not have to pay for all four at once - you can register and sit for subtests individually as you complete each section of your prep - but most candidates working toward the ZO endorsement eventually pay for the full set.
A few scheduling rules shape how fast you can move through the set:
- Scores are released within six weeks of your test date, so plan retakes with that delay in mind.
- If you don't pass a subtest, you must wait for your official score report and a minimum of 30 days before attempting that same subtest again.
- Retakes are unlimited for any subtest you haven't yet passed - there's no cap on total attempts, only a pacing requirement between them.
- A passing result on any of the four is valid for five years if your certificate or endorsement hasn't been issued yet, which gives you flexibility if you space the four tests out across different testing windows.
For a full line-item cost comparison and payment logistics, see MTTC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for a calendar view of when seats and windows are available, see MTTC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Key Takeaway
Register for the subtest you feel weakest on first, since the 30-day retake wait plus six-week score turnaround can silently add months to your timeline if you fail it last.
The Four Subtests, Domain by Domain
Each of the four subtests is built from its own set of weighted content domains. Studying without matching your practice questions to these weights is the single most common reason candidates burn hours on the wrong material. A full walkthrough of all eleven domains lives at MTTC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 11 Content Areas; here's the condensed, subtest-by-subtest view.
117 Professional Knowledge and Skills
Split into two domains: Learner-Centered Supports (60%) and Professional Knowledge and Strategic Partnerships (40%). This subtest is less about content-area facts and more about instructional judgment - how you support diverse learners, differentiate, and collaborate with families and colleagues.
- Expect scenario-based items describing a classroom situation, then asking for the best next instructional move
- Family and community partnership questions cluster in the 40% domain - don't skip this half in favor of pedagogy alone
118 Literacy
Three domains: Literacy in Context (30%), Literacy Skills-Instruction and Practices (30%), and Literacy Processes-Instruction and Practices (40%). This is the heaviest and most evenly distributed subtest of the four, which is part of why it's the hardest to cram.
- Phonemic awareness, decoding, and fluency instruction dominate the Skills domain
- Comprehension strategies and writing process instruction sit inside Literacy Processes, the largest single domain at 40%
119 Mathematics
One 20% domain on Mathematics-Specific Teaching Practices, and two 40% domains covering PK-3 mathematical knowledge for teaching: Attribution and Counting/Whole Number Representation, and Early Fraction Representation/Whole Number Operation.
- Calculators are prohibited - every computation item must be worked by hand or mentally
- Fraction representation for young learners (fair-sharing, area models, number lines) is a recurring weak spot
120 Science and Social Studies
Two 25% science domains built around the National Research Council's A Framework for K-12 Science Education (practices, crosscutting concepts, core ideas, and children's sense-making/pedagogy), plus one 50% Social Studies domain on instruction and practices.
- Social Studies alone is worth as much as both science domains combined - do not under-prepare it
- Three-dimensional science learning language (practices + crosscutting concepts + core ideas) appears repeatedly in item stems
| Subtest | Questions | Time | Fee | 2024-25 Initial / Cumulative Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117 Professional Knowledge and Skills | 50 | 1 hr 15 min | $59 | 95.8% / 97.1% |
| 118 Literacy | 50 | 1 hr 15 min | $59 | 78.3% / 87.6% |
| 119 Mathematics | 50 | 1 hr 30 min | $59 | 81.9% / 89.6% |
| 120 Science and Social Studies | 60 | 1 hr 30 min | $69 | 92.2% / 95.6% |
For a deeper dive into what these numbers mean for your odds and prep intensity, see MTTC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and How Hard Is the MTTC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Why Literacy (118) Trips Up Candidates
Of the four subtests, 118 Literacy posted the lowest 2024-25 initial pass rate at 78.3% (rising to 87.6% cumulative once retakes are counted). It's the only subtest with three domains instead of two, and its weighting is nearly even across all three - Literacy in Context (30%), Skills-Instruction and Practices (30%), and Processes-Instruction and Practices (40%) - so there's no single "skip this part" shortcut.
What makes it hard isn't obscure content; it's density. You're being tested on the full arc of early reading development - phonological awareness, systematic phonics, fluency-building routines, vocabulary instruction, comprehension strategy instruction, and writing process pedagogy - often through classroom-scenario items that ask you to identify the most appropriate next instructional step rather than recall a definition. That format rewards candidates who have actually practiced applying literacy frameworks to sample student work and lesson descriptions, not just candidates who've memorized terminology.
Building a Study Timeline Around the Domains
A generic weekly study template won't help much here - what matters is sequencing your review around each subtest's domain weights and the order you plan to register. A five-week structure built around the 117-120 set might look like this:
117 - Professional Knowledge and Skills
- Review Learner-Centered Supports scenarios (60% weight)
- Practice family/community partnership items (40% weight)
- Take a full-length practice run to confirm pacing at 50 questions / 75 minutes
118 - Literacy
- Split time evenly across all three literacy domains - none is safe to shortchange
- Drill decoding, fluency, and comprehension-strategy scenario items daily
- Use two weeks here since this is the lowest-passing subtest of the four
119 - Mathematics
- Practice all computation by hand - no calculator use, matching test-day rules
- Focus extra time on fraction representation and whole-number operation (40% domains)
- Review PK-3 counting and attribution concepts for young learners
120 - Science and Social Studies
- Prioritize Social Studies instruction and practices, the single 50% domain
- Layer in Framework-based science practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas
- Finish with a full 60-question, 90-minute timed run
Spaced review across those five weeks - revisiting earlier subtests briefly during later weeks rather than abandoning them - tends to hold retention better than cramming each subtest once and moving on. If you want a compact, printable reference to keep alongside this schedule, use the MTTC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts, and pair it with realistic practice questions on our practice test platform so your timing habits match the real 1-hour-15 to 1-hour-30 windows.
Passing Scores and What Your Report Shows
Every subtest - 117, 118, 119, and 120 - uses the same 100-300 scaled scoring system, and every subtest requires a scaled score of 220 to pass. That threshold doesn't shift by domain or by how many raw questions you answered correctly; it's a fixed scaled target across all four. One detail that surprises first-time test-takers: a numeric total score is only shown on your report if you did not pass. If you clear 220, your report confirms a pass without printing the exact number, so you won't get a granular sense of "how much you passed by."
Keep in mind that subtests may include unscored field-test items mixed in with real questions - you won't be able to tell which is which, so treat every item on screen as if it counts. For the complete mechanics of scoring, rescoring, and how the 220 threshold interacts with the five-year validity window, see MTTC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Aim your practice benchmarks at a comfortable margin above 220 scaled, not just at "barely passing," since field-test items and normal test-day variance can shift your effective difficulty slightly from one attempt to the next.
Who Hires Lower Elementary (PK-3) Certified Teachers
Passing 117-120 (or the 118/119/120 plus 117-or-121 combination) supports the Lower Elementary (ZO) endorsement, which is what Michigan districts look for when staffing pre-kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. This band is a high-volume hiring area precisely because it covers the foundational literacy and numeracy years - the same years where 118 Literacy content becomes daily classroom practice. Early childhood centers, Title I-funded elementary schools, and districts expanding PK programs are typical employers seeking candidates who hold this endorsement.
Because Elementary Education (103) is being phased out for new ZO and ZP endorsements after its December 20, 2026 final administration, current and aspiring Lower Elementary teachers increasingly need the 117-120 pathway specifically - there isn't a legacy alternative to fall back on going forward. That transition is part of why demand for 117-120 preparation resources has grown. For context on how this credential translates into job placement and long-term compensation, see MTTC Jobs and MTTC Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis, and for a broader cost-versus-benefit view, read Is the MTTC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
If you're brand new to the terminology around this program before diving into prep, the primer articles What Does MTTC Stand For? and What Is MTTC Certification? are useful starting points, and MTTC Training outlines formal preparation options beyond self-study. When you're ready to test your recall against realistic item formats, start a practice session here before locking in your first registration date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not strictly. The Lower Elementary (ZO) endorsement requires 118, 119, and 120 plus either 117 or 121. Taking all four numbered tests is the most common path candidates choose, but it isn't the only valid combination.
117, 118, and 119 are $59 each, and 120 is $69, totaling $246 if you register for all four. You can also pay and register for each subtest individually.
Based on 2024-25 data, 118 Literacy had the lowest initial pass rate at 78.3% (87.6% cumulative), making it the subtest most worth extra practice-question volume.
No. Calculators are specifically prohibited on 119 Mathematics, so all practice should be done by hand to match real test conditions.
Retakes are unlimited for a subtest not yet passed, but you must wait for your official score report (issued within six weeks) and at least 30 days before attempting that same subtest again.