TAMPA - If you've wondered how tough the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test really is, now you can find out.

The state Department of Education placed the 2004 10th-grade math and reading FCATs -- minus the essay portions -- on its Web site Wednesday.

Gov. Jeb Bush, whose education accountability system hinges on the standardized test, said he took the FCAT being released himself and scored in the highest level, five.

Bush and State Education Commissioner John Winn defended the tests in a Tallahassee press conference, saying the release of actual tests should help demystify the exams and show that students can prepare only by learning material they need to know anyway.

The press conference included educators such as Max Hutto, Hillsborough schools superintendent of middle school language arts, to back up their claims.

"FCAT is a wonderful test," said Hutto, who was on nine of the committees that developed it. "It is fair, it is consistent. It does measure what our students know and what they can do."

A student's score falls into one of five levels, five being the highest and three considered proficient, or passing. Students in Florida's public high schools must pass the 10th-grade reading and math FCAT before graduation to receive a regular high school diploma.

Most third-graders must also pass their FCAT reading test to move on to fourth grade, and public schools receive reward money if they improve their school grade, which is based on FCAT scores.

FCAT has been criticized by some educators and parents. There was no access to the completed tests or scores for teachers or to verify answers or diagnose student weaknesses.

Now the 36-page reading and 46-page math portions are online at www.fldoe.organd can be printed out. Exam time is 160 minutes each, and there are scoring instructions on the site. Students don't take both exams on the same day.

Some parents may be surprised when they take the exams, said John Hilderbrand, Hillsborough schools testing chief.

"It is not an easy test," he said. "I've taken sample tests to business groups, and they were a little shocked by the difficulty of some of the items, especially in math."

FCAT reading and math are taken in grades three through 10. FCAT writing is taken in grades four, eight and 10. Science is taken by fifth- and eighth-graders.

It is both timely and costly to produce new test questions, the reason state officials said they have not released an actual test before. The questions online won't be used again.

In October, DOE plans to release reading and math tests for grades four and eight.