How many questions are on the CBEST and CSET, and what score do you need?

Questions and time on the CBEST

Each section is a separate appointment, and you get an extra 15 minutes for the nondisclosure agreement and tutorial. A few questions may be trial questions that don’t count. You can’t tell which ones, so answer every question. Calculators aren’t allowed anywhere on the CBEST.

How CBEST scoring works

Each section is scored from 20 to 80. Reading and Math scores come from how many questions you get right. For Writing, at least two readers score each essay on a 4-point scale, and the combined scores are converted to the 20 to 80 scale.

A 41 passes a section. You also need a total of 123 across all three. The two rules usually line up, since 41 × 3 = 123. The useful part is this: you can pass with a 37 to 40 in one or two sections if your other scores bring the total to 123. You can’t pass with any section below 37, however high the total is.

If you retake a section, your highest score on each section counts, no matter when you earned it. Passing CBEST scores never expire.

CSET: Multiple Subjects

At a test center you can take all three in one 5-hour session, in any order. Subtest II gives you an on-screen four-function calculator, and you can’t bring your own.

CSET passing scores

Every CSET subtest is scored from 100 to 300, and 220 is the passing score. Your score combines the multiple-choice section and the written answers, which are each scored by at least two California educators. You have to pass each subtest in one sitting, but you don’t need to pass them all on the same day.

Single subject CSETs, like Mathematics, English or Social Science, have their own subtests and question counts. CSET: Mathematics, for example, has three subtests: two with 35 multiple-choice and 3 written questions, and one with 30 and 2. The 220 passing score is the same for every subtest. Passing scores must be used toward a credential within 10 years.

Pass rates

The CTC exams site doesn’t list pass rates on its test pages. Any pass rate you see on a prep company’s site is that company’s figure, not an official one.