United States · Teacher credential testsCBEST pass rates by section
| Section | First-time pass rate | Cumulative pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 76% | 81% |
| Math | 72% | 78% |
| Writing | 69% | 75% |
| All three sections | 65% | 78% |
These cover 2020-21 to 2024-25. The cumulative rate counts people who passed after retakes, so it keeps rising as people try again.
Is the CBEST test hard to pass first time?
| Testing year | Took all three sections | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 21,093 | 64.3% |
| 2021-22 | 13,556 | 67.3% |
| 2022-23 | 13,003 | 62.7% |
| 2023-24 | 9,914 | 63.1% |
| 2024-25 | 2,886 | 67.7% |
CTC calls the first-time rates steady in the mid-60s. The CBEST is taken far less now: by CTC’s count, administrations fell from 55,598 in 2022-23 to 13,501 in 2024-25. CTC links the drop to SB 153 (2024), which lets a bachelor’s degree meet the basic skills requirement.
What the CBEST asks of you
- No calculator in any section, and most math questions are word problems
- 40 of the 50 questions in Reading and Math are scored. The other 10 are trial questions you can’t spot
- Each essay is scored 1 to 4 by two readers, and the four scores are added into a raw score of 4 to 16
- A low section can be made up by the others, as long as it’s 37 or higher and your total reaches 123
Is the CSET hard?
It depends on the subject. These are CTC’s 2024-25 pass rates, the share of attempts that passed during that year, next to the rate over each exam’s life:
| CSET | Attempts in 2024-25 | Passed in 2024-25 | Passed, life of exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Subjects (updated 2022) | 3,902 | 64.4% | 74.1% |
| English | 573 | 61.1% | 83.0% |
| Social Science | 713 | 60.0% | 81.4% |
| Physical Education | 592 | 44.8% | 72.9% |
| Mathematics | 239 | 48.1% | 68.8% |
| Foundational-Level Mathematics | 331 | 40.2% | 52.8% |
| Science: Life Sciences | 253 | 63.6% | 78.0% |
| Science: Chemistry | 133 | 53.4% | 76.2% |
| Science: Physics | 75 | 36.0% | 63.2% |
| Spanish | 166 | 59.0% | 87.2% |
| Health Science | 159 | 51.6% | 76.0% |
| Art (updated 2022) | 257 | 95.3% | 92.6% |
| Writing Skills | 76 | 80.3% | 85.0% |
Across all CSETs, 60.1% of attempts in 2024-25 passed, and 81.0% over the life of the exams.
Sources: CTC · CTC Exams. Checked October 2026.
- CTC: Annual Report on Passing Rates of Commission-Approved Examinations, 2020-21 to 2024-25 (August 2026, PDF) ↗
- CTC Exams: CBEST test page ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
Explore
Everything else, in one place
OverviewPractice testWhere to learnStudy plannerQuestions and passing scoresRegister and scheduleCostOnline testStudy guidesCSET: Multiple SubjectsCSET MathCSET EnglishCSET Social ScienceCSET ScienceCSET Physical EducationCSET SpanishSingle subject CSETsResultsSkipping the CBEST or CSETWhere to take it