Free CBEST Practice Test 2026
170 original Reading and Math questions for California teachers and substitutes, timed at the real pace. Free to start, no account needed.
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The CBEST exam at a glance
The CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) is one way to meet California's basic skills requirement for teaching and substitute credentials. It is owned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and given by Pearson as three separately registered sections, all in English. Reading is 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 30 minutes, about 40 percent critical analysis and evaluation and 60 percent comprehension and research skills. Mathematics is 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours with no calculator: estimation, measurement and statistics about 30 percent, computation and problem solving about 35 percent, and numerical and graphic relationships about 35 percent. Writing is two essays in 1 hour 30 minutes. Each section is scored 20 to 80; you pass with 41 on each section, or with a total of 123 if no section is below 37.
Tigertest has 170 CBEST practice questions with explanations, free to start with no account required.
- Reading
- 50 multiple-choice questions, 1 hour 30 minutes
- Mathematics
- 50 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours, no calculator
- Writing
- 2 essays, 1 hour 30 minutes
- Scores
- 20 to 80 per section
- Passing
- 41 per section, or a 123 total with no section below 37
- Given by
- Pearson for the CTC, at test centers or online proctored
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow the CBEST Test Specifications for Reading and Mathematics (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing). Exam rules change, so confirm current details with CTC Exams: CBEST.
How It Works
Drills by Skill
Six drills follow the CBEST test specifications. Critical Analysis, Comprehension, Computation and Numerical Relationships open with short lessons on the basics, such as fact versus opinion, finding the main idea, fraction operations and percent change, before the test-level questions. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Practice Tests
Two practice tests, each with a timed Reading and Math section at half length and the real pace: 50 questions in 1 hour 45 minutes, with no calculator. Practice Test 2 is held out of the drills, so it measures readiness rather than memory.
Built on the CBEST Test Specifications
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing publishes the skills each CBEST section tests and their approximate weights. Every practice test here keeps the same balance across Reading and Math. The Writing section is two essays, which this practice does not include.
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Share FeedbackHow to Pass the CBEST
1. Use the 123 total to your advantage
You can pass with 41 on every section, or with a total of 123 as long as no section falls below 37, and each section can be taken on its own. A strong Reading score can carry a slightly weaker Math score, so take your best section first and retake only what you need.
2. Read for what the passage says
Reading questions reward answers that the passage supports, not answers that are true in general. Underline the main claim, notice signal words like however and therefore, and on paired passages ask where the two authors agree before asking where they differ.
3. Know the research and reference questions
Some Reading questions are about finding information rather than reading a passage: a table of contents, an index entry with a see-also note, or a table or graph. Read the headings and page ranges carefully, and for a table, check every row before you choose a conclusion.
4. Practice the math by hand
No calculator is allowed, so get quick at fractions, decimals, percents, unit conversions, averages and one-step equations. Estimate before you compute to catch a misplaced decimal, and know what a percentile and a stanine mean. Tigertest tracks your accuracy by area, so drill the one you miss most until you are comfortably over 70 percent.
CBEST Frequently Asked Questions
What is on the CBEST?
Three sections, registered and taken separately, all in English. Reading is 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 30 minutes, about 40 percent critical analysis and evaluation and 60 percent comprehension and research skills. Mathematics is 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours on estimation, measurement and statistics, computation and problem solving, and numerical and graphic relationships. Writing is two essays in 1 hour 30 minutes, one analyzing a situation or statement and one about a personal experience.
What score do I need to pass the CBEST?
Each section is scored from 20 to 80. You pass with a scaled score of 41 on every section, or with a total of 123 across Reading, Mathematics and Writing as long as no section is below 37. Passing scores do not expire. Tigertest reports percent correct, so aim for 70 percent or better on both sections before you book.
Can I use a calculator on the CBEST Math section?
No. Calculators are not allowed on the CBEST, so Tigertest's Math sections have no calculator either. The questions use whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents that can be worked by hand, and units are U.S. customary: feet and inches, pounds and ounces, quarts and gallons, degrees Fahrenheit.
Is this practice test the same format as the real CBEST?
It follows the same structure at half length and the same pace: Reading 25 questions in 45 minutes and Math 25 questions in 60 minutes, with the same balance of content areas. The Writing essays are not included. The questions are original, written to the CBEST test specifications, not taken from Pearson or the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Is the Tigertest CBEST practice test free?
It is free to start, with no account required. Practice Test 1 and every drill but the last are free; the final drill and the final practice test are part of Tigertest Premium, one payment with no subscription. A free account saves your progress across your phone and computer.
I teach a teacher preparation or substitute teaching program. Can my students use Tigertest?
Yes, for free. Make a class at tigertest.io/teach, post one link, and students join with just their name. You see who practiced, their test scores and the topics your class misses most.
CBEST sample questions and answers
5 of the 170 practice questions, one from each topic, with the answer explained.
- 1.
The prefix "pre-" means before, and the root "dict" means to say or speak. Using these clues, a "prediction" is:
- A.
a statement made before an event
- B.
a word spoken too quietly
- C.
a reason given after an event happens
- D.
a rule that must be followed
Answer: A.Before plus say gives something said before it happens, which is what a prediction is.
- A.
- 2.
"Our school should switch to tablets instead of printed textbooks. Tablets will save money, because printed textbooks must be replaced every few years."
Which statement, if true, most weakens this argument?
- A.
Tablets can hold several books at once
- B.
Many students already own tablets
- C.
Tablets must also be replaced every few years
- D.
Printed textbooks weigh far more than tablets
Answer: C.The argument rests on tablets avoiding the cost of regular replacement. If tablets also need replacing just as often, that cost saving disappears.
- A.
- 3.
A box holds 4 red, 6 blue and 10 green markers. If one marker is taken without looking, what is the probability that it is blue?
- A.
3/5
- B.
10/20
- C.
1/3
- D.
3/10
Answer: D.There are 4 + 6 + 10 = 20 markers and 6 are blue, so the probability is 6/20 = 3/10. 3/5 compares blue with green only.
- A.
- 4.
What is 15% of 80?
- A.
12
- B.
15
- C.
65
- D.
120
Answer: A.15% of 80 = 0.15 × 80 = 12. Another way: 10% is 8 and 5% is 4, and 8 + 4 = 12. 120 misplaces the decimal point.
- A.
- 5.
All students in Room 12 passed the quiz. Jamal did not pass the quiz. Which statement must be true?
- A.
Jamal is in Room 12
- B.
Some students in Room 12 failed
- C.
Jamal is not in Room 12
- D.
No one else failed the quiz
Answer: C.If Jamal were in Room 12 he would have passed, so he cannot be in Room 12. The statements say nothing about other students outside the room.
- A.
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