Califonia Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)

CBEST Practice Test

California teaching credential candidates are required by law to verify their subject matter knowledge and competencies and are provided two alternative paths for fulfilling this requirement. One way is to complete a program of subject matter preparation approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). The second way is to pass one or more subject matter examinations.

During Spring 2003, the MSAT was replaced with the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) in Multiple Subjects. The first CSET administration was on January 25, 2003. This test contains both multiple-choice and constructed-response components, and will be administered by National Evaluation System, Inc (NES). For more information, including registration procedures and test locations, visit the CSET website.

LAUSD Test Preparation Program

Additional information about California's credentialing requirements and testing programs is available at the Web site of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

The District Bilingual Fluency Examination is a 20 - 25 minute assessment of your speaking reading/translating, and writing abilities.

Part I: The speaking component will assess your abilities in comprehension, vocabulary, completeness of thought and variety of verb usage.

Part II: The reading/translation component consists of reading a passage aloud to a committee and translating the passage phrase-by-phrase into English.

Part III: The writing component will assess abilities in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and accent marks in the target language. This portion consists of listening and writing down a dictated passage. An opportunity is offered to check and make any necessary corrections.

Scheduling an appointment: If you are interested in taking the exam, please schedule an appointment by calling the Bilingual Recruitment Unit at (213) 241-5300 or contact Lucy Aguilar at extension 29140 for further information. On the day of the exam, be sure to bring an official picture identification (driver's license, State ID or passport) with signature. Examination results will be mailed within 10 working days.

The examination in Spanish is given on a regular basis. All other language examinations are scheduled based on number of examinees and district need. Exams are offered in the following languages:

Retake policy: If you wish to retake the examination, you may do so no sooner than four months from the date of the last exam. All three parts of the exam must be retaken. The most recent score you earn on the LAUSD Fluency Examination is the score that will be utilized to identify your language fluency level.

ATTENTION TEACHER ASSISTANTS: It is very important that you provide your employee and Social Security Number. Also, provide the name of the college you are currently attending, your major, anticipated degree and expected date of graduation.