The California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET): Mathematics exam is a standardized test provided by California Educator Credentialing Assessments (CECA) to certify those with the knowledge and aptitude necessary to teach mathematics courses in California’s schools.
The CSET: Mathematics exam consists of three subtests, all of which must be passed in order to receive CECA’s single subject teaching credential in mathematics, which authorizes teaching all mathematics coursework.
The exam is computer-based, and participants are given four and a half hours total to take all three subtests. There are 100 total multiple-choice questions and eight total constructed-response questions across all three subtests. Participants must achieve a score of 220 per subtest to pass.
How Do I Register to Take the CSET: Mathematics Exam?
In order to register for the CSET: Mathematics exam, prospective participants should create an account with Pearson VUE, an international standardized testing company, then select the testing date, time and specific location that works best for them.
The CSET: Mathematics exam consists of three subtests, and there is a $99 registration fee per each subtest. (There is also an additional $10 fee for each copy of test results requested, a $50 score verification and a $20 fee to clean an account through CECA.)
What Items Do I Need to Bring to the Mathematics Exam from CSET?
Participants in the CSET: Mathematics exam will be expected to show one piece of current, government-issued identification printed in English in the name in which they registered, featuring a photograph and signature (such as a driver’s license or passport).
Participants will also need a calculator to use during the exam’s second subtest only. They must bring their own graphing calculators and it must be one of the models approved on the California Educator Credentialing Examinations website. Test administrators will clear the memory of participant calculators before and after they take the test.
What Items Am I Prohibited From Bringing to the CSET: Math Exam?
Participants in the CSET: Mathematics exam are not allowed to bring pencils, pens or other writing utensils to the exam. They will be provided with a pen and a booklet for taking notes and preparing responses during the exam.
Participants are also prohibited from bringing cell phones, printed or handwritten materials, bags, hats, food or drink or unauthorized medical devices.
What Specific Content Appears on CSET’s Mathematics Exam?
As stated above, the CSET: Mathematics Exam is divided into three subtests. Each of these subtests covers different specific content and makes up different percentages of the full exam.
The specific content breakdown on the exam is as follows:
- Subtest One: 35 total multiple-choice questions and three total constructed-response questions
- Algebra: 25 multiple-choice questions, two constructed-response questions
- Structures of Algebra
- Polynomial Inequalities and Equations
- Functions
- Linear Algebra
- Number and Quantity: 10 multiple-choice questions, one constructed-response questions
- The Number System
- Number Theory
- Algebra: 25 multiple-choice questions, two constructed-response questions
- Subtest Two: 35 total multiple-choice questions and three total constructed-response questions
- Probability and Statistics: 10 multiple-choice questions and one constructed-response question
- Probability
- Statistics
- Geometry: 25 multiple-choice questions and two constructed-response questions
- Euclidean Geometry
- Coordinate Geometry
- 3D Geometry
- Transformational Geometry
- Probability and Statistics: 10 multiple-choice questions and one constructed-response question
- Subtest Three: 30 total multiple-choice questions and two total constructed-response questions
- Calculus: 30 multiple-choice questions and two constructed-response questions
- Trigonometry
- Continuity and Limits
- Applications and Derivatives
- Applications and Integrals
- Series and Sequences
- Calculus: 30 multiple-choice questions and two constructed-response questions
How Can I Get a Passing Score on this Exam on Mathematics Provided by CSET?
Because the CSET: Mathematics exam is heavily focused on a handful of essential, fundamental math concepts, it is critical that prospective participants spend the bulk of their time reviewing this content through a proprietary study guide. In order to reproduce this knowledge through multiple-choice and constructed-response questions, they should also drill with a set of study flashcards.
The study guide and flashcard set provided by Mometrix Test Preparation specifically for this test provide the study tools needed to get a passing score on the CSET: Mathematics exam.
