CBEST Reading Online Center
This CBEST Reading Online Center brings together practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Choose the resource that matches the skill you want to work on next.
CBEST Reading Practice Center
Take a full 90-minute section under real conditions, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Both forms carry the index, table of contents, and data table items that surprise candidates on test day.
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CBEST Reading at a glance
CBEST is California’s basic skills requirement, and the reading section is fifty questions in ninety minutes. Two things separate it from other reading tests. It gives five answer choices rather than four, which changes how elimination works. And it asks research questions: where in an index or a table of contents you would look to find something, and what a table or graph does and does not show.
| Section | Reading, one of the three CBEST sections with Mathematics and Writing |
|---|---|
| Who takes it | California candidates for teaching and service credentials, plus candidates in a few other states that accept CBEST. |
| Number of questions | 50 multiple-choice questions |
| Answer options | Five per question, A through E |
| Time limit | 1 hour 30 minutes for the reading section |
| Format | Computer-based. Passages range from one paragraph to several hundred words, and some items are built on a table, a graph, an index, or a table of contents. |
| Content areas | Comprehension and research skills, and critical analysis and evaluation. |
| Passing score | A scaled score of at least 41 on the section. A section score as low as 37 is acceptable only if the total across all three sections reaches 123. |
The published test description names the two content areas but does not give a percentage for each, so no weighting is claimed here. What the released material does make clear is that research and reference items are a real part of the section rather than an occasional extra.
The two content areas, in plain language
California groups the section into two areas. Here is what each one asks you to do.
Area 1: Comprehension and research skills
Can you say what the passage says, and find what you were asked to find?
- Identify the main idea, the primary purpose, and supporting details
- Determine the meaning of a word or phrase from context
- Follow the sequence and organization of a passage
- Identify the relationship between ideas, including cause and effect and comparison
- Use reference materials: an index, a table of contents, a glossary, a chart, a graph, or a table
- Locate information needed to answer a stated question
Area 2: Critical analysis and evaluation
Can you judge what the writer is doing and whether the evidence holds?
- Identify a writer’s assumptions, attitude, and point of view
- Distinguish fact from opinion
- Evaluate the evidence offered for a claim and judge whether it supports the claim
- Recognize an argument’s strengths and weaknesses
- Draw inferences and conclusions the passage supports
- Compare and evaluate two passages on the same subject
A study routine that fits 90 minutes of testing
Fifty questions in ninety minutes is a little under two minutes each, which is generous for a reading test. The difficulty is the fifth answer choice and the reference items, not the clock.
Complete lesson map
Thirty-eight lessons on the reading skills this section measures. Each one opens in a new tab so you can keep this page open while you work.
Key ideas, details, and textual evidence
Inference, conclusions, and how ideas develop
Word meaning, word choice, and tone
Text structure, features, and organization
Purpose, perspective, and point of view
Evaluating claims, evidence, and reasoning
Integrating information across texts and formats
Before test day
Two habits carry this section. Before you choose, put your finger on the words that make the answer true, because with five choices there is usually more than one that sounds reasonable. And do not treat the index and table of contents questions as filler. They are quick points if you have practiced them and a genuine surprise if you have not.
A USEFUL NEXT STEP
CBEST Reading: study questions
What can I study in this CBEST Reading Online Center?
This CBEST Reading Online Center includes practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Topics on the page include Area 1: Comprehension and research skills, Area 2: Critical analysis and evaluation, Key ideas, details, and textual evidence.
How should I use the CBEST Reading resources?
Choose a topic or practice activity from this Online Center. Review the linked explanation, try the practice, and use the result to decide what to study next. Check each resource’s directions for its format and access requirements.
Resources from Effortless Math · Editorial standards