CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I Online Center
This CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I Online Center brings together practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Choose the resource that matches the skill you want to work on next.
CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I Practice Center
Sit a full form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Score the two halves separately. Reading misses usually mean you answered from memory instead of from the passage. History misses usually mean a gap you can close by reading, which is the easier problem to fix.
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CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I at a glance
Subtest I is the reading and history half of the CSET Multiple Subjects battery, the subject-matter requirement for a California multiple subject teaching credential. It is split down the middle: twenty-six multiple-choice questions and two constructed-response assignments in reading, language, and literature, and the same again in history and social science. The reading half rewards close attention to a passage. The history half rewards actual knowledge, and California history is a third of it, which catches out candidates who grew up elsewhere.
| Subtest code | 101 (Reading, Language, and Literature; History and Social Science) |
|---|---|
| Part of | CSET: Multiple Subjects, a three-subtest series: Subtest I (101), Subtest II (214), and Subtest III (225). Each subtest can be taken and passed on its own. |
| Number of questions | 52 multiple-choice questions and 4 constructed-response assignments |
| Split by subject | Reading, Language, and Literature: 26 multiple-choice and 2 constructed-response. History and Social Science: 26 multiple-choice and 2 constructed-response. |
| Answer options | Four per multiple-choice question |
| Time limit | 3 hours for Subtest I on its own. All three subtests may instead be taken in a single 5-hour session. |
| Format | Computer-based. Subtest I is offered through online proctoring as well as at a test center, which is not true of Subtest II. |
| Scoring | Each subtest score weights the multiple-choice section 70 percent and the constructed-response section 30 percent. Constructed responses are read by at least two qualified California educators. |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 220 on a scale of 100 to 300. |
California publishes the item counts by subject area, which is why the two halves are stated above. It does not publish a percentage or a question count for any individual domain, so any domain-level breakdown you find in a commercial guide is that publisher’s estimate. Treat all six domains as testable.
The six domains, in plain language
Three domains carry reading and language, and three carry history. Here is what each one asks of you.
Domain 1: Language and linguistics
How language works, how children acquire it, and how reading is learned and assessed.
- Phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
- Stages of first and second language acquisition
- Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
- How writing systems and orthography work
- Assessing reading with running records and miscue analysis
Domain 2: Non-written and written communication
The conventions of English, the writing process, writing for a purpose, speaking and listening, and research.
- Grammar, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure
- Planning, drafting, and revising for audience and purpose
- Narrative, informative, and argumentative writing
- Listening, speaking, and evaluating a spoken argument
- Locating sources, judging credibility, and citing evidence
Domain 3: Reading comprehension and analysis
Reading literature and informational text closely, and judging what makes a text hard.
- Theme, character, point of view, and figurative language
- Central idea, structure, and the author’s purpose
- Evaluating a claim and the evidence offered for it
- Comparing texts and integrating information across them
- Quantitative and qualitative measures of text complexity
Domain 4: World history
Ancient civilizations through medieval and early modern times.
- River valley civilizations and what geography made possible
- Greece, Rome, China, India, and their lasting institutions
- The rise and spread of major world religions
- The Islamic world, medieval Africa, and medieval Europe
- Maya, Aztec, and Inca societies
- The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the age of exploration
Domain 5: United States history
Exploration and the colonial era through the rise of industrial America.
- Indigenous North America and European colonization
- Slavery, the colonial economy, and regional differences
- The causes and course of the War for Independence
- The Constitution, ratification, and the early republic
- Expansion, sectional conflict, and Indian removal
- The Civil War, Reconstruction, and what followed it
- Industrialization, immigration, and urban growth
Domain 6: California history
Pre-Columbian California through its modern economic, political, and cultural development.
- Indigenous California societies before contact
- Spanish exploration, the missions, and their effects
- Mexican California, the ranchos, and the transfer to the United States
- The Gold Rush, statehood, and their consequences
- The railroad, Chinese labor, and exclusion
- Water, agriculture, migration, and twentieth century growth
A study routine that fits a three-hour subtest
Treat the two halves as separate subjects. They fail for different reasons and they respond to different work, so studying them the same way wastes most of the time you spend.
Complete lesson map
Seventy-five reading and language lessons covering what this subtest expects, each opening in a new tab, followed by the history topics the three history domains cover. History lessons are on the way.
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
Sentence Foundations
Sentence Boundaries
Agreement, Verbs, and Pronouns
Punctuation and Capitalization
Spelling and Confused Words
Knowledge of Language
Vocabulary and Word Parts
World history (no lessons on site yet)
- 76Early humans and the first river valley civilizations
- 77Mesopotamia, Egypt, Kush, and the Indus Valley
- 78Ancient Greece, Rome, and their legacies
- 79Ancient China and India
- 80The rise and spread of world religions
- 81Byzantium, the Islamic world, and medieval Africa
- 82Medieval Europe, feudalism, and the Church
- 83Maya, Aztec, and Inca societies
- 84The Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution
- 85Exploration, trade networks, and their consequences
United States history
- 86Indigenous North America before contact
- 87European colonization and the colonial regions
- 88Slavery in the colonies and the early republic
- 89Causes of the War for Independence
- 90The Revolution and the Articles of Confederation
- 91The Constitution, ratification, and the Bill of Rights
- 92The early republic and the first party system
- 93Westward expansion and Indian removal
- 94Sectional conflict and the causes of the Civil War
- 95The Civil War and Reconstruction
- 96Industrialization, immigration, and urban growth
California history
- 97Indigenous California before contact
- 98Spanish exploration and the mission system
- 99Mexican California and the ranchos
- 100The Bear Flag Revolt and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
- 101The Gold Rush and its consequences
- 102Statehood and the state constitution
- 103The transcontinental railroad and Chinese labor
- 104Chinese exclusion and immigration law
- 105Water, agriculture, and the shaping of the state
- 106Dust Bowl migration and the Great Depression
- 107World War II industry and Japanese American incarceration
- 108Postwar growth and modern California
Before test day
The reading half is won by discipline. Answer from the passage, not from what you know about the subject, and the wrong answers stop being tempting. The history half is won earlier than test day, in the weeks you spend actually learning the material, and California history is where most of the recoverable points sit. If you have a week left and have to choose, choose California.
A USEFUL NEXT STEP
CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I: study questions
What can I study in this CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I Online Center?
This CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I Online Center includes practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Topics on the page include Domain 1: Language and linguistics, Domain 2: Non-written and written communication, Domain 3: Reading comprehension and analysis.
How should I use the CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I 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.
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