CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II Online Center
This CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II 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 II Practice Center
Sit a full form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Sort the misses by subject first. A candidate who loses ten points in science and two in math has a very different week ahead than one who loses them the other way round.
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CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II at a glance
Subtest II is the science and mathematics 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 science, and the same again in mathematics. Candidates who teach primary grades often find the science harder than they expected, because the content reaches into physics and chemistry that they last met in high school.
| Subtest code | 214 (Science and Mathematics) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Science: 26 multiple-choice and 2 constructed-response. Mathematics: 26 multiple-choice and 2 constructed-response. |
| Answer options | Four per multiple-choice question |
| Time limit | 3 hours for Subtest II on its own. All three subtests may instead be taken in a single 5-hour session. |
| Format | Computer-based only. Subtest II is not offered through online proctoring. A standard four-function on-screen calculator is provided, and personal calculators are not allowed. |
| 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 science and mathematics 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 seven domains as testable.
The seven domains, in plain language
Three domains carry the science and four carry the mathematics. Here is what each one asks of you.
Domain 1: Physical sciences
Matter, its structure and properties, and the principles of motion and energy.
- Properties of solids, liquids, and gases, and changes of state
- Physical change against chemical change, and conservation of matter
- Atomic structure, molecules, compounds, and the periodic table
- Solutions, mixtures, and how mixtures are separated
- Motion described by position, speed, velocity, and acceleration
- Forces, simple machines, and work
- Forms of energy, energy transformation, heat and temperature
- Light, waves, reflection, and refraction
Domain 2: Life sciences
Cell biology, ecology, and the life cycle, reproduction, and evolution of organisms.
- Levels of organization from organelles up to organ systems
- Structure and function of the major organ systems
- Characteristics and needs of living things
- Relationships among populations, food chains, and food webs
- Ecosystem resources and human impact on climate
- Life cycles, growth, and both kinds of reproduction
- Cell division, DNA replication, and sources of variation
- Natural selection and the evidence for evolution
Domain 3: Earth and space sciences
Astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography.
- The solar system and its predictable motions
- Rotation, time zones, seasons, stars, and galaxies
- Minerals, rocks, landforms, weathering, and erosion
- Earth’s layers, plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes
- How the sun and the oceans drive weather and climate
- Air movement, ocean currents, and severe weather
- Bodies of water, tides, and the water cycle
Domain 4: Number sense
Numbers, number systems, the relationships among them, and computation.
- Place value, number systems, and ordering
- Operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and integers
- Factors, multiples, primes, exponents, and roots
- Ratio, proportion, and percent
- Estimation and judging whether an answer is reasonable
Domain 5: Algebra and functions
Patterns, functional relationships, and linear and quadratic equations and inequalities.
- Extend a pattern and state its rule
- Move between a table, a graph, an equation, and a situation
- Solve linear equations and inequalities
- Solve quadratic equations and interpret the solutions
- Rate of change and slope in context
Domain 6: Measurement and geometry
Two- and three-dimensional figures, representational systems, and techniques for measuring.
- Classify figures and use their properties
- Angle relationships, congruence, and similarity
- Coordinate geometry, distance, and midpoint
- Perimeter, area, surface area, and volume
- Units, conversion, scale, and precision
Domain 7: Statistics, data analysis, and probability
Collecting and representing data, drawing inferences from it, and the basic notions of chance.
- Choose and read tables, graphs, and plots
- Mean, median, mode, range, and what each one hides
- Draw an inference and judge whether it is supported
- Sample, bias, and the limits of a claim
- Simple and compound probability, with and without replacement
A study routine that fits a three-hour subtest
Six weeks is enough if you split the two halves and treat them as separate subjects, because they fail for different reasons and respond to different work.
Complete lesson map
Forty-seven mathematics lessons covering what this subtest expects you to know cold, each opening in a new tab, followed by the science topics the three science domains cover. Science lessons are on the way.
Counting, place value, and operations
Fractions and decimals
Ratios, proportion, and percent
Algebraic thinking and patterns
The coordinate plane
Measurement and geometry
Data, statistics, and probability
Physical sciences: matter and energy (no lessons on site yet)
- 48Physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases
- 49Physical change versus chemical change
- 50Conservation of matter
- 51Atoms, molecules, and compounds
- 52How the periodic table is organized
- 53Solutions, mixtures, and separating them
- 54Position, speed, velocity, and acceleration
- 55Forces, including electrical and magnetic forces
- 56Simple machines and work
- 57Forms of energy, conservation, and transformation
- 58Heat versus temperature: conduction, convection, radiation
- 59Light, reflection, refraction, and wave properties
- 60Renewable and nonrenewable resources
Life sciences
- 61Levels of organization from organelle to organ system
- 62Structure and function of the major organ systems
- 63Characteristics and basic needs of living things
- 64Populations, communities, and relationships in an ecosystem
- 65Food chains, food webs, and energy transfer
- 66Human impact on climate and possible responses
- 67Life cycles, growth, and development
- 68Sexual and asexual reproduction
- 69Cell division and DNA replication
- 70Genetic and environmental sources of variation
- 71Natural selection and artificial selection
- 72Fossil, anatomical, and DNA evidence for evolution
Earth and space sciences
- 73The solar system and predictable patterns of motion
- 74Earth’s rotation, time zones, and seasons
- 75Stars, galaxies, and the wider universe
- 76How minerals and rocks form
- 77Weathering, erosion, deposition, and landforms
- 78Earth’s layers and plate tectonics
- 79Mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes
- 80Sun, ocean, and the drivers of weather and climate
- 81Air movement, ocean currents, and severe weather
- 82Bodies of water, tides, and the water cycle
Before test day
The two halves fail for different reasons. Mathematics goes wrong under time pressure, on unit conversions and on fractions, so slow down and write the working even when the arithmetic looks easy. Science goes wrong on half-remembered explanations, so pick the answer that states the mechanism rather than the one that sounds most cautious. And remember the calculator on this test does four operations and nothing else.
A USEFUL NEXT STEP
CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II: study questions
What can I study in this CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II Online Center?
This CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II Online Center includes practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Topics on the page include Domain 1: Physical sciences, Domain 2: Life sciences, Domain 3: Earth and space sciences.
How should I use the CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II 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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