NYSTCE Multi-Subject Childhood Arts and Sciences Study Hub
Everything for Part Three of the NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood test (245): 40 selected-response questions in one hour, covering science and technology, social studies, and the arts, health, and career development. Two full practice forms with worked explanations and a 102-card deck.
NYSTCE Multi-Subject Arts and Sciences Practice Center
Take a full form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. This is the shortest part of the Multi-Subject test and the one candidates prepare least, which is exactly why it is worth an honest hour of diagnosis before you decide it is easy.
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NYSTCE Multi-Subject Childhood Arts and Sciences at a glance
Part Three is the shortest of the three parts and the only one with no written assignment: forty selected-response questions in one hour. It also has a feature worth knowing about, because it can save you a test fee. Part Three is shared across all four Multi-Subject tests, so if you are pursuing more than one Multi-Subject certificate you only ever need to pass it once.
| Part code | 245 (Part Three: Arts and Sciences) |
|---|---|
| Part of | NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood, three parts: Part One Literacy and English Language Arts (221), Part Two Mathematics (222), Part Three Arts and Sciences (245). Each is taken and passed separately. |
| Pass it once | New York states that Part Three is shared by all four Multi-Subject tests, so a candidate seeking more than one Multi-Subject certificate needs to pass Part Three only once. |
| Number of questions | 40 selected-response questions. There is no constructed-response assignment on this part, which makes selected response 100 percent of the score. |
| Time limit | 1 hour. All three parts may instead be taken in a single 5.5-hour session, with a 15-minute break between Parts One and Two. |
| Format | Computer-based |
| Passing score | 520 on a scale of 400 to 600, for this part on its own. |
New York publishes both the percentage and the item count for each competency. Science and Technology is 40 percent, 16 questions. Social Studies is 40 percent, 16 questions. Fine Arts, Health and Fitness, Family and Consumer Science, and Career Development is 20 percent, 8 questions. Those last eight questions cover five different subjects between them, which is why they feel disproportionately hard to prepare.
The three competencies, in plain language
New York states each competency and lists what it expects. Here is what each one asks of you.
Competency 0001: Science and technology (40 percent, 16 questions)
Elementary science plus the technology and engineering strand.
- Scientific inquiry and designing an investigation
- The physical setting: matter, energy, force, and motion
- The living environment: cells, organisms, ecosystems, and heredity
- Technology and the engineering design process
- The common themes linking mathematics, science, and technology
Competency 0002: Social studies (40 percent, 16 questions)
History, geography, economics, politics, and citizenship.
- United States history and New York State history
- Geography and its human and physical systems
- Human development and cultural understanding
- Economics and political systems
- Citizenship and civic participation
- Social studies skills: maps, timelines, and sources
Competency 0003: Fine arts, health and fitness, family and consumer science, and career development (20 percent, 8 questions)
Five subjects and eight questions.
- Visual arts, music, theater, and dance
- Health, safety, and personal wellbeing
- Physical education and fitness
- Child development and family life
- Consumer economics and career development
A study routine for a one-hour part
Forty questions in sixty minutes, and eighty percent of them come from two subjects. This is a deck-shaped problem, not a reading-shaped one.
Complete topic map
The performance expectations New York publishes for the three competencies of this part, with the topics they cover.
Science and technology topics (no lessons on site yet)
- 01Scientific inquiry and designing an investigation
- 02The physical setting: matter, energy, force, and motion
- 03The living environment: cells, organisms, and ecosystems
- 04Heredity, evolution, and adaptation
- 05Earth, weather, water, and the solar system
- 06Engineering design and the technology cycle
- 07Common themes across mathematics, science, and technology
- 08Safety in an elementary science lesson
Social studies topics
- 09United States history and its major eras
- 10New York State history
- 11Geography, maps, and human and physical systems
- 12Human development and cultural understanding
- 13Economics and economic decision making
- 14Government, citizenship, and civic participation
- 15Reading a map, a timeline, and a primary source
The arts, health, and career development
- 16The elements of visual art
- 17The elements of music
- 18Theater and dance
- 19Health, safety, and personal wellbeing
- 20Physical education and fitness
- 21Child development and family life
- 22Consumer economics and personal finance
- 23Career awareness and workplace skills
Before test day
This is the part people leave until last and then rush. It is also the one you may only ever have to pass once, which makes it worth passing properly the first time. The eight questions in the third competency are the ones candidates lose, not because the material is hard but because nobody studies visual art vocabulary and consumer economics in the same evening. The deck exists for exactly that hour.