Teaching is one of the noblest professions in the world. A teacher makes a huge influence in any student’s life. If the teacher in the life of a student is good, there is a huge chance that the student will succeed. Children spend most of the time at school and their major interactions are with their teachers. What they learn in their lives come from their teachers. Hence there are a lot of people who want to adopt the teaching profession. This is a common profession but not an easy one. There are numerous exams that the candidate has to clear in order to become a teacher. These exams differ from country to country.
If you want to become a teacher in California, you need to pass California Basic Educational Skills Test. This is one of the most important tests in the lives of someone who wants to become a teacher. If you have just completed your education degree and want to work towards this passion of yours, you have to start preparing for CBEST.
In this article, we will take a brief overview of CBEST and how you can apply for it and how you can pass it.
Purpose of the California Basic Educational Skills Test
The California Basic Educational Skills Test is a test to check the skills of the candidates who want to become teachers and educators in the public schools of the state. This exam is organized by California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The teachers who pass this exam need to have the basic skill requirements so that they can be eligible to teach the students in various schools. All the teaching aspirants who do not have any experience in teaching are required to give this test. However, the candidates who already have experience can be exempted from this test. The candidates will be rewarded with a teaching license after they have successfully passed CBEST.
Prerequisites for California Basic Educational Skills Test
There are three major prerequisites that are required to sit for this exam:
- The candidate should have a high school diploma;
- The candidate should have their GED;
- The candidate should have a certificate for credit course in education from of recognized university. Candidates who are still in college can also apply.
Pattern of California Basic Educational Skills Test
California Basic Educational Skills Test consists of three parts- writing, reading and mathematics. The entire paper has to complete in 4 hours.
In the writing section, the candidate’s ability to form answers based on their analytical and writing skills is checked.
In the reading section, the candidates are given 50 multiple choice questions. 40% of it is critical analysis and the 60% questions are comprehension and research skills.
The math section also has 50 multiple choice questions from different areas of mathematics.
The candidates are required to score 123 points in all three sections to pass. Cumulative scores are considered.
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How to Register?
The registration for CBEST test is really easy. You can choose from the two pathways provided- computer based and paper based tests. The content of both the versions are same, the only difference is the mode that you choose.
If you choose the computer based exams, you can take exam depending on the appointment you get. The exams are held every day from Monday to Saturday except for the holidays. So, you can schedule the test according to your preference.
If you choose the paper based tests, you can give the test on specific dates only. There are two to three sessions every year that can be decided at the starting of the year and will be available on the website.
You can also pick your testing centers locations and pay the fee during the registration. The compulsory fee to sit for the exam is $41. If the candidate is picking the computer based mode, the additional fee of $61 is charged. In addition to this, there is a late registration fee which is $18 and an emergency registration feel that is $35. There are some additional service fees also which can be accessed on the official website.
How to Prepare for CBEST?
As discussed, there are three parts that you need to cover for this exam are Reading, Writing and Math. Since this is a very common exam, there is a lot of material available for all three of these subjects. The best approach is to buy the printed books and start studying from them. You can also Prepaway CBEST Practice Test Questions and then cover each topic according to that.
After you are done with all the topics, start taking regular practice tests. The reason to take practice tests is that it will help you increasing your speed of solving the questions. It will also help you in understanding your weak areas so that you can start working on them. If you are slow at reading or writing, you can easily build up speed. Similar is the case with math. You can also analyze which part of the paper are you lacking in and then start paying extra attention to them.
You can get the practice papers anywhere. You can check out the previous year’s question papers, you can buy books of solved and unsolved papers and you can even download them online. Just make sure that you are solving them religiously.
Conclusion
After knowing all the details about the California Basic Educational Skills Test, you must have realized that this is an easy exam. However, you will have to prepare for it so that you can score well and take a step forwards towards your dream of becoming a successful teacher. Make sure that you solve one practice test before you start preparing for the exam. The scores of the practice test will help you realize where you stand and how far you have to go in order to prepare well. Only buy the study material from legitimate sources and always keep the syllabus for the exam with you so that you will not miss out on any topic. Hence, the takeaway from this is that start preparing early so that you can score well in the exam.
