CBEST Math Practice Test

Unofficial prep for the CBEST Mathematics section: 80 problems, most of them word problems, each worked out.

A book order has items priced $4.95, $7.10, $2.89 and $9.05. Which is the best estimate of the total?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 50 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 50 questions, 120 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or Pearson. Bank checked October 6, 2026.

Next step CBEST practice test: 50 more math, 50 readingCBEST reading practice test

All 80 questions

Estimation, measurement and statistics 24

  • A book order has items priced $4.95, $7.10, $2.89 and $9.05. Which is the best estimate of the total? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating a result before computing it
  • A class reads about 12 pages of a novel each school day. The novel has 180 pages. How many school days will it take to finish? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating time to plan work
  • A delivery of 6,000 pounds of sand arrives for the playground. How many tons is that? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: U.S. units of length, temperature, weight and capacity. Units: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C
  • A fair coin has landed heads four times in a row. What is the probability of heads on the next toss? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: basic probability and likely outcomes. Favorable outcomes over possible outcomes: D. Lane, Online Statistics Education, Basic Concepts of Probability
Show all 80 questions (76 more)

Estimation, measurement and statistics, continued

  • A jug holds 2 gallons of juice. How many 1-cup servings is that? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: U.S. units of length, temperature, weight and capacity. Units: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C
  • A rectangular field has a perimeter of 180 yards and is 60 yards long. How wide is it? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: measuring length and perimeter. Perimeter as the sum of the sides: Wiktionary, perimeter
  • A school cafeteria serves 412 lunches a day. About how many lunches does it serve in 19 school days? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating a result before computing it
  • A school has 3 computers for every 8 students. At that rate, how many computers serve 40 students? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: arithmetic with test-score data: ratios, proportions and percents
  • A school's water bill was $1,912 in May and $2,389 in June. Which is the best estimate of the two bills together? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating a result before computing it
  • A square garden plot has sides 9 feet long. How much fencing goes all the way around it? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: measuring length and perimeter. Perimeter as the sum of the sides: Wiktionary, perimeter
  • A student has scores of 78, 84 and 90 on three tests. What score on a fourth test gives a mean of 85? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: arithmetic with test-score data: averages. Mean and median: D. Lane, Online Statistics Education, Measures of Central Tendency
  • A teacher draws one name at random from a jar holding the names of 12 girls and 13 boys. What is the probability that a girl's name is drawn? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: basic probability and likely outcomes. Favorable outcomes over possible outcomes: D. Lane, Online Statistics Education, Basic Concepts of Probability
  • A teacher needs 45 minutes to set up a science lab and must be ready by 8:10 a.m. What is the latest she can start? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating time to plan work
  • A test reports its results as stanines. Which stanine shows the highest performance? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: what a standardized score means: stanines. Stanine, a nine-point scale with a mean of five: Wikipedia, Stanine
  • A walking course is half a mile long. How many feet is that? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: U.S. units of length, temperature, weight and capacity. Units: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C
  • At 7 a.m. the playground thermometer read 48°F. At 2 p.m. it read 73°F. By how many degrees did the temperature rise? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: U.S. units of length, temperature, weight and capacity. Units: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C
  • Before dividing 2,975 by 52, a student estimates the answer. Which estimate is closest? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating a result before computing it
  • How many feet are in 4 yards 2 feet? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: U.S. units of length, temperature, weight and capacity. Units: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C
  • In a survey, 18 of 60 students chose soccer as their favorite sport. If the school has 400 students, about how many would be expected to choose soccer? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: basic probability and likely outcomes. Favorable outcomes over possible outcomes: D. Lane, Online Statistics Education, Basic Concepts of Probability
  • On a 50-question test, a student answers 43 correctly. What percent is that? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: arithmetic with test-score data: ratios, proportions and percents
  • On a ruler, a pencil's tip is at the 2 1/2-inch mark and its other end is at the 9-inch mark. How long is the pencil? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: measuring length and perimeter. Inches in a foot: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C
  • On the same test, Ravi's score is at the 85th percentile and Lin's is at the 60th percentile. Which statement is correct? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: what a standardized score means: percentiles. Percentile: D. Lane, Online Statistics Education, Percentiles
  • Parent conferences last 20 minutes each, with 5 minutes between them. How long do 8 conferences take, from the start of the first to the end of the last? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: estimating time to plan work
  • The test scores of six students are 70, 85, 85, 90, 95 and 100. What is the median score? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Estimation, Measurement, and Statistical Principles; skill: arithmetic with test-score data: averages. Mean and median: D. Lane, Online Statistics Education, Measures of Central Tendency

Computation and problem solving 28

  • A bus route is 14 miles each way. The bus makes the round trip twice a day for 5 days. How many miles is that? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: whole-number arithmetic
  • A classroom library has 240 books. One sixth are science books and the rest are stories. How many are stories? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: choosing the operations for a practical problem
  • A field trip costs $6 per student for admission plus $180 in total for the bus. What is the cost for 25 students? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: choosing the operations for a practical problem
  • A librarian shelves 1,236 books equally on 12 shelves. How many books go on each shelf? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: whole-number arithmetic
  • A problem says: "Tom is 4 years older than Sara. Sara is twice as old as Ben. Ben is 5." Which facts are needed to find Tom's age? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: telling whether enough information is given
  • A recipe uses 3/4 cup of flour. How much flour is needed for half the recipe? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • A school collects 1,480 cans in week one and 2,365 cans in week two. Its goal is 5,000 cans. How many more cans does it need? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: whole-number arithmetic
  • A teacher buys the same number of juice boxes for each of her 3 classes and spends $54 in all. Can the price of one juice box be found? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: telling whether enough information is given
  • A teacher earns $32 an hour tutoring. She tutors 3 hours a week for 6 weeks. How much does she earn? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: choosing the operations for a practical problem
  • A teacher got back 18 of 24 permission slips. What percent were returned? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • A team's score changes by −3, then +8, then −6 points over three rounds. It began at 0. What is the final score? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers
  • An auditorium has 26 rows of 18 seats. How many seats are there? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: whole-number arithmetic
  • Art paper costs $0.15 a sheet. Each of 28 students needs 3 sheets. What is the total cost? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: choosing the operations for a practical problem
  • Divide: 6 ÷ 3/4. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • Four friends share a $37.40 bill equally. How much does each pay? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • The low temperature was −7°F on Monday and 5°F on Tuesday. How many degrees warmer was Tuesday's low? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers
  • Multiply: 0.6 × 0.25. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • Multiply: 2/3 × 3/8. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • Pencils come 12 to a box. A teacher needs 150 pencils. How many boxes must she buy? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: whole-number arithmetic
  • Solve: 5x − 4 = 26. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: simple algebra with one unknown
  • Solve: x/4 + 3 = 10. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: simple algebra with one unknown
  • Subtract: 5/6 − 1/4. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • Three times a number, plus 8, equals 44. What is the number? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: simple algebra with one unknown
  • Tickets cost $5 each. A club has $85 and first spends $20 on snacks. Which equation gives the number of tickets, t, it can buy with the rest? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: simple algebra with one unknown
  • To find the exact cost of 6 books at $9.99 each, which method works? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: recognizing another method for the same problem
  • What is 30 percent of 250? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: arithmetic with fractions, decimals and percents
  • What is −12 + 7? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers
  • Which is another way to find 25 percent of a number? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Computation and Problem Solving; skill: recognizing another method for the same problem

Numerical and graphic relationships 28

  • A bar graph shows students' lunch choices: pizza 45, salad 20, sandwich 35. What fraction of the students chose salad? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: using numbers from tables, spreadsheets and graphs
  • A bus may carry no more than 48 riders. If r is the number of riders, which statement shows this? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: less than, greater than and equal to, and their symbols
  • A circle graph shows how 200 students get to school: bus 50 percent, car 30 percent, walking 20 percent. How many more students ride the bus than walk? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: using numbers from tables, spreadsheets and graphs
  • A class average works out to 86.449. What is it rounded to the nearest whole number? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: rounding
  • A club's membership fell from 50 to 42. What was the percent decrease? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: relationships in numerical data, such as percent change
  • A fundraiser's weekly total doubles each week: $15, then $30, then $60. If the pattern continues, what is the total in week 5? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: relationships in numerical data, such as percent change
  • A prize goes to any student who reads 10 books or writes 3 reports. Sam read 4 books and wrote 3 reports. Does Sam get a prize? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: logical connectives and quantifiers
  • A reading log shows the running total of pages: Monday 25, Tuesday 60, Wednesday blank, Thursday 130. Forty pages were read on Wednesday. What is the missing entry? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: finding a missing entry in a table
  • A spreadsheet row lists four test scores: 72, 88, 95 and 81. What is the range, the highest score minus the lowest? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: using numbers from tables, spreadsheets and graphs
  • A student makes the honor roll with a B average and no missing assignments. Lee has a B average and one missing assignment. Does Lee make the honor roll? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: logical connectives and quantifiers
  • A table of fundraiser sales shows Grade 3 at $140, Grade 4 at $165 and Grade 5 left blank. The total is $500. What is Grade 5's amount? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: finding a missing entry in a table
  • A table shows 2 teachers for 50 students, 4 for 100 and 6 for 150. At the same rate, how many teachers are there for 250 students? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: relationships in numerical data, such as percent change
  • A table shows a class's absences: September 12, October 9, November 15, December 8. What is the mean number of absences a month? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: using numbers from tables, spreadsheets and graphs
  • A used textbook's price went from $20 to $25. What was the percent increase? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: relationships in numerical data, such as percent change
  • An order table lists a quantity of 8, a unit price of $12.50 and a blank subtotal. What is the subtotal? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: finding a missing entry in a table
  • If a student turns in a signed form, the student goes on the trip. Ana turned in a signed form. Which conclusion is valid? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: logical connectives and quantifiers
  • No student in the band is in the choir. Mia is in the band. Which statement must be true? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: logical connectives and quantifiers
  • On a number line, which number lies between −3 and −2? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: the position of numbers in relation to each other
  • Round 3.847 to the nearest tenth. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: rounding
  • Round 14,620 to the nearest thousand. CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: rounding
  • Which comparison is true? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: less than, greater than and equal to, and their symbols
  • Which decimal equals 7/20? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: equivalent numbers and expressions
  • Which expression equals 3(x + 4)? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: equivalent numbers and expressions
  • Which fraction equals 60 percent? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: equivalent numbers and expressions
  • Which fraction is closest to 1? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: the position of numbers in relation to each other
  • Which of these is equal to 2.5 hours? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: equivalent numbers and expressions
  • Which of these numbers is greatest: 3/4, 0.8, 7/10 or 0.78? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: the position of numbers in relation to each other
  • Which statement about 5/8 and 0.6 is true? CBEST Test Specifications, Mathematics: Numerical and Graphic Relationships; skill: less than, greater than and equal to, and their symbols

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the Mathematics part of the CBEST Test Specifications of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/content/docs/CBESTUpdatedTestSpecs.pdf, read 2026-10-06), whose three skill areas are named on the exam's CBEST page (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/CA_CBEST_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-06) with their shares: estimation, measurement and statistical principles about 30%, computation and problem solving about 35%, numerical and graphic relationships about 35%; 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, no calculator. The bank holds 24, 28 and 28. Every numeric answer was worked out a second time from the numbers the question prints; 9 questions are reasoning items with no arithmetic. Units were read on 2026-10-06 in NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C; mean, median, probability and percentile in D. Lane, Online Statistics Education (onlinestatbook.com); stanine in Wikipedia, Stanine; perimeter in Wiktionary. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This CBEST math practice test covers fractions, decimals and percents, measurement, estimation, test-score statistics, one-unknown equations, and tables and graphs. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or Pearson.

Read the full guide

What math is on the CBEST

The CBEST test specifications and the exam's own page, both read October 6, 2026, name three skill areas: estimation, measurement and statistical principles, about 30 percent of questions; computation and problem solving, about 35 percent; and numerical and graphic relationships, about 35 percent. This bank holds 24, 28 and 28.

What the specifications leave out

The specifications list no geometry beyond length and perimeter, no trigonometry, and algebra only as simple problems such as an equation with one unknown. Graph questions here give the graph's numbers in words.

  • Round before you compute: several questions ask only for the closest figure.
  • Score questions ask what a percentile or a stanine means, not how to calculate one.
  • A percent change is always measured against the starting number.

Questions and answers

Can you use a calculator on the CBEST math section?

No. The exam's CBEST page says the use of calculators is prohibited, so every problem here is meant to be worked by hand.

How many questions are on the CBEST math test?

50 multiple-choice questions. The session is 2 hours, with 15 more minutes for a nondisclosure agreement and a tutorial.

Is this the 2021 CBEST math practice test?

No year's test is copied here. These CBEST math questions are our own, written to the specifications on the exam's site as of October 6, 2026. That site now gives the CBEST as three separately booked sections.

What is a passing score for CBEST math?

A scaled score of 41, on a scale from 20 to 80. A score as low as 37 still counts if your Reading, Mathematics and Writing scores total 123 or more.

Does this work as a CBEST math study guide?

As practice, yes: every explanation shows the working. It does not teach a topic from the start, so pair it with a textbook where a skill area is new to you.

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