• 51 questions

Earth and Space Science CSET Practice Test

Unofficial practice for CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences, from the Big Bang to California's hazards.

Which list puts divisions of the geologic time scale in order from longest to shortest?

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

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or Pearson. Bank checked October 11, 2026.

Constructed-response prompts to print 6 lines, made to print

Earth and space sciences short constructed-response practice

Name ____ Date ____

Write a short answer to each prompt on the lines, as you would for a constructed-response question. Unofficial practice prompts; none is from the real test.

Earth's place in the universe

  • Describe two lines of evidence for the Big Bang model and explain what each one shows.
  • Explain why a lunar eclipse does not happen at every full moon. Include a labeled sketch of the Sun, Earth and Moon.

Earth's systems

  • Compare a volcano above a hotspot with a volcano above a subduction zone: the source of the magma, the kind of lava and the shape of the cone.
  • Describe the conditions in the tropical Pacific during El Niño and explain one effect on weather far from the equator.

Earth and human activity

  • Trace the path of water from Sierra Nevada snow to a tap in Southern California. Name one environmental cost of moving it.
  • Explain how an ice core is used to study past climate, and name one limit of the method.

Source: Own prompts. The real subtest has 3 short constructed-response questions (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/CA_SG_obj_217.htm); the topics follow the subject matter requirements of Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/content/docs/CSET_Prep/CS_219subtestdescription.pdf), both read 2026-10-11. Checked October 11, 2026.

How written answers are scored 7 lines, made to print

What scorers look for in a written answer

The program names these performance characteristics for constructed-response answers. The wording of each line is ours. Unofficial; not a scoring guide of the real test.

Performance characteristics

  • Purpose Does the answer do what the assignment asks, in the terms of the subject matter being tested?
  • Subject matter knowledge Is the knowledge of the subject accurate, and is it applied to the question and not only recited?
  • Support Is each point backed by fitting evidence of good quality: an example, a fact, a step of reasoning?
  • Depth and breadth of understanding Named for some assignments only: how fully the answer shows an understanding of the subject.

How the scoring is done

  • Each written answer is scored by at least two California educators.
  • On Subtest II of CSET: Science the 50 multiple-choice questions count 70% of the score and the 3 written answers 30%.
  • A subtest's passing score is a scaled score of 220 on a scale of 100 to 300.

Source: The performance characteristics are named in the program's Test Results Report Information (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/content/docs/CS_ScoreReport_Insert.pdf), read 2026-10-11. On Subtest II the written answers count for 30% of the score (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/CA_SG_obj_217.htm). Checked October 11, 2026.

Next step The general science subtest: CSET Foundational ScienceAnother concentration: CSET Chemistry

All 51 questions

Earth's place in the universe 17

  • A mineral grain holds one quarter of the radioactive parent isotope it started with. How many half-lives have passed? U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Time: Radiometric time scale (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0003 the history of planet Earth (SMR 1.3).
  • Astronomers watch a star dim by a tiny amount at regular intervals. Which way of finding planets around other stars does this describe? NASA Science, How We Find and Characterize Exoplanets (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0002 Earth and the solar system (SMR 1.2).
  • By Kepler's second law, where in its orbit does a planet move fastest? NASA Science, Orbits and Kepler's Laws (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0002 Earth and the solar system (SMR 1.2).
Show all 51 questions (48 more)

Earth's place in the universe, continued

  • By Kepler's third law, the square of a period in years equals the cube of the average distance from the Sun in astronomical units. What is the period of a body that orbits 4 AU from the Sun? NASA Science, Orbits and Kepler's Laws (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0002 Earth and the solar system (SMR 1.2).
  • Earth's shadow slowly covers the bright disk of the Moon. Which phase must the Moon be in for this eclipse to take place? NASA Space Place, Lunar Eclipses and Solar Eclipses (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0002 Earth and the solar system (SMR 1.2).
  • Edwin Hubble found that other galaxies are moving away from us, and that the farthest galaxies move away fastest. What does this show? NASA Space Place, What Is the Big Bang? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0001 the universe and its stars (SMR 1.1).
  • Fossils of the same land plants and animals are found in rocks of the same age in South America and Africa. Alfred Wegener used this as evidence for what? U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Historical perspective (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0003 the history of planet Earth (SMR 1.3).
  • How does the mass of a star affect how long it shines? NASA Science, Stars (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0001 the universe and its stars (SMR 1.1).
  • The Late Heavy Bombardment is a proposed interval about 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago. What is thought to have happened during it? Wikipedia, Late Heavy Bombardment (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0002 Earth and the solar system (SMR 1.2).
  • NASA describes a class of galaxies that look like giant rotating pinwheels, with a flat disk of stars and a central bulge. Our own galaxy is one of them. Which class is it? NASA Science, Galaxy Types (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0001 the universe and its stars (SMR 1.1).
  • What first put large amounts of free oxygen into Earth's atmosphere? Wikipedia, Great Oxidation Event (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0003 the history of planet Earth (SMR 1.3).
  • What process powers a star like the Sun through most of its life? NASA Science, Stars (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0001 the universe and its stars (SMR 1.1).
  • When do neap tides, the tides with the smallest range between high and low water, occur? NASA Science, Tides (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0002 Earth and the solar system (SMR 1.2).
  • Which is the leading explanation for how the Moon formed? NASA Science, Moon Formation (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0003 the history of planet Earth (SMR 1.3).
  • Which list puts divisions of the geologic time scale in order from longest to shortest? National Park Service, Geologic Time Scale (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0003 the history of planet Earth (SMR 1.3).
  • Which of these does NASA call the oldest light we can observe in the universe? NASA Science, The Big Bang (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0001 the universe and its stars (SMR 1.1).
  • Which stars can make heavy elements such as gold, silver and uranium? NASA Space Place, What Is a Supernova? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Place in the Universe 0001 the universe and its stars (SMR 1.1).

Earth's systems 21

  • Granite has large crystals that are easy to see. What does that show about how it formed? U.S. Geological Survey, What are igneous rocks? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0004 Earth's materials and systems (SMR 2.1).
  • Hot rock deep in the mantle rises, spreads sideways under the plates and sinks again as it cools. What is this circulation called? U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Some unanswered questions (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0005 plate tectonics and large-scale systems (SMR 2.2).
  • In the stratosphere, warmer air lies above cooler air. What produces the heat? NOAA JetStream, Layers of the Atmosphere (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0007 the atmosphere, weather, and climate (SMR 2.4).
  • The islands and seamounts of the Hawaiian chain get older toward the northwest. What explains the pattern? U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: "Hotspots" (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0005 plate tectonics and large-scale systems (SMR 2.2).
  • Many of the world's large deserts lie near 30 degrees of latitude. What is the main reason? NOAA JetStream, Global Atmospheric Circulations (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0007 the atmosphere, weather, and climate (SMR 2.4).
  • NASA's account of the carbon cycle puts about 65,500 billion metric tons of carbon in one reservoir, far more than in any other. Which reservoir is it? NASA Earth Observatory, The Carbon Cycle (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0004 Earth's materials and systems (SMR 2.1).
  • Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and calcite a hardness of 3. What happens when the two are rubbed together? Wikipedia, Mohs scale (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0004 Earth's materials and systems (SMR 2.1).
  • Slightly acidic water dissolves limestone over long spans of time and leaves caves, sinkholes and disappearing streams. What is this kind of landscape called? National Park Service, Karst Landscapes (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0004 Earth's materials and systems (SMR 2.1).
  • The trade winds weaken, and warm surface water is pushed back east toward the west coast of the Americas. Which climate pattern is this? NOAA National Ocean Service, What are El Niño and La Niña? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0007 the atmosphere, weather, and climate (SMR 2.4).
  • Water seeps into a crack in a rock, freezes and widens the crack. Which kind of weathering is this? National Park Service, Weathering (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0004 Earth's materials and systems (SMR 2.1).
  • What does the Modified Mercalli scale rate? U.S. Geological Survey, magnitude and intensity FAQ (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0005 plate tectonics and large-scale systems (SMR 2.2).
  • What drives the slow, deep circulation of the ocean known as the global conveyor belt? NOAA National Ocean Service, What is the global ocean conveyor belt? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0006 oceanography and the role of water (SMR 2.3).
  • What is a thermocline? NOAA National Ocean Service, What is a thermocline? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0006 oceanography and the role of water (SMR 2.3).
  • What is the average salinity of seawater? NOAA National Ocean Service, Why is the ocean salty? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0006 oceanography and the role of water (SMR 2.3).
  • Where two plates slide past each other, crust is neither made nor destroyed. Which of these is an example of such a boundary on land? U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Understanding plate motions (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0005 plate tectonics and large-scale systems (SMR 2.2).
  • Which condition does a tropical cyclone need in order to form? NOAA JetStream, Tropical Cyclone Introduction (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0007 the atmosphere, weather, and climate (SMR 2.4).
  • Which conditions change an existing rock into a metamorphic rock? U.S. Geological Survey, What are metamorphic rocks? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0004 Earth's materials and systems (SMR 2.1).
  • Which description fits a shield volcano? U.S. Geological Survey, Volcanoes: Principal Types of Volcanoes (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0005 plate tectonics and large-scale systems (SMR 2.2).
  • Which seismic waves are the first to reach a seismograph after an earthquake? U.S. Geological Survey, The Science of Earthquakes (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0005 plate tectonics and large-scale systems (SMR 2.2).
  • Which substances are the main human-made cause of the thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Basic Ozone Layer Science (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0007 the atmosphere, weather, and climate (SMR 2.4).
  • Why does a large lake warm up more slowly in spring than the land around it? U.S. Geological Survey, Specific Heat Capacity and Water (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth's Systems 0006 oceanography and the role of water (SMR 2.3).

Earth and human activity 13

  • During strong shaking, loose soil that is saturated with water can lose its strength and behave like a liquid. What is this called? U.S. Geological Survey, What is liquefaction? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0009 natural hazards (SMR 3.2).
  • Fertilizer runoff feeds a bloom of algae in an estuary. What happens to the water when the algae die and decompose? NOAA National Ocean Service, What is eutrophication? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0010 human impacts on Earth's systems (SMR 3.3).
  • The Geysers, north of San Francisco, is a major source of which energy resource? U.S. Energy Information Administration, Where geothermal energy is found (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0008 natural resources (SMR 3.1).
  • Heavy pumping of groundwater in California's San Joaquin Valley has had which effect on the land? U.S. Geological Survey, Land Subsidence (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0008 natural resources (SMR 3.1).
  • How do ice cores record the makeup of the atmosphere in the distant past? NASA Earth Observatory, Paleoclimatology: The Ice Core Record (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0011 global climate change (SMR 3.4).
  • In reverse osmosis desalination, how is salt removed from seawater? Wikipedia, Desalination (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0008 natural resources (SMR 3.1).
  • In the United States, most of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by people come from which activity? U.S. Energy Information Administration, Where greenhouse gases come from (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0011 global climate change (SMR 3.4).
  • Ocean acidification is caused mainly by the ocean's uptake of which gas from the atmosphere? NOAA National Ocean Service, What is ocean acidification? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0010 human impacts on Earth's systems (SMR 3.3).
  • What is the California State Water Project? Wikipedia, California State Water Project (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0008 natural resources (SMR 3.1).
  • What is the main purpose of California's Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act? California Geological Survey, Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0009 natural hazards (SMR 3.2).
  • Which two processes cause most of the rise in global sea level? NOAA National Ocean Service, Is sea level rising? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0011 global climate change (SMR 3.4).
  • Why are cities often warmer than the countryside around them? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, What Are Heat Islands? (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0010 human impacts on Earth's systems (SMR 3.3).
  • Why do Santa Ana winds raise the danger of wildfire in Southern California? Wikipedia, Santa Ana winds (read 2026-10-11). Outline: CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences subject matter requirements, Earth and Human Activity 0009 natural hazards (SMR 3.2).

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the published subject matter requirements of CSET: Science Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences, test code 219, read 2026-10-11 on the program site of the California Educator Credentialing Assessments (test page https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/CA_CSET217_TestPage.html; test structure https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/CA_SG_obj_217.htm; subtest description https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/content/docs/CSET_Prep/CS_219subtestdescription.pdf): 50 multiple-choice questions and 3 short constructed-response questions. The structure prints no count for each domain, so the bank follows the eleven competencies of the description: 17 questions on the three of Earth's Place in the Universe, 21 on the four of Earth's Systems and 13 on the four of Earth and Human Activity. Facts were read on 2026-10-11 in the page named under each question: NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the California Geological Survey and six Wikipedia articles; the two calculations were worked twice. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free Earth and space science CSET practice test asks 51 questions of our own for Subtest II: Earth and Space Sciences of CSET: Science. Unofficial, and not affiliated with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or Pearson.

Read the full guide

Where it sits in CSET: Science

CSET: Science has two subtests. Subtest I, test code 215, is general science. Subtest II is your concentration, and Earth and Space Sciences is test code 219, by the test structure read October 11, 2026. Exam mode asks 50 questions, the multiple-choice count of the real subtest.

What the questions cover

The subject matter requirements list eleven competencies in three domains. Earth's place in the universe: stars, the solar system, the history of the planet. Earth's systems: rocks, plate tectonics, oceans, atmosphere. Earth and human activity: resources, hazards, human impacts, climate change.

Where the answers come from

Most answers were read on pages of NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA and the National Park Service, named under each question.

  • Several questions are about California itself: the State Water Project, The Geysers, the San Andreas fault zone and the Alquist-Priolo fault zones.
  • The test page says an on-screen scientific calculator is provided for CSET: Science.

Questions and answers

Is this Earth and space science CSET practice test free?

Yes. All 51 questions and their explanations are free, with no sign-up. They are ours, written from the published subject matter requirements: none comes from the real subtest, its sample questions or the official practice test, and no score is predicted.

How many questions are on the CSET Earth and Space Sciences subtest?

50 multiple-choice questions and 3 short constructed-response questions, by the test structure. The multiple-choice questions count 70% of the score and the written answers 30%.

How long is the CSET Earth and Space Sciences test?

Subtest II is 2 hours, by the test page. Taken with Subtest I in a single session the two run 6 hours, plus 15 minutes for a nondisclosure agreement and tutorial.

What is the passing score for CSET Earth and Space Sciences?

220 per subtest, on a scale of 100 to 300. Written answers are part of that score, so this page shows how many questions you got right and gives no verdict.

Which credential does the CSET Earth and Space Sciences subtest lead to?

Science: Geosciences. The test structure names it as the credential area for the Earth and Space Sciences concentration.

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