• 52 questions

CSET Subtest 2 Practice Test

Unofficial practice for CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II: science and mathematics, split evenly as on the real subtest.

What is the distance from one crest of a wave to the next crest called?

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 9, 2026.

Constructed-response prompts to print 8 lines, made to print

Subtest II short constructed-response practice

Name ____ Date ____

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

Science

  • One ice cube sits on a metal plate and another on a plastic plate in the same room. The cube on the metal melts faster. Using what you know about heat transfer, explain why.
  • Describe how energy moves through a food web, from sunlight to producers, consumers and decomposers. Then explain what could happen to the web if one consumer disappeared.
  • Using what you know about plate tectonics, explain why earthquakes are common along the coast of California, and describe one piece of evidence that supports the theory.
  • A class wants to find out whether the amount of light changes how fast bean plants grow. Plan the investigation: name the independent variable, the dependent variable and two things to keep the same.

Mathematics

  • A student says that 3/4 + 2/3 = 5/7. Explain the error in the student's thinking, show a correct solution, and describe a drawing or a number line that makes the correct answer clear.
  • The length of a rectangle is 3 cm more than twice its width, and its perimeter is 42 cm. Write an equation, solve it, and give the length and the width. Show each step.
  • A bag holds 3 red and 5 blue tiles. Two tiles are drawn without putting the first back. Use a tree diagram or an organized list to find the probability that the two tiles differ in color.
  • Using a diagram, explain why the area of a triangle is half of its base times its height.

Source: Own prompts. The real subtest has 4 short constructed-response questions, 2 in science and 2 in mathematics (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/CA_SG_obj_101.htm); the topics follow the content specifications of Subtest II (https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/content/docs/CSET_Prep/CS_214subtestdescription.pdf), both read 2026-10-09. Checked October 9, 2026.

Next step Next: CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest III

All 52 questions

Science: physical sciences 9

  • A beam of light slows down and bends as it passes from air into water. What is this change of direction called? NASA Science, Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, Wave Behaviors (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.2 Principles of Motion and Energy).
  • A puck sliding on smooth ice keeps moving in a straight line at a steady speed after the stick has left it. Which idea explains this? NASA Glenn Research Center, Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, Newton's Laws of Motion (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.2 Principles of Motion and Energy).
  • Energy from the Sun crosses empty space and warms Earth. Which kind of heat transfer is this? National Weather Service, JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.2 Principles of Motion and Energy).
  • Gasoline burns in a car's engine. Which change of energy takes place as it burns? U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained, Forms of energy (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.2 Principles of Motion and Energy).
Show all 52 questions (48 more)

Science: physical sciences, continued

  • One water sample has a pH of 5 and another has a pH of 6. How do the two compare? U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, pH and Water (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.1 Structure and Properties of Matter).
  • Two bar magnets are brought together north pole to north pole. What happens? U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained, Magnets and electricity (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.2 Principles of Motion and Energy).
  • What decides which element an atom is? U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained, The science of electricity (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.1 Structure and Properties of Matter).
  • What is the distance from one crest of a wave to the next crest called? NASA Science, Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.2 Principles of Motion and Energy).
  • Why does an ice cube float in a glass of water? U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, Water Density (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0001 Physical Sciences (1.1 Structure and Properties of Matter).

Science: life sciences 9

  • A fallen log slowly disappears as fungi and bacteria feed on it. What does their work return to the ecosystem? Wikipedia, Trophic level (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.2 Living and Nonliving Components in Environments).
  • A skin cell divides by mitosis. What does the division produce? National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms: Mitosis; Meiosis (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.3 Life Cycle, Reproduction, and Evolution).
  • Farmers grew cabbage, broccoli and kale from wild mustard by letting only plants with the features they wanted reproduce. What is this called? UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Artificial selection (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.3 Life Cycle, Reproduction, and Evolution).
  • In a flower, pollination moves pollen grains from where to where? USDA Forest Service, What is Pollination? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.3 Life Cycle, Reproduction, and Evolution).
  • In a meadow, rabbits eat grass and foxes eat rabbits. What is the rabbit in this food chain? Wikipedia, Trophic level (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.2 Living and Nonliving Components in Environments).
  • In photosynthesis, a plant uses sunlight to change carbon dioxide and water into what? NASA Climate Kids, What Is the Greenhouse Effect? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.1 Structure of Living Organisms and Their Function).
  • Mitochondria generate most of the chemical energy that powers a cell. In which small molecule is that energy stored? National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms: Mitochondria (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.1 Structure of Living Organisms and Their Function).
  • On an island, birds with deeper beaks crack the hard seeds there and leave more offspring, and beak depth is inherited. Over generations deep beaks become common. What is this process? UC Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution, Natural selection (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.3 Life Cycle, Reproduction, and Evolution).
  • Which chambers of the human heart pump blood out of the heart? National Cancer Institute, SEER Training Modules, Structure of the Heart (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0002 Life Sciences (2.1 Structure of Living Organisms and Their Function).

Science: Earth and space 8

  • A rock has large mineral grains because its magma cooled slowly while trapped deep inside the Earth. What kind of rock is it? U.S. Geological Survey, What are igneous rocks? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.2 The Structure and Composition of the Earth).
  • A student says summer is hot because Earth is nearer the Sun then. Which fact shows the idea is wrong? NASA Space Place, What Causes the Seasons? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.1 The Solar System and the Universe).
  • About how long does the Moon take to go from one new moon to the next new moon? NASA Space Place, What Are the Moon's Phases? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.1 The Solar System and the Universe).
  • Air warmed at the ground rises, cools, and is replaced by cooler, denser air, which is felt as wind. Which process is this? National Weather Service, JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.3 The Earth's Atmosphere).
  • Along the San Andreas fault, two plates slide horizontally past each other. Which kind of plate boundary is this? U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth, Understanding plate motions (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.2 The Structure and Composition of the Earth).
  • In the water cycle, what makes water flow downhill on land and makes rain, snow and hail fall from clouds? U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, The Water Cycle (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.4 The Earth's Water).
  • Spring tides, with their larger tidal range, come at which phases of the Moon? NOAA National Ocean Service, What are spring and neap tides? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.4 The Earth's Water).
  • Which layer of the Earth is broken into the moving plates of plate tectonics? U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth, Inside the Earth (read 2026-10-09). Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Science 0003 Earth and Space Sciences (3.2 The Structure and Composition of the Earth).

Math: number sense 7

  • What is (4 × 10⁵) × (2 × 10⁻⁸) in scientific notation? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.1 Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems).
  • What is 7.0649 rounded to the nearest hundredth? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.2 Computational Tools, Procedures, and Strategies).
  • What is the greatest common factor of 72 and 120? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.1 Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems).
  • What is the value of 20 − 12 ÷ 4 × 3 + 2³? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.2 Computational Tools, Procedures, and Strategies).
  • What is the value of 81 raised to the power 3/4? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.1 Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems).
  • Which list puts −3/4, −0.7, 2/3 and 0.67 in order from least to greatest? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.1 Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems).
  • Which of these four numbers cannot be written as a fraction of two whole numbers? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0004 Number Sense (1.1 Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems).

Math: algebra and functions 7

  • A recipe uses 2.5 cups of flour for 20 cookies. At the same rate, how much flour do 56 cookies need? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.1 Patterns and Functional Relationships).
  • A table pairs x = 2, 3, 4, 5 with y = 7, 11, 15, 19. Which rule fits every pair? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.1 Patterns and Functional Relationships).
  • Solve 7(x − 3) = 4x + 6. Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.2 Linear and Quadratic Equations and Inequalities).
  • What are the solutions of x² − 3x − 28 = 0? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.2 Linear and Quadratic Equations and Inequalities).
  • What is the slope of the line through (−3, 4) and (3, −5)? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.2 Linear and Quadratic Equations and Inequalities).
  • Which pair solves both x + y = 12 and 3x − y = 8? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.2 Linear and Quadratic Equations and Inequalities).
  • Which values of x make −3x + 5 > 20 true? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0005 Algebra and Functions (2.2 Linear and Quadratic Equations and Inequalities).

Math: measurement and geometry 6

  • A 5-foot fence post casts a 3-foot shadow. At the same moment a flagpole casts a 21-foot shadow. How tall is the flagpole? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0006 Measurement and Geometry (3.1 Two- and Three-dimensional Geometric Objects).
  • A 17-foot ladder leans on a wall with its foot 8 feet from the wall. How high up the wall does it reach? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0006 Measurement and Geometry (3.1 Two- and Three-dimensional Geometric Objects).
  • A cyclist rides 45 miles in 2.5 hours. At the same speed, how far does she ride in 4.5 hours? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0006 Measurement and Geometry (3.3 Techniques, Tools, and Formulas for Determining Measurements).
  • A cylinder has a radius of 4 cm and a height of 6 cm. What is its volume? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0006 Measurement and Geometry (3.3 Techniques, Tools, and Formulas for Determining Measurements).
  • An isosceles triangle has a vertex angle of 46°. What does each of its two base angles measure? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0006 Measurement and Geometry (3.1 Two- and Three-dimensional Geometric Objects).
  • On a floor plan, 1 inch stands for 8 feet. A room is drawn 2.5 inches by 3 inches. What is the real area of the room? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0006 Measurement and Geometry (3.3 Techniques, Tools, and Formulas for Determining Measurements).

Math: statistics and probability 6

  • A box holds 4 red and 6 blue pens. Two pens are taken out, one after the other, without putting the first back. What is the probability that both are red? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0007 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (4.3 Basic Notions of Chance and Probability).
  • A jar holds 6 red, 2 blue and 7 yellow beads. One bead is drawn at random. What is the probability that it is not yellow? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0007 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (4.3 Basic Notions of Chance and Probability).
  • A spinner with five equal sections numbered 1 to 5 is spun and a fair six-sided die is rolled. What is the probability that both show a number greater than 3? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0007 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (4.3 Basic Notions of Chance and Probability).
  • For the data 6, 9, 4, 9 and 12, what are the range and the mode? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0007 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (4.1 Collection, Organization, and Representation of Data).
  • What is the mean of 11, 16, 8, 21 and 19? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0007 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (4.1 Collection, Organization, and Representation of Data).
  • What is the median of 4, 13, 7, 10, 2 and 16? Arithmetic, worked twice. Outline: CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II content specifications, Mathematics 0007 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (4.1 Collection, Organization, and Representation of Data).

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the published content specifications of CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II, test code 214, read 2026-10-09 on the program site of the California Educator Credentialing Assessments (test page https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/CA_CSET101_TestPage.html; test structure https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/CA_SG_obj_101.htm; subtest description https://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/content/docs/CSET_Prep/CS_214subtestdescription.pdf): 52 multiple-choice questions, 26 in science and 26 in mathematics, and 4 short constructed-response questions. The bank holds 26 science questions (9 physical sciences, 9 life sciences, 8 Earth and space sciences) and 26 mathematics questions (7 number sense, 7 algebra and functions, 6 measurement and geometry, 6 statistics, data analysis and probability). Every science fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page the question names: the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, NOAA and the National Weather Service, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Cancer Institute's SEER training modules, the USDA Forest Service, the Understanding Evolution site of the UC Museum of Paleontology, and one Wikipedia article. Every mathematics answer was worked twice. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free CSET Subtest 2 practice test covers Multiple Subjects Subtest II in 52 questions of our own. 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 Subtest II covers

Subtest II of CSET: Multiple Subjects is test code 214. The bank follows its seven content domains, read October 9, 2026: physical, life, and Earth and space sciences; number sense; algebra and functions; measurement and geometry; and statistics, data analysis and probability.

What is not marked here

The real subtest also asks for short written answers, which this page does not mark. Eight prompts of our own, four in each subject, are under the questions, made to print.

Where the answers come from

Each science question names the page of NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey or another public source its fact was read in. Every mathematics answer is worked twice.

  • Subtest II is given at test centers only. The test page lists online proctoring for Subtests I and III alone.

Questions and answers

Is this CSET Subtest 2 practice test the real exam?

No. The 26 science questions were written from public science pages and the 26 mathematics questions from worked arithmetic. Nothing is taken or reworded from the real subtest, its sample questions or the official practice test, and a result here does not forecast your score.

How many questions are on CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest 2?

52 multiple-choice questions and 4 short constructed-response questions: 26 multiple-choice and 2 constructed-response in science, and the same in mathematics. A session for Subtest II alone is 3 hours.

What is the passing score for CSET Subtest 2?

220 on the subtest, by the test page. The multiple-choice section is 70% of that score and the four written answers are 30%, so a count of right answers here is not a pass or a fail.

Can you use a calculator on CSET Subtest 2?

Yes. The test page says examinees get a standard four-function on-screen calculator for Subtest II, and that one or more assignments let you handwrite a response and scan it.

Which CSET is Subtest 2?

Several CSET examinations have a Subtest II, among them Mathematics, English and Social Science. This page is CSET: Multiple Subjects Subtest II, test code 214: science and mathematics.

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