A bookkeeper who qualifies under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act must be away from work to look after her father, who has a serious health condition. What does the Act give her?29 U.S.C. 2612, Leave requirement (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0001, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Ownership
A franchisor hands a prospective franchisee its current disclosure document on March 1. Under the FTC's Franchise Rule, what is the earliest date the franchisee may sign a binding agreement or pay the franchisor?16 CFR 436.2, Obligation to furnish documents (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0001, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Ownership
A union and a hospital begin contract talks. Under the National Labor Relations Act, what does the duty "to bargain collectively" require of both sides?29 U.S.C. 158(d), Obligation to bargain collectively (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0001, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Ownership
An entrepreneur is about to ask a bank for a startup loan. Which planning document does the Small Business Administration say lenders and investors commonly request?U.S. Small Business Administration, Write your business plan. Framework section: Competency 0001, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Ownership
At a furniture maker, which pair of jobs are line positions and not staff positions?Wikipedia, "Staff and line". Framework section: Competency 0001, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Ownership
Two friends opening a bike repair shop want their savings and cars kept safe from the shop's debts, and want the profits taxed once, on their own returns. Which structure fits best?U.S. Small Business Administration, Choose a business structure. Framework section: Competency 0001, Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Ownership
Show all 48 questions (42 more)
Business law, ethics and social responsibility 6
A coffee roaster designs a logo so that shoppers know which company the beans come from. Which kind of intellectual property protects a word, phrase or design that identifies the source of goods?U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark, patent, or copyright. Framework section: Competency 0002, Business Law, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
A salaried worker with steady pay has fallen behind on her debts. She wants to keep her house and repay creditors over a few years under a court-approved plan. Which bankruptcy chapter is designed for this?United States Courts, Bankruptcy Basics, Chapter 13 and Chapter 7. Framework section: Competency 0002, Business Law, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
A supplier sues a retailer in federal court over unpaid invoices. What must the supplier show in order to win?United States Courts, Civil Cases and Criminal Cases. Framework section: Competency 0002, Business Law, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
By phone, a caterer agrees to buy an $850 mixer from a dealer, and nothing is put in writing. What is the general rule of UCC 2-201?Uniform Commercial Code 2-201, Formal Requirements; Statute of Frauds (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0002, Business Law, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
Fuel distributors that compete across three neighboring states secretly agree to charge the same price per gallon. Which federal law declares such an agreement illegal?15 U.S.C. 1, Trusts, etc., in restraint of trade illegal (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0002, Business Law, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
New York's Dignity for All Students Act took effect on July 1, 2012. What does it seek to give public school students?New York State Education Department, The Dignity for All Students Act. Framework section: Competency 0002, Business Law, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
Finance, accounting and business math 6
A café pays $8,000 in gross wages one week. Counting only the employer's own share of Social Security tax at 6.2% and Medicare tax at 1.45%, how much do these two taxes add to the café's payroll cost?Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. Framework section: Competency 0003, Financial Management, Accounting, and Business and Marketing Mathematics
A flower shop buys a $6,000 delivery van, paying $1,500 in cash and signing a note for the rest. How does the purchase change the accounting equation?Wikipedia, "Accounting equation". Framework section: Competency 0003, Financial Management, Accounting, and Business and Marketing Mathematics
A food truck has fixed costs of $2,400 a month. Each meal sells for $9 and costs $5 to make. What is the truck's profit in a month when it sells 900 meals?Arithmetic worked from the numbers in the question. Framework section: Competency 0003, Financial Management, Accounting, and Business and Marketing Mathematics
A retailer buys a lamp for $40 and sells it for $64. What are its markup as a percent of cost and its margin as a percent of selling price?Arithmetic worked from the numbers in the question. Framework section: Competency 0003, Financial Management, Accounting, and Business and Marketing Mathematics
A retiree keeps $250,000 in a single account at one FDIC-insured bank and another $250,000 in a single account at a second, separately insured bank. How much of the $500,000 is insured?Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Understanding Deposit Insurance. Framework section: Competency 0003, Financial Management, Accounting, and Business and Marketing Mathematics
A student opens a public company's annual report on Form 10-K to find its audited financial statements. Which three statements does that section include?U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, How to Read a 10-K. Framework section: Competency 0003, Financial Management, Accounting, and Business and Marketing Mathematics
Communication and information technology 6
A desktop computer loses power while a report is open, and the unsaved pages are gone when it restarts. Which property of the computer's main memory explains the loss?Wikipedia, "Random-access memory". Framework section: Competency 0004, Communication and Information Technology
A sales team used to a low-context culture is preparing to meet partners from a high-context culture. In the framework of high-context and low-context cultures, what marks low-context communication?Wikipedia, "High-context and low-context cultures". Framework section: Competency 0004, Communication and Information Technology
A spreadsheet formula in cell D4 multiplies the price in B4 by a tax rate stored only in cell C1. Before the formula is copied down the column, how should the tax cell be written so that it does not shift?Microsoft Support, Switch between relative, absolute, and mixed references. Framework section: Competency 0004, Communication and Information Technology
A student sets a business letter in block format. How are its paragraphs laid out?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Writing the Basic Business Letter. Framework section: Competency 0004, Communication and Information Technology
An email that looks as if it comes from the payroll office tells staff to follow a link and "confirm" their bank account numbers. Which threat fits the way the NIST glossary describes this?National Institute of Standards and Technology, Computer Security Resource Center glossary, phishing. Framework section: Competency 0004, Communication and Information Technology
An office must send the same letter to 400 clients, each greeted by name. Which word processing feature builds the letters from a list of names?Microsoft Support, Use mail merge for bulk email, letters, labels, and envelopes. Framework section: Competency 0004, Communication and Information Technology
E-commerce and international business 6
A shopper clicks "unsubscribe" in a store's promotional email. Under the CAN-SPAM Act, how long may the store go on sending that person commercial email?15 U.S.C. 7704, Other protections for users of commercial electronic mail (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0005, E-Commerce and International Business
A thief steals an employee's password but still cannot log in, because the site also asks for a code from the employee's phone. Which safeguard stopped the break-in?Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Turn On MFA. Framework section: Competency 0005, E-Commerce and International Business
A U.S. shop buys scarves from a French supplier for €40 each. The euro then rises from $1.10 to $1.25. What happens to the shop's cost for each scarf in dollars?Arithmetic worked from the numbers in the question. Framework section: Competency 0005, E-Commerce and International Business
An online shop's product page names no shipping time. Under the FTC rule on mail, internet and telephone orders, the shop must have a reasonable basis to expect to ship within what time?16 CFR 435.2, Mail, internet, or telephone order sales (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0005, E-Commerce and International Business
Country X, a member of the World Trade Organization, cuts its customs duty on cheese from Country Y alone and leaves the duty unchanged for every other member. Which WTO principle does this normally break?World Trade Organization, Understanding the WTO: Principles of the trading system. Framework section: Competency 0005, E-Commerce and International Business
In a day Country A can make 60 phones or 30 bikes, and Country B can make 20 phones or 20 bikes. By the principle of comparative advantage, how should they specialize before trading?World Trade Organization, Understanding the WTO: The case for open trade. Framework section: Competency 0005, E-Commerce and International Business
Economics and personal finance 6
A family compares health plans by premium and deductible. Which statement uses the two terms correctly?HealthCare.gov glossary, Premium and Deductible. Framework section: Competency 0006, Economics and Personal Finance
A worker compares a traditional IRA with a Roth IRA. Which statement about contributions matches the IRS summary of the two?Internal Revenue Service, Traditional and Roth IRAs. Framework section: Competency 0006, Economics and Personal Finance
The Federal Reserve Act names three goals for monetary policy. Two are maximum employment and stable prices. What is the third?Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Monetary Policy: What Are Its Goals? How Does It Work?. Framework section: Competency 0006, Economics and Personal Finance
How often does a consumer have the right to request a free copy of a credit report from each of the three major consumer reporting companies?Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How do I get a free copy of my credit reports?. Framework section: Competency 0006, Economics and Personal Finance
Three carriers sell all the cellphone service in a small town. When one cuts its monthly price, the other two match it within days. Which feature of an oligopoly does this show?Wikipedia, "Oligopoly". Framework section: Competency 0006, Economics and Personal Finance
Which description matches the way the National Bureau of Economic Research defines a recession?National Bureau of Economic Research, Business Cycle Dating. Framework section: Competency 0006, Economics and Personal Finance
Marketing 6
A bakery starts selling through a delivery service and a second storefront in place of its one original shop. Which element of the marketing mix has it changed?Wikipedia, "Marketing mix". Framework section: Competency 0007, Marketing
A gym's SWOT analysis notes four facts: its trainers are certified, its building is old, a housing complex is opening nearby, and a low-cost chain plans a branch across the street. Which is the threat?Wikipedia, "SWOT analysis". Framework section: Competency 0007, Marketing
A shop owner wants to learn how her customers react to a proposed new logo. By the Small Business Administration's guidance on market research, which approach fits that question?U.S. Small Business Administration, Market research and competitive analysis. Framework section: Competency 0007, Marketing
A sneaker brand sends a popular student athlete free shoes, and she praises them in a post to her followers. Under the FTC's endorsement guides, what is required?16 CFR 255.5, Disclosure of material connections (Legal Information Institute copy). Framework section: Competency 0007, Marketing
An outdoor retailer builds its customer groups from surveys about how people spend their leisure time and what they care about, not from their ages or zip codes. Which basis of market segmentation is it using?Wikipedia, "Market segmentation". Framework section: Competency 0007, Marketing
Before opening a second location, a florist writes a competitive analysis. By the Small Business Administration's description, which task belongs in it?U.S. Small Business Administration, Market research and competitive analysis. Framework section: Competency 0007, Marketing
Career development 6
A 15-year-old in New York State is offered an after-school job at a grocery store. What must she have in order to hold the job?New York State Department of Labor, Working Papers. Framework section: Competency 0008, Career Development
A junior arranges a short talk with a hospital administrator to ask about her career path. By CareerOneStop's description, what is the focus of such an informational interview?CareerOneStop (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor), Informational interviews. Framework section: Competency 0008, Career Development
A student's interest inventory reports scores for six types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. What are such results meant to help the student do?O*NET Resource Center, O*NET Interest Profiler. Framework section: Competency 0008, Career Development
New York's CDOS Standard 3a lists eight universal foundation skills. Which of these is one of the eight?New York State Education Department, Learning Standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies at Three Levels. Framework section: Competency 0008, Career Development
Students use algebra and spreadsheet skills from other classes to prepare a working budget for the school store. Which New York CDOS learning standard does the task address most directly?New York State Education Department, Learning Standards for Career Development and Occupational Studies at Three Levels. Framework section: Competency 0008, Career Development
Which career goal best fits the SMART system that CareerOneStop describes?CareerOneStop (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor), Set career goals. Framework section: Competency 0008, Career Development
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the eight selected-response competencies of the NYSTCE Field 168: Business and Marketing Test Design and Framework, March 2021, authorized for distribution by the New York State Education Department (https://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY168_OBJ.pdf, read 2026-10-12): each competency carries 11 or 12 of the 90 selected-response items, 10% of the test score apiece. The bank holds 6 for each, 48 in all. Every fact was read on 2026-10-12 in the public document the question names: federal statutes, rules and the Uniform Commercial Code in the Legal Information Institute's copies (law.cornell.edu); pages of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the United States Courts, the Internal Revenue Service, the FDIC, the Securities and Exchange Commission's Investor.gov, the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, HealthCare.gov, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the World Trade Organization, O*NET, CareerOneStop, the New York State Education Department and the New York State Department of Labor; Purdue OWL and Microsoft Support; the NIST glossary; and eight Wikipedia articles. Three answers are arithmetic alone, worked from the numbers in the question. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This NYSTCE business practice test has 48 questions of our own on New York's Business and Marketing CST. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the New York State Education Department or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What the real test asks
The framework of March 2021 plans 90 selected-response items, 11 or 12 on each of eight competencies, for 80% of the score. One written response on teaching carries the other 20%, and this page does not mark writing.
Timing here
Exam mode asks all 48 questions in 72 minutes, the pace of 90 in 135.
New York in the bank
Questions on the Dignity for All Students Act, the state's CDOS learning standards and working papers for workers aged 14 to 17 sit beside the Uniform Commercial Code and federal law such as the Sherman Act.
Several answers take arithmetic, among them payroll tax, markup and margin, and an exchange rate.
Questions and answers
Is this the NYSTCE Business 069 practice test?
It follows the test New York gives today, Business and Marketing CST (168), whose framework is dated March 2021. A 2018 notice on the NYSTCE site listed the field as 069 Business and Marketing; the test list now shows 168.
What score do you need to pass the Business and Marketing CST?
The test's own page gives a passing score of 520. That is a scaled score and not a count of right answers, so this page shows your number right and no pass verdict.
Is there a NYSTCE Business practice test PDF?
Yes. After a round, Print lists the questions you just answered. Add the rest, tick the answer key if you want one, and choose Save as PDF in the print window.
Does the Business and Marketing CST have an essay?
Yes. The framework lists one constructed-response item on pedagogical content knowledge, designed for up to 60 minutes. It asks for an instructional strategy or intervention for a business topic and the reason for it.