Requirements/California

Elementary Teacher in California.

Two exams, and the reading test you may have heard about no longer exists.

Exams
2
Passing scores
220 · 41
Certificate
Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential

The exams you have to pass

In the order most candidates take them.

01

CSET: Multiple Subjects101/214/225

Three subtests, each passed separately.

Pass220
See what is scored →
02

CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test)CBEST

One of several approved ways to meet the basic skills requirement, not the only one.

Pass41
See what is scored →

What people get wrong

Each of these costs a candidate either money or a test date.

  • RICA is gone. It retired on 31 October 2025 after 25 years and is no longer offered. Reading instruction competence is now demonstrated inside the teaching performance assessment, through CalTPA Literacy, edTPA Multiple Subject Literacy with Mathematics, or FAST.
  • You may not need CSET at all. Subject-matter competence can also be met by completing a Commission-approved subject-matter program, so check your programme before you register and pay.
  • CSET: Multiple Subjects is now 101, 214 and 225. Older guides list 101, 102 and 103.
  • The Foundations of Reading examination was approved from 1 July 2025 as a literacy route for certain candidates who have already completed everything else, including a performance assessment. It is a narrow exception, not the general path.

Required, but not an exam

  • A bachelor’s degree
  • A Commission-approved preparation program
  • A teaching performance assessment: CalTPA, edTPA or FAST
  • The US Constitution requirement, by course or examination
  • Certificate of Clearance and fingerprint background check

Now go pass them.

Knowing the list is the easy part. Built To Pass teaches the strategy layer that works on any of these, aimed at the domains where you are actually losing points.

Start with your exam

Verified 2026-08-04 against California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, RICA transition information (ctcexams.nesinc.com). Certification rules change by state board vote. Confirm with the state before you register for a test.