How to Pass CBEST Math

The Math section of the CBEST defeats many teacher candidates each year, even those who have already earned their bachelor's degree. You can pass the first time though, even if math is not your best subject by using targeted preparation.

The CBEST is designed so that if you pass some of the sections and fail others you only have to retake the part you failed. So if Math is a problem area for you, plan to devote as much time as you can on it; both to prepare and while you are taking the test.

Math is a subject that requires that you master certain concepts and procedures before you can move on and if you are missing something it can cause major problems for you later. For example, if you don't understand how to factor polynomials, you are going to have trouble completing the rest of Algebra.

The best way to improve your math score on CBEST is to discover what you know and don't know, then focus on learning what you don't know. There is a website called ALEKS that has an artificial intelligence system to find out what you don't know in Math and teach it to you.

What is great about ALEKS is that it meets you at your current level of mathematics, elegantly teaches you what you need to know and moves you onto the next level of achievement. Best of all, ALEKS is cheaper than attending a math class, more personalized and intensive than a CBEST review and you don't have to buy books. ALEKS would also be a good choice for preparing for CSET Math or CSET Multiple Subjects because you can learn everything that is on the math subtests.

You can also get a CBEST preparation book and take the math section and see what kind of problems you are missing and focus on learning how to solve the problems. I also took a high school level correspondence course through Brigham Young University on Basic Algebra and Math and it was excellent for reviewing for CBEST.

Another powerful technique for passing CBEST's math section is to memorize you can so that you can be more accurate as you answer questions and save time. When you save time and know how to solve each of the problems, you will feel more confident, guess less and score higher.

Memorize the following: measurements, conversions for fractions to a percent, computing percentages, how to solve algebra problems with a single variable, basic geometry theorems and formulas that will help you solve problems. Don't let 50 math multiple choice questions stand in your way of becoming a teacher, knock out CBEST math the first time.