No, the CBEST is not required for California substitute teachers who already hold a bachelor’s degree. Since June 29, 2024, a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution satisfies both the degree requirement and the basic skills requirement for the Emergency 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit and the Emergency Career Substitute Teaching Permit. If you have the degree, you can apply for your permit without sitting for the CBEST or any equivalent exam.1Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Substitute Teaching Certification Options
When You Still Need to Clear the Basic Skills Requirement
There is one permit where the CBEST question remains live: the Emergency Substitute Teaching Permit for Prospective Teachers. This permit lets you substitute while you are still finishing your degree. To qualify you need at least 90 semester units from a regionally accredited four-year institution and proof of current enrollment at a California college or university.2Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Emergency Substitute Teaching Permit For Prospective Teachers
Because you do not yet hold a bachelor’s, the degree cannot cover basic skills for you. You have to satisfy the requirement another way, either by taking the CBEST or by using one of the alternatives the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) accepts.1Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Substitute Teaching Certification Options
The same logic applies if you are eventually pursuing a full teaching credential. The bachelor’s-degree pathway announced in 2024 covers the substitute permits; a full credential program will have its own basic skills gate to clear.
Ways to Satisfy the Basic Skills Requirement Without the CBEST
The basic skills requirement covers reading, writing, and math. You can meet it with a single method that hits all three areas, or you can mix methods across skill areas.3Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667)
SAT
For the redesigned SAT (taken after March 2016), you need at least 560 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 570 on Mathematics. For the older SAT (before March 2016), the thresholds are 500 on Critical Reading or Verbal and 550 on Mathematics.4Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Guidance Chart for Mixing BSR Options
ACT
A 22 or higher on ACT English combined with a 23 or higher on ACT Mathematics satisfies the requirement.3Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667)
AP Exams
A score of 3 or higher on either AP English exam (Language and Composition or Literature and Composition), paired with a 3 or higher on AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, or AP Statistics, will also qualify.3Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667)
College Coursework
You can submit transcripts showing completed reading, writing, and math courses from a regionally accredited institution. Each course must be at least three semester units or four quarter units, taken for academic credit, degree-applicable, and passed with a B or better.3Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667)
CSET Combination
Passing all three subtests of the CSET: Multiple Subjects along with the CSET: Writing Skills exam meets the requirement.3Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667)
CSU Placement and Out-of-State Tests
Passing the California State University Early Assessment Program or the CSU Placement Examinations (the English Placement Test and the Entry Level Mathematics exam) will satisfy the requirement. The CTC also accepts basic skills exams from other states; if you passed an equivalent test elsewhere, submit a copy of the score report with your application.3Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Basic Skills Requirement (CL-667)
Mixing Methods
Nothing forces you to use one method for all three areas. You might use an SAT math score for math and a college course for reading and writing, or any other combination. The CTC publishes a chart showing which tests and courses cover which skill areas.4Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Guidance Chart for Mixing BSR Options
What the CBEST Looks Like If You Take It
If you decide to sit for the exam anyway, here is what it involves. The CBEST tests basic reading, math, and writing skills relevant to educators. It does not measure teaching ability.5Pearson VUE. California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)
Reading and Mathematics each contain 50 multiple-choice questions. Writing requires two essays: one analyzing a situation or statement, and one describing a personal experience.6Commission on Teacher Credentialing. CBEST Study Guide
You need a combined scaled score of at least 123 across all three sections to pass. The target for each section is 41. A score as low as 37 on one or two sections is acceptable if your total still reaches 123, but anything below 37 on any section is an automatic fail regardless of the total.7Commission on Teacher Credentialing. CBEST Test Results Information
The exam is available both at testing centers and as an online-proctored test. Registration runs about $30 per section, so roughly $90 if you take all three at once. Late and emergency registration add surcharges.
What You Do Need for a Sub Permit
Dropping the CBEST does not mean the permit is paperwork-only. Two requirements still apply to every substitute permit.
Every applicant needs fingerprint clearance. California law requires state and FBI criminal history checks through the CTC, handled electronically through Live Scan. You visit a Live Scan operator with identification, have your fingerprints captured, and the operator transmits the data to the California Department of Justice, which forwards it to the FBI.8Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Fingerprint Information9State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Fingerprint Background Checks Government processing runs $32 to the DOJ and $17 to the FBI, and the Live Scan operator charges a separate rolling fee that varies by location.10State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Applicant Fingerprint Processing Fees
You will also need tuberculosis clearance. Most districts require either a negative TB test result or a completed TB risk assessment before you start work. Timelines and accepted formats vary, so ask your hiring district what they expect.
Beyond that, you apply through CTC Online, pay the current application processing fee, and, if you have a bachelor’s degree, you are done with the testing question. If you are applying under the Prospective Teachers permit, that is where the CBEST or one of the alternatives above comes back into the picture.