Subtest I: Reading, Language, and Literature; History and Social Science
Reading, Language, and Literature
What the questions test
Candidates need a firm grasp of the reading rope: phonemic awareness (oral manipulation of sounds), phonics (sound-spelling correspondences), fluency (accuracy, rate, prosody), vocabulary, and comprehension. Know the alphabetic principle, common syllable types, and decoding patterns (CVC, CVCe, vowel teams, r-controlled). For comprehension, distinguish literal, inferential, and evaluative questions, and know narrative elements (plot, character, setting, theme, point of view) plus expository structures (compare-contrast, cause-effect, sequence, problem-solution, description). In language, review parts of speech, sentence types, punctuation, and the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing). Literature items may ask about genre features (fable, myth, biography, lyric poetry) and figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole).
Traps
The most common trap is blurring phonemic awareness with phonics: the first is auditory and involves no letters, the second links sounds to print. Another is treating fluency as speed alone - prosody counts. Watch for answer choices that are true statements but do not answer the question asked, such as a supporting detail offered as the main idea. In writing-process items, revising (content and organization) is distinct from editing (conventions).
Worked example
A student reads "shipl" for "ship." That is a decoding error, not a comprehension problem; the fix is phonics review of consonant digraphs and blends, not a vocabulary lesson. Rule of thumb: name the skill deficit before choosing the intervention.
History and Social Science
What the questions test
Expect items on chronology and periodization; primary versus secondary sources and sourcing skills (author, date, purpose, audience, bias); U.S. history from Indigenous societies and colonization through the Revolution, the Constitution, westward expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization, the World Wars, the Depression, the civil rights movement, and the modern era; California history including missions, the Gold Rush, the transcontinental railroad, water, and immigration. World history covers ancient river civilizations, Greece and Rome, the medieval world, the Renaissance, exploration, revolutions, imperialism, and twentieth-century conflict. Geography includes the five themes, map types, and latitude and longitude. Economics covers scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, and specialization. Civics covers the three branches, federalism, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and separation of powers.
Traps
Distinguish cause from effect and correlation from causation. Eliminate answers that are chronologically impossible. Do not confuse the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution, or attribute an amendment to the wrong right. A diary is a primary source even if published later; a textbook is secondary. Federalism (division of power between state and national governments) is not the same as separation of powers (assigning functions to branches).
Worked example
A question asks which principle allows Congress to override a presidential veto. Eliminate federalism and separation of powers, then choose checks and balances. Rule of thumb: name the relationship the mechanism describes, not just the branch involved.