CBST Practice Test
Last updated: October 2026
The Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST) is a 40-question, 20-minute basic skills test used for entry-level and administrative hiring. It measures learned skills rather than raw aptitude — reading, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and arithmetic — at 30 seconds per question. Scores are reported as a raw score out of 40 plus Verbal Ability and Math Skills percentiles; each employer sets its own cutoff for the role.
What the CBST actually measures
The CBST is not primarily a reasoning test. It checks whether you have the verbal and math fundamentals the job assumes — the skills you would use reading a procedure, checking an order, or balancing a simple ledger. It is usually taken online before or alongside an interview.
The question types
- Basic numeracy — arithmetic word problems, percentages, decimals, and fractions, usually framed in workplace situations like invoices and schedules.
- Spelling — identifying the correctly (or incorrectly) spelled word among near-miss options.
- Grammar and punctuation — subject-verb agreement, verb tense, pronouns, and apostrophes in sentence context.
- Vocabulary — word meanings in context: what a word or phrase most nearly means in a sentence.
- Reading comprehension — short passages — policies, memos, notices — with questions answered directly from the text.
- Attention to detail — matching names, codes, or numbers against a reference list and spotting the mismatch.
The two rules that decide your score
- 30 seconds per question, and they get harder. 40 questions in 20 minutes is a fixed pace, and the items increase in difficulty as you go. The early questions are quick wins — bank that time for the harder tail, and don't let one question eat the clock.
- Wrong answers don't count against you. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave a blank. If a question stalls you, guess and keep moving.
How to prepare
- Review the basics cold. Because the CBST tests learned skills, review pays directly: common spelling traps, apostrophe and agreement rules, percentage and rate formulas.
- Practice reading under a stopwatch. The comprehension passages are simple; the skill is answering from the text in under 30 seconds without re-reading.
- Drill attention-to-detail items. They are pure accuracy work and easy to fumble under time pressure. Slow down by a second to compare properly.
- Take a full timed run. Do one 40-question, 20-minute simulation to calibrate pacing before test day.
Try a free CBST sample
Our free sample is an 8-question slice of the full bank on the real 30-seconds-per-question clock, with answer explanations after every item. Full 40-question, 20-minute practice tests are included with complete access.
Take the free CBST sampleFrequently asked questions
How many questions are on the CBST?
40 multiple-choice questions in 20 minutes — 30 seconds per question, with questions increasing in difficulty.
How is it scored?
Raw score out of 40 (number correct) plus Verbal Ability and Math Skills percentiles. Each employer sets its own cutoff for the role, so there is no universal pass mark.
Is there a penalty for wrong answers?
No. Answer everything. A guessed answer can only help your score; a blank cannot.
What kinds of questions are on the test?
Basic numeracy, spelling, grammar and punctuation, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and attention to detail — six basic-skills areas, weighted toward verbal fundamentals.
TestPrep.me writes all of its practice questions to specification rather than copying real test items; Criteria Corp does not publish its item bank, and no prep source has the live forms.