California Subject Examinations for Teachers® - TEST GUIDE - SCIENCE SUBTEST III: PHYSICS - Sample Questions and Responses and Scoring Information

Sep 29, 2026

California Subject Examinations for Teachers® test guide presents Physics Subtest III for CSET: Science, with sample multiple-choice and constructed-response questions that mirror the assessment format. Readers are instructed to answer without viewing provided responses, then compare their work to model responses. The guide also includes permitted scientific calculator information for science subtests and presents key physics constants, trigonometric functions, and formula tables, followed by notes and example practice questions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Sample Test Questions for CSET: Science Subtest III: Physics

Answering the Sample Questions

Scientific Calculator Instructions

Constants

Trigonometric Functions

Formulas

Notes for Physics Test

Practice Questions

| | California Subject Examinations for Teachers® | | --- | --- | |
TEST GUIDE
SCIENCE SUBTEST III: PHYSICS
Sample Questions and Responsesand Scoring Information | | Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s) . All rights reserved. Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004 California Subject Examinations for Teachers, CSET, and the CSET logo are trademarks of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s) . Pearson and its logo are trademarks, in the U.S. and/or other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s) . CS-TG-QR123X-07 Sample Test Questions for CSET: Science Subtest III: Physics Below is a set of multiple-choice questions and constructed-response questions that are similar to the questions you will see on CSET: Science Subtest III: Physics. You are encouraged to respond to the questions without looking at the responses provided in the next section. Record your responses on a sheet of paper and compare them with the provided responses. Scientific calculators will be provided for the examinees taking General Science Subtests I and II, as well as the specialty subtests of Biology/Life Science, Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Science, and Physics. Refer to the California Educator Credentialing Examinations website for a list of the calculator models that may be provided. Directions for the use of the calculator will not be provided at the test administration. You will not be allowed to use your own calculator for CSET: Science subtests. CONSTANTS Description Value Acceleration of gravity on Earth (g) 9.8 m/s2 Speed of light in a vacuum (c) 3.00 × 108 m/s Planck's constant (h) 6.63 × 10–34 J⋅s = 4.14 ×10–15 eV⋅s Electron rest mass 9.11 × 10–31 kg Proton rest mass 1.67 × 10–27 kg Charge of electron –1.60 × 10–19 C Coulomb's constant (ke) 9.0 × 109 N⋅m2/C2 Boltzmann's constant (k) 1.38 × 10–23 J/K Gas constant (R) L⋅kPa 8.31 mol⋅K Gravitational constant ( G) 6.67 × 10–11 N⋅m2/kg2 TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS Description Value sine 30° sine 45° sine 60° cosine 30° cosine 45° cosine 60° 0.500 0.707 0.866 0.866 0.707 0.500 FORMULAS Description Quadratic formula Constant acceleration Circular motion Spring Pendulum Speed of waves in a string Standing wave condition for a string fixed at both ends Standing wave condition for a string fixed atone end Doppler effect Formula –b ± b2 – 4ac 2a v = vi + atx = xi + vit + 12at 2 v2f – v2i = 2a(xf–xi ) a = vr2 θ = θi + ωit + 12 αt2 ω = ωi + αtv = rω a = rα τ = Iα F = –kx PE = 12kx2 T = 2π m kf = 21π k m ω2 = km T = 2π L g ω2 = gL v = T µ 2L = nλ, n is an integer 4L = nλ, n is odd f ' = f0􀂩􀂨􀂧 VV VV0s􀂷􀂹􀂸 FORMULAS (continued) | Description | Formula | | --- | --- | | Optics | n 1 sin θ 1 = n2 sin θ2
n = cv
1f = 1p + 1q | | Thermodynamics | ∆ U = nCv ∆T
∆Q = mc ∆T PV = nRT 12 m–v2 = 32kT | | Magnetism | F = qv × B
F = IB × B | | Electricity | F = kqr12q2
V = IR
P = IVE = Fq V = ~~ ~~Wq Q = CV | NOTES FOR PHYSICS TEST Not all formulas necessary are listed, nor are all formulas listed used on this test. In questions on electricity and magnetism, the term current refers to "conventional current" and the use of the right-hand rule is assumed. While attention has been paid to significant figures, no answer should be considered incorrect solely because of the number of significant figures. 1. A ball is thrown with an initial velocity of 20 m/s at an angle of 30° above the horizontal. What is the instantaneous vertical velocity of the ball when it is 5.1 m above the release point? (g = 9.8 m/s2) A. 0.2 m/s B. 6.6 m/s C. 10 m/s D. 17 m/s 2. A uniform disk with a mass of 20 kg and radius of 1.5 m is fixed by a pivot at its center. From rest, the disk undergoes an angular acceleration of 0.50 rad/s2. What is the displacement after 3.0

FAQs

How should candidates approach the sample questions before reviewing the responses?

Candidates are encouraged to respond without looking at the responses provided in the next section, then record answers and compare them with the provided responses.

Which calculator use is described for the CSET science subtests?

Scientific calculators will be provided for examinees taking General Science Subtests I and II and specialty subtests, and candidates will not be allowed to use their own calculators.

What topics are covered in the Physics test notes and reference tables?

The guide provides constants, trigonometric function values, physics formulas (including optics, thermodynamics, magnetism, and electricity), and notes such as assumptions for current direction and right-hand rule.

Sep 29, 2026

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