CBST Preparation and Study Resources 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How long do candidates typically have to complete the CBST?
- 15 minutes
- 20 minutes (Correct answer)
- 45 minutes
- 90 minutes
Correct answer: 20 minutes
The CBST is designed to be completed in approximately 20 minutes, making time management during practice important.
Question 2: What is the primary reason employers use the CBST during the hiring process?
- To measure a candidate's work history and job experience
- To predict whether a candidate has the reading, vocabulary, and math skills needed for a job (Correct answer)
- To evaluate a candidate's personality and teamwork ability
- To test technical knowledge specific to the job industry
Correct answer: To predict whether a candidate has the reading, vocabulary, and math skills needed for a job
The CBST assesses foundational cognitive skills that research shows predict on-the-job learning and performance across many roles.
Question 3: Which of the following is the best strategy when you encounter an unfamiliar vocabulary word on the CBST?
- Skip it immediately and never return
- Use prefixes, suffixes, and root words to infer the meaning (Correct answer)
- Always guess the longest answer choice
- Leave it blank to avoid a penalty
Correct answer: Use prefixes, suffixes, and root words to infer the meaning
Morphological analysis — breaking words into roots, prefixes, and suffixes — is a reliable technique for inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Question 4: A candidate is preparing for the CBST math section. Which resource would be MOST useful?
- A college-level calculus textbook
- A GED math practice workbook covering arithmetic and basic algebra (Correct answer)
- A financial accounting manual
- An SAT Subject Test in Mathematics II guide
Correct answer: A GED math practice workbook covering arithmetic and basic algebra
GED math materials align closely with the CBST's focus on foundational arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, and basic algebra.
Question 5: How does practicing under timed conditions improve CBST performance?
- It trains your memory to store more vocabulary words
- It builds the ability to pace yourself and avoid running out of time during the real test (Correct answer)
- It automatically raises your score by 10 points
- Timed practice has no measurable benefit for CBST prep
Correct answer: It builds the ability to pace yourself and avoid running out of time during the real test
Simulating the 20-minute time constraint during practice helps candidates develop pacing habits that prevent time pressure from hurting their real-test scores.
Question 6: Which approach best helps a candidate improve CBST reading comprehension scores over two weeks?
- Reading the same passage 10 times in a row
- Daily practice with short passages followed by answering comprehension questions (Correct answer)
- Memorizing a list of 500 vocabulary words
- Watching instructional videos without answering any practice questions
Correct answer: Daily practice with short passages followed by answering comprehension questions
Regular practice with varied passages and immediate question answering builds the active reading strategies that the CBST measures.
Question 7: On the CBST, which skill area is most useful for answering 'inference' questions in the reading section?
- Speed-reading to cover more text
- Identifying explicit facts stated directly in the passage
- Drawing logical conclusions from information implied but not stated outright (Correct answer)
- Memorizing the author's background before reading
Correct answer: Drawing logical conclusions from information implied but not stated outright
Inference questions require combining stated information with reasoning to reach a conclusion the passage implies but does not directly state.
CBST Preparation and Study Resources 3
How long do candidates typically have to complete the CBST?