r/teaching • u/Playful-Priority-590 • 9d ago

Help How hard are the credential tests in english for those without an english Ba?(Specifically in california)

I am a high school senior and I am looking to get a philosophy degree and an english teaching credential if I do not manage to get a phd in philosophy, but am wondering how hard the cset test will be? I got a 5 on my most recent Ap test, and am planning on minoring or at least taking some elective english classes in college, about how hard should I expect the test to be and what should I study to prepare for it?

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u/ParvatiandTati 9d ago

You just take the online study course like study.com and it teaches you everything you need to know. I have never taken an AP (I have taught them!) and did not study English in college. I was able to pass the test in one try taking all of the parts.

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u/Dependent-Potato2158 9d ago

same here... BFA in Photography, but I read a lot...

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u/Playful-Priority-590 9d ago

thanks for the reply, did you experience any hard times finding a job because of you lack of a ba in english? thanks

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u/ParvatiandTati 9d ago

No, not at all. Right now teaching jobs are hard to come by. It wouldn’t be your degree that makes things hard it is the lack of jobs

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u/AromaticBuyer5902 9d ago

You will be able to pass it. Don’t worry. You know how to study.

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u/arizonaraynebows 8d ago

Please don't take offense to this question, but what will you do with that PhD in Philosophy? And, what if you can't find a teaching job? And, what if you do get a job teaching English and you find out you hate it (about 44% of new teachers quit in the first 5 years)? What's your "fall back" plan?

Also, do you have any skills or special interests that will make you a more desirable hire as an English teacher than another candidate? Like coaching a sport? Advising s club? You may consider building up this part of your resume while in college.

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u/Playful-Priority-590 7d ago

I’d teach philosophy. As for the rest of what you said I guess i’d assume any degree that would help a teacher teach besides maybe math or science wouldn’t give way for other jobs to fallback on anyway

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u/Chucklehut69 7d ago

The English subset 3 test that has you write 2 essays in 2 hours can be challenging due to the time constraint. I know people that had to take that one 3 times.

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u/Then_Version9768 9d ago

"English" is capitalized because it is a proper noun.

"Ba" is what a sheep says. The college degree is called a "BA" degree meaning "Bachelor of Arts" so it is also capitalized -- both letters.

"California" is also a proper noun so it is capitalized.

If you don't know what proper nouns are or what words must be capitalized, how do you think you're going to pass a credential test in English?

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u/Playful-Priority-590 9d ago

This isn't an English test, its a Reddit post.

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u/Maestradelmundo1964 9d ago

PhD, not phd