CPACE — California Preliminary Administrative Credential Examination (Content 603, Performance 604)
The exam route to California's Preliminary Administrative Services Credential — for teachers ready to lead a school.
About the exam
The CPACE is the examination route to the California Preliminary Administrative Services Credential — the credential for principals, assistant principals and other site and district administrators. It's an alternative to completing a CTC-approved administrative preparation program and the CalAPA; you also need a valid prerequisite credential and five years of experience.
The CPACE has two subtests. Content (603) has 70 multiple-choice questions and three written assignments in 3 hours 15 minutes; multiple choice is 70% of the score. Performance (604) has two modules — instructional leadership and school leadership — in which you analyze classroom and school scenarios and data.
Both are built on the California Professional Standards for Education Leaders. Our practice covers all six CPACE domains with school-leadership scenarios — the vision, instruction, school improvement, staff growth, budgets and law, and the community.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
CPACE content specifications — California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSEL) — 6 leadership domains drawn from the CPSEL, tested in multiple choice and written assignments. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Visionary Leadership 17% of MC of the exam
77 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Instructional Leadership 20% of MC of the exam
90 practice questions in this domain so far
3 School Improvement Leadership 17% of MC of the exam
77 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Professional Learning and Growth Leadership 16% of MC of the exam
71 practice questions in this domain so far
5 Organizational and Systems Leadership 16% of MC of the exam
71 practice questions in this domain so far
6 Community Leadership 14% of MC of the exam
64 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions built on the official framework
Every question is tagged to a CPACE content area and topic — site-leader scenarios on vision, instruction, data, staff, budgets, law and community.
Hints that teach
Reveal the principle behind the question when you're stuck. Every answer comes with the full rationale.
Adaptive practice
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted like the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice exams
Framework-weighted exams at a realistic pace — 70 questions at a realistic pace — with a pacing indicator and full review.
Flashcards, case simulations and guides
120 flashcards, 8 unfolding classroom or school cases where every decision shows its consequence, and interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress in every content area
Each area moves from Not started to Exam ready, so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
The CPACE is offered in a few testing windows each year, delivered by Pearson VUE for the CTC. Register early on ctcexams.nesinc.com — windows fill up.
At a Pearson VUE test center
- Computer-based testing by appointment, year-round, Monday–Saturday at most centers.
- Arrive about 30 minutes early with current government-issued photo ID that matches your registration.
- Phones, bags, watches and notes go in a locker.
- Plan for 15 extra minutes for the nondisclosure agreement and tutorial.
Online proctored (where offered)
- Offered for many tests in one-week windows each month — check the test page; not every test or subtest is available online.
- A live proctor watches through your webcam for the whole session.
- Run the system check on the same computer and network well before test day.
- Test alone in a quiet room with a clear desk — no notes, phone or second monitor.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 70 multiple-choice questions.
Pacing checkpoints
Our checkpoints cover the 70 multiple-choice questions. On CPACE–Content, save about 75 minutes for the three written assignments.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice exam 3–5 days out, then rest.
- Review the six CPSEL standards and what each looks like on a school site.
- Know the basics of California school law and finance: LCFF and the LCAP, Education Code duties, student discipline due process, special education timelines, mandated reporting.
- Confirm your appointment, ID and route — or run the online system check.
During the exam
- Read the whole question and find the cue: best, first, most appropriate, most likely.
- Pick the answer a strong principal would choose: collaborative, data-driven, focused on student learning and equity, and legally sound.
- Watch for answers that are decisive but skip stakeholders, or collaborative but ignore the law.
- Pick your best answer, flag it and move on; revisit flags at the end.
- Answer every multiple-choice question — there's no penalty for guessing.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the question.
- You're measured against a fixed passing standard, not other test-takers.
- Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the question.
After you pass
- Pass both Content and Performance to apply for the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential.
- Check how long passing scores stay valid for your application on the CTC site.
- The Clear Administrative Services Credential comes later, through an induction program.
Official sources and further reading
- CTC Exams — CPACE ↗Official test pages for Content (603) and Performance (604).
- CTC — Administrative Services Credential (exam route) ↗Credential requirements when you qualify by exam.
Ready to start?
450 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or Pearson. Details are summarized from the official CTC Exams site; fees, windows and policies change — always confirm at ctcexams.nesinc.com. Our Exam ready level asks for 80% or better.