RICA Written Examination : Best Study Resources

So you’re taking the RICA exam and you’re asking some of the following questions:

Where do I find a free practice test?
An exam breakdown?
How do I register for the test?

Those are all great questions, and you’ve found the right place to get them answered!

My name is Ashley Macken, and at Best in Class we are here to help you get familiar with everything you need to know about the RICA exam!

RICA Video Overviews

Choosing the right study material for the RICA can be overwhelming. 240 Tutoring offers a helpful video on choosing the right study resources for you.

The following video walks through practice questions from the CTC website’s practice test to help you better understand how to answer questions on the RICA.

The case study is the longest essay on the RICA. The teacher in the video gives tips on how to complete the case study and gives an example of an outline to use.

First Thing to Know

The California Educator Credentialing Assessments offers the RICA, which stands for Reading Instruction Competence Assessment.

The RICA is used to measure a candidate’s knowledge and ability to teach reading effectively in RICA’s five domains.

There are two RICA assessment options; a written examination and a video performance assessment. This article will focus on the written examination.

RICA Exam Breakdown

The RICA is made up of three sections that include a multiple-choice section, four focused educational problems and instructional tasks, and one case study. You must pass all three sections to pass the entire RICA exam. You will have four hours to complete the exam.

Passing Score

The passing score is 220. Individuals earn a raw score based on the total points received for answers. The raw score is then converted to a scaled score between 100 and 300.

How to Register for the RICA Exam

New to Teaching?

Great! Let’s get your registration questions answered!

Before you register for your RICA you will need to apply for your credentials. You can find teaching credentials requirements on the CTC website.

Once your application has been approved you can begin registering for the RICA. Registration is available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

First-time users will be required to create an account.

Click the “Create an account now” link on the login page. You will be asked to input your account and personal information and review your account to complete your new account.
Sign in to your account.
Choose a test program, select your test, designate institutions to receive your test results (note: only institutions designated during registration will automatically receive your test results), and choose to have test results emailed to you.
Answer background questions and review and agree to testing rules.
Submit your payment using a credit or debit card and schedule your test appointment.

After you schedule your test appointment, you will be sent an email confirming your appointment.

Register as early as possible before your desired test date. Test appointments are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and seating is limited.

Already Certified?

Great! Registering for the RICA will be quick and easy!

Sign in to your account. First-time users will be required to create an account.
During the registration process, you will be asked to choose a test program, select your test, designate institutions to receive your test results (note: only institutions designated during registration will automatically receive your test results), and choose to have test results emailed to you.
You will answer background questions and review and agree to testing rules.
Submit your payment using a credit or debit card and schedule your test appointment.

After you schedule your test appointment, you will be sent an email confirming your appointment.

Register as early as possible before your desired test date. Test appointments are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and seating is limited.

Once you pass the exam, you are qualified to teach reading in the state of California!

Yay!

RICA Free Practice Test

If you’ve found this page you’re getting ready to take the RICA and you want to know how to pass.

Understanding what type of questions are on the RICA is important and we’re here to help you understand what those questions will look like on the exam.

So let’s take a look at the best practice tests to help you pass the RICA.

Best Free Practice Test

240 Tutoring’s RICA Practice Test

240 Tutoring has been helping teachers pass their exams since 2011. They offer an online, completely free practice test for the RICA. Each practice test will give you a free score breakdown so you can see exactly what you need to study.

RICA Paid Practice Test

Best Paid Practice Test

240 Tutoring’s RICA Written Examination Study Guide

240 Tutoring also offers a full study guide that comes with a practice test. Their RICA Written Examination Study Guide includes more than 70 practice questions and 85 pages of content to study.

Best of all? The study guide comes with a money-back guarantee that you will pass the test.

So while it is a paid practice test, you know you’re getting your money’s worth.

BONUS: 240 Tutoring is a month-to-month subscription. You get all of their CTC study guides — including the RICA — for just one monthly price of $39.99. So simply subscribing to one study guide gives you access to all study guides.

Runner-Up for Practice Test

CTC Website’s RICA Written Examination Practice Test

The CTC website offers a practice test for the RICA Written Examination. The reliability of this resource is undeniable, as the questions are provided by the same company that is responsible for the actual test. This test consists of two sections; a multiple-choice question section containing 60 multiple-choice questions and an open-ended assignment section containing five assignments requiring written responses. While reliable, it will likely not fulfill all of your study needs.

CTC Website RICA Written Examination Practice Test

Honorable Mention

Study.com RICA Practice Test

This RICA practice test gives a preview of Study.com’s paid resources, which include a video, quiz, and course lesson after each question that is answered. Unfortunately, it falls short in the number of questions offered. With only 15 practice questions, the limited amount of content will likely not be enough to help you adequately study.

While there seems to be a lot of information to support each practice question, it is hard to navigate back and forth between the course content preview and the practice test questions.

Study.com RICA Practice Test

RICA Free Study Guide

Getting ready to take the RICA can be worrisome.

You’re probably wondering what content is on the RICA and what study materials you’ll need to help you pass.

Luckily, you’re in the right place! We are here to break down the best study guides for the RICA.

Best Free Study Guide

240 Tutoring’s RICA Written Examination Ultimate Guide

240 Tutoring offers a free guide, the RICA Written Examination Ultimate Guide and Practice Test, to help test takers get their preparation process started off right.

This guide provides breakdowns of each domain, along with detailed written overviews of both the test as a whole and the individual sections. The guide even provides individual sections on specific concepts for each domain.

Between the practice tests and the provided study material, this Ultimate Guide is a great starting point. However, depending on your content knowledge, you will likely need to take your studying further than what is offered on this guide, since every tested concept will not be explained in this free guide.

RICA Paid Study Guide

Best Paid Study Guide

240 Tutoring’s RICA Written Examination Study Guide

240 Tutoring also offers a full study guide. Their RICA Written Examination Study Guide includes more than 70 practice questions and 85 pages of content to study.

Best of all? The study guide comes with a money-back guarantee that you will pass the test.

So while it is a paid study guide, you know you’re getting your money’s worth.

BONUS: 240 Tutoring is a month-to-month subscription. You get all of their CTC study guides — including the RICA — for just one monthly price of $39.99. So simply subscribing to one study guide gives you access to all study guides.

Runner-Up for Study Guide

Study.com RICA Test Prep and Practice

Study.com offers a RICA Test Prep and Practice. The guide contains a good amount of information, with 148 lessons included. When paired with information from the Study.com practice test exam report, it will allow you to target the lessons most important to you.

Study.com RICA Study Guide

Honorable Mention

Pearson Ready for RICA

Pearson offers a RICA e-book test preparation guide for $34.99. You will get instant access to the ebook once you purchase it. Pearson is the company that writes the test questions for the RICA, so this is definitely a reliable resource.

Unfortunately, you only get access for 12 months with the e-book, but there is also a printed option of the guide.