Read the "Exam Blueprint" documents on the California Department of Education's CAHSEE Program Resources page. They'll tell you exactly which concepts the test questions will cover for English and math. If you're shaky on any of the concepts (scientific notation, for example), ask your teacher to go over them with you.
Print out and read the provided "Study Guide" documents on the CAHSEE website. The English study guide includes 133 pages. It includes descriptions of the types of questions asked, a practice test with answer key, a grammar guide and a scoring guide for the writing portion of the test. The math study guide includes 136 pages. It includes descriptions of the types of questions asked, from number sense to algebra to geometry, a practice test and answer key, and a math vocabulary glossary.
Take the practice tests included in the study guides. Use the answer keys to score yourself, and if you can't figure out why you got a question wrong, ask a parent or teacher for help.
Print out the "Released Test Questions" document for each test section and use them for more practice. These are actual questions that appeared on a previous year's test, giving you a clue as to the type of questions you'll see on the real thing.
Ask your teacher when the next testing date is. You'll take the test for the first time in your sophomore year. If you don't pass one or both parts, you can retake the parts you didn't pass up to twice a year in your junior year and up to five times your senior year.
Allow yourself at least a month to take a series of practice tests. Chart your progress---if you keep missing the same types of questions, ask your teacher, parents or school counselor for extra tutoring.
Learn the strategies of the test. Wrong answers don't count against you, so if you've tried your hardest to answer a question but can't be sure of the right answer, it's in your best interest to guess. There are four multiple-choice answers, so there's a minimum 25 percent chance you'll guess correctly. If you can narrow it down to two possible answers, there's a 50 percent chance you'll guess correctly.
Practice working backward using the multiple-choice answers. This is a big time-saver for the math section. For example, if you can't solve an equation yourself, try plugging in each of the four possible answers until you find the one that's correct.
Read the question before you read a quotation or passage associated with that question. This saves you time because it gives you something to focus on and look for as you read the passage.
Practice pre-writing as a way to focus your test essay. Jot down how you plan to answer the writing prompt before you get started. What is your thesis? What evidence do you have to support that answer? This will help you avoid developing tangents while writing the essay.