Quick key signatures for the music portion of the CSET Multiple Subjects Practice Test Subtest III

Content area for answering 
Question #32 from CSET: Multiple Subjects Practice Test, Subtest III 

The California teaching exam for general elementary teachers does not seem to require reading musical notes, but it may require deciphering key signatures. To do this, someone only has to know that the C-scale has 7 letters; what a flat looks like and what a sharp looks like; that the key of F has 1 flat; and that the key of G has 1 sharp. I have yet to see a practice test with more that 4 flats or sharps!

This has examples of what each configuration looks like and some hints for memorizing them:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201119142433/http://musictheoryfundamentals.com/MusicTheory/keySignatures.php
You can also test yourself with a 20-question interactive quiz. http://musictheoryfundamentals.com/Quiz/keySignaturesQuiz.php
Now study before you take the quiz! Please let me know in the comments which study method works for you--visual, the formula on the website, and/or the formulas here.

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Key

C.......0 sharps or flats
F........1 flat
B-flat 2 flats
E-flat 3 flats
A-flat 4 flats
D-flat 5 flats
G-flat 6 flats
C-flat 7 flats

If you can remember that F is 1 flat, then every four letters you get another flat
FGAB 1 flat. Notice that from here on in the key has the word "flat" in it!
BCDE 2 flats, key of B-flat
EFGA 3 flats, key of E-flat
ABCD 4 flats, key of A-flat
DEFG 5 flats, key of D-flat
GABC 6 flats, key of G-flat
CDEF 7 flats, key of C-flat
F - this is where you started, with 1 flat

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G.......1 sharp
D.......2 sharps
A.......3 sharps
E.......4 sharps
B.......5 sharps
F-sharp 6 sharps
C-sharp 7 sharps

If you can remember that G is 1 sharp, then
every five letters you get another sharp.
GABCD 1 sharp for G
DEFGA 2 sharps for D
ABCDE 3 sharps for A
EFGAB 4 sharps for E
BCDEF 5 sharps for B
FGABC 6 sharps Here you are going to have to remember that
the key is F#, not F
CDEFG 7 sharps Here you are going to have to remember that
the key is C#, not C
G - this is where you started with 1 sharp




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