Under California law, if an employer mandates employee work, should the employee be compensated?

[osmont]

I am employed by a Federal Govt. contractor. The Federal Govt. has established new requirements for me to keep my job. These new requirements mean I have to do extra work. I have to fill out paperwork, search through old documents to find information, study to pass tests, and then take the tests. I am told I must do all of this on my own time. Is this legal under California labor laws? I see this as work mandated by my employer and that I should be compensated for this work. Am I wrong?

[abelard29]

Filling out paperwork study to take tests and taking the test benefits YOU and no, you won't get paid for it. Searching through old documents---if these are YOUR documents to prove you are eligible for the job or something like that, no you don't get paid. If it is going through old documents of your bosses related to your job, then yes, you should get paid for that.