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HSPT Practice Test

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HSPT Practice Test
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Free HSPT Practice Test

The HSPT is an important test 8th graders can only take once to use for the admissions process at private or religious high schools. 

These private institutes use HSPT scores to evaluate a student’s eligibility for admissions. The test can only be taken one time. Since students cannot retake the test, taking as many HSPT practice tests as possible ahead of time is one of the best ways to prepare for the exam.

Taking an HSPT practice test will allow a student to get familiar with the test and the types of questions that will be asked as well as the overall format of the test. The score report from your HSPT practice test will break down each question on the practice test by the topic it relates to within that subject helping to identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses. 

Once you know your strengths and weaknesses you can create a study plan around your weak areas to improve them and increase the score you receive on the real HSPT test.

What is the HSPT test?

The High School Placement, or HSPT, is a detailed comprehensive assessment required by private high schools. The test is designed for 8th grade students and compared to other high school entrance exams the test can be more straightforward and shorter in length than other entrance exams. 

The test is approximately three-hundred multiple choice questions dispersed across five specific subject areas. 

While the test only examines student knowledge and understanding in the general areas of English Language and mathematical skills, these areas are broken down further into a specific range of aspects to properly determine a student’s capabilities.

The test takes approximately two and a half hours to complete with break times built into the exam following the quantitative skills and mathematical skills sections. Calculators are not permitted for the exam, even throughout these sections. You can read more frequently asked questions about the HSPT exam on the official HSPT website.  

How many questions are in the HSPT?

The HSPT is a timed multiple-choice exam. Students have 2 and a half hours to answer 298 questions.  Each of the sections of the HSPT has different questions and time allotments. 

Verbal: 60 questions | 16 minutes 

Reading: 62 questions | 25 minutes  

Math: 64 questions | 45 minutes 

Quantitative: 52 questions | 30 minutes 

Language: 60 questions | 25 minutes h2 

What subjects are on the HSPT test?

HSPT Math Skills

The math section of the HSPT test will have 64 questions that primarily focus on concepts and problem-solving. Students cannot use a calculator on the exam. Students will have to answer questions related to algebra, arithmetic, and geometry. Questions will either be in the form of a straightforward problem or a word problem. 

For algebra problems, students may have to solve equations with variables, linear equations, or absolute values. 

For arithmetic problems, students have to solve problems that include addition, subtraction, decimals, division, fractions, order of operations, percentages, and proportions. 

For the geometry questions, students will have to determine area, volume, perimeter, angles, circles, and triangles.

HSPT Language

The language section of the HSPT assessment contains 60 questions and a time allotment of 25 minutes. This section focuses on the proper use of the English language and its conventions.

The HSPT language section will focus on the mechanics of English language by assessing a student’s abilities within basic capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, grammar, parts of speech, subject and verb agreement, as well as sentence appropriateness and topic development. 

 

While the reading section is passage based, the language section will be the foundational skills towards a student’s abilities to write strong arguments, despite the test not having a required writing or prompt section.

For algebra problems, students may have to solve equations with variables, linear equations, or absolute values. 

For arithmetic problems, students have to solve problems that include addition, subtraction, decimals, division, fractions, order of operations, percentages, and proportions. 

For the geometry questions, students will have to determine area, volume, perimeter, angles, circles, and triangles.

HSPT Verbal Skills

The HSPT verbal section test consists of 60 questions in 16 minutes. Students will be expected to answer questions about antonyms, logic, synonyms, verbal analogies, and verbal classification. Students will have to know the similarities and differences between any set of words. 

For antonym and synonym questions, students will have to choose answers with the correct meaning in the context that is being asked. 

For logic questions, students will have to answer questions and determine based on the information provided, if the question is true or false. 

Verbal analogies and classifications will ask students to determine the relationship and correlation between words or determine which word does not fit into a classification. 

These questions are designed to test reasoning and logic through categorization and word association. While the synonym and antonym questions will test vocabulary knowledge, word classification and association will largely help students reason through the questions.

HSPT Reading

The reading section of the HSPT has 62 questions, and students are given 25 minutes to answer the question. Students will be asked questions about vocabulary and comprehension. Students will be presented with short passages on social studies, science, and humanities. 

Students must answer questions about main ideas, supporting ideas, theme, author’s purpose, point of view, multiple-meaning words, mood, and tone. 

Vocabulary questions can be expected within the HSPT reading section. The reading section’s primary focus is to assess a student’s reading comprehension skills through passage-based question forms. 

However, vocabulary within context contributes towards understanding, and approximately one-third of the section will also include vocabulary within the context of the reading or at least, within the use of a sentence.

HSPT Quantitative Skills

The quantitative skills section of the HSPT consists of 52 questions to be answered within 30 minutes. Unlike the math section, this section focuses on geometric comparison, non-geometric comparison, number manipulation, and number series. A calculator may not be used on this section of the test. 

For number series, students must answer questions about relationships between symbols, letters, or numbers. These can be questions about finding the range or mode, determining a number pattern, or reading a number line. 

Half of the questions in the HSPT quantitative skills section will test a student’s ability to compare geometric and non-geometric shapes. This can be expressed in equations, ratios, proportions, and angles. 

Lastly, number manipulation requires students to follow a procedure of math operations to find the answer. These types of questions are algebra equations or order of operations questions. 

Similar to the English portions of the test, the mathematical sections will cover skills outlined by national guidelines of education. 

And similarly, the two different sections are designed to assess specific skills within these areas in a variety of ways. The quantitative section is similar to the verbal skills section as it tests a student’s reasoning and logic capabilities. 

The quantitative section will provide students with a variety of questions, but surrounding relationships between numbers and formulas. 

While the questions may require following specific steps for solving, this portion of the test will require comparisons between numbers and expressions.

What is a good score for HSPT?

The HSPT scores range from 200-800 with the national average score being 500. 

Students taking HSPT practice tests should aim to score at least a 75% on each section to score an estimated 500 or better on the HSPT. 

The test aligns with national standards of education, but the HSPT is tailored to assess subject material in a specific way. 

While a detailed scoring report will be provided to students and their selected high school programs, the scoring method provides an overview of how the HSPT is designed. 

Students will earn points only for correct answers. Incorrect answers are not weighted against students, so there is no penalty for guessing! 

The first two sections of the exam, verbal and quantitative, are used to score a student’s cognitive skills while the remaining sections of reading, math, and language are used to compile a basic skills assessment score. All of these sections are scored and contribute towards the overall composite score. You can read more about HSPT scores on the official HSPT website. 

 

On the HSPT test, you can not use an approved calculator so it’s important to sharpen your math skills for the test.

You can can read more about the HSPT math section to get a better understanding of the topics on this section. 

HSPT Online Course

If you want the best chance for scoring high then the Smart Edition HSPT course will provide all the material and resources you need to succeed on the test.