What Is The HSPT And How Do I Prepare For It?
What Is The HSPT And How Do I Prepare For It?
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is the entrance exam a large number of Catholic high schools require for admission. It’s similar to the SSAT and ISEE, but with nearly twice as many questions with the same allotted test time, the HSPT has a much faster pace to it. That being said, questions on the HSPT do tend to be a little less involved than the SSAT and ISEE.
When a student takes the HSPT, they have 2.5 hours with two short breaks to answer 298 questions. The test is broken down as follows:
HSPT Test Breakdown
Quantitative: 52 questions in 30 minutes
Verbal: 60 questions in 16 minutes
Reading: 62 questions in 25 minutes
Math: 64 questions in 45 minutes
Language: 60 questions in 25 minutes
Each question on the HSPT is worth one point, they are all multiple choice, and students are not penalized for getting any questions wrong. There are a few other optional sections that some schools require, so make sure you check with whatever school you or your child is applying to in order to make sure you have all required sections completed.
What Is Each Section Like?
Regarding how each section will fare for test takers and what to prepare for, the HSPT math and quantitate sections deal with fairly basic mathematics and don’t allow calculators. Multi-part word problems are shorter compared to the SSAT and ISEE and get right to the point of which math skill is required. Expect a good amount of arithmetic, order of operations, exponents, and general math vocab.
The verbal section mostly deals with vocabulary and deals with synonyms, antonyms, completing sentences, analogies and using general logic. On the reading section, expect short passages that deal with history and the humanities—that being said, students don’t need outside knowledge of these subjects. At the end of the reading passages, there is a 20+ question synonym section.
Finally, the language section deals with spelling and general grammar rules. Most of these questions can be answered by the student sounding the sentence out and identifying what doesn’t sound right, but many also deal with more subtle use of grammar rules. Students will also need to know about punctuation, subject/verb agreement, and parallelism. Many schools can vary in how they approach these grammar issues, so the student should definitely review these topics.
On all sections of the HSPT, it’s key that the test taker does not straggle on any one question. Moving with good, consistence pace is important and always being confident is key!
Unfortunately, students cannot take the HSPT more than once, so it is of tantamount important that the first try is done right!
Our tutors can help you make sure you ace the HSPT. Head over to our Registration Page and get started today!
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