About HSPT Test

The HSPT (High School Placement Test) is a common standardized test for entry in to private or catholic high schools. The HSPT is administered to eighth graders seeking admission into private high school, and may also be used for class placement purposes. The HSPT’s testing date and time are administered independently by each school and cooperation with the Scholastic Testing Service therefore the testing dates may vary with each school. Contact your school’s guidance counselor or the high school’s admission’s office directly to find out testing date information.

HSPT Format

The HSPT is a multiple choice exam and it is designed to assess what you have learned as well as how you learn. The HSPT often includes an optional section, whether you will need to take these optional sections is determined by your desired school; at a minimum, you must take the five required sections of the HSPT. The five different testing sections include: Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Reading Skills, Mathematics Skills and Language Expression Skills.

Verbal Skills Section: (16 minutes; 60 multiple choice questions)  The Verbal Skills section of the HSPT focuses on 5 specific types of questions: (1) synonyms, (2) antonyms, (3) analogies, (4) logic, and (5) verbal classifications.

The Quantitative Section: (30 minutes; 52 multiple-choice questions) The Quantitative section of the HSPT focuses on number series, geometric comparison, non geometric comparison and number manipulation.

The Reading Skills Section (25 minutes; 62 multiple-choice questions)  The Reading Skills section of the HSPT focuses on the ability to understand central meanings and details of reading passages.

The Mathematical Skills Section: (45 minutes; 64 multiple-choice questions) The Mathematical skills sections of the HSPT focuses on mathematical concepts and problem solving, arithmetic, elementary algebra, and basic geometry.

The Language Skills Section: (25 minutes; 60 multiple-choice questions) The Language Skills Section of the HSPT focuses on capitalization and punctuation, spelling, usage and composition.