HPST Testing Info

We recently posted a blog about the ISEE, but if you are interested in your child being accepted to a Catholic/Christian school, the HPST is more appropriate. In order to prepare for this type of test, we have tutors who specialize in familiarizing your child/teen with the test parts, questions, and test taking tips.

The High School Placement Test, or HSPT, is a high school entrance exam taken by students in grades 8 and 9 who are seeking admission to parochial high schools. The HSPT is a five-section, multiple-choice standardized exam. Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. (STS) created the test and publishes it. The HSPT is designed to measure student academic achievement and does not focus on memorized information. The HSPT contains 298 questions divided into five sections. Students have the choice of taking one optional section in Catholic Religion, Mechanical Aptitude, or Science. These optional sections may be required, depending on the schools to which the student is applying.

Schools use HSPT scores to assess how well a student might do academically in a high school setting. They also use the HSPT as a common measurement of a student?s academic capabilities, separate from school records.

The HPST is composed of the following sections: verbal skills , quantitative skills, reading, math, language. Each section contatins about 60-65 questions per section. The total time for the test is 2 hours and 30 minutes. The HSPT is administered twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall. HSPT test dates, locations, and registration information are handled through individual schools. You can find more information by visiting?http://www.ststesting.com/hp_1.html.

The HSPT may be taken twice. However, the test-maker, STS, records if a student takes the test twice. The lower of the two scores is accepted.

Each HSPT multiple-choice question presents four or five answer choices. For each HSPT multiple-choice question that the student answers correctly, the student receives one point. There is no penalty for incorrect answers or for omitted answers. Student speed in completing each HSPT section is not considered in scoring. Correct, incorrect, and omitted answers are tallied for each test section to produce a raw score. The total number of questions answered correctly is the raw score.

Raw scores are then converted into scaled scores using a formula used to compensate for any differences in difficulty from test to test. The HSPT scaled scores range from 200 to 800. The scales come from specific tables produced by the test maker. Once scores are converted to scaled scores, they can be compared with the scores of students of the same grade level across the country. Scaled score performance is then rated as partially proficient, proficient, and advanced proficient, measured by percentiles ranging from 1 to 99.

HSPT Score Reports are released to the schools, educational consultants, and education organizations that the student selects on the registration form. Scores remain active for one academic year. The scores required for admissions vary by school. Contact the schools directly for admissions information.