For parents of 8th graders
HSPT practice test: free, full length and timed
The HSPT (High School Placement Test) is the entrance exam many Catholic high schools give 8th graders: 298 multiple-choice questions in five timed sections, about 2.5 hours, no calculator and no penalty for guessing. Each diocese or school sets its own date; the busiest days this season are Sat, Nov 21, 2026 and Sat, Dec 5, 2026.
Start the free full HSPT practice test
Free: all five sections, each on its own clock. No email, no sign-up.
| Verbal Skills | 60 questions | 16 min |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Skills | 52 questions | 30 min |
| Reading | 62 questions | 25 min |
| Mathematics | 64 questions | 45 min |
| Language | 60 questions | 25 min |
| Total | 298 questions | 141 min |
Questions: STS, HSPT Interpretive Manual (2021, PDF). Minutes: Archdiocese of Washington, About the HSPT; STS does not publish them per section.
What the free test gives you
Sample report · HSPT practice test
A sample result: 203 of 298 correct, with the score of each section and each skill.
A sample report from a made-up run of the free test, scored by the same code as yours. Yours appears the moment the last section ends.
The real format, start to finish
298 questions in the order of the real test: Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Reading, Mathematics and Language, each section on its own clock (16, 30, 25, 45 and 25 minutes).
A score for each section and each skill
Right answers in every section, and inside each section by skill: synonyms, number series, geometry, punctuation and the rest. You see where the points were lost and where the time went.
Explanations you can read together
Plain explanations for the first 10 questions of each section, free. With a plan, every question.
What we do not show: an HSPT score from 200 to 800 or a percentile. STS publishes no table to turn right answers into either, so any such number would be invented. How HSPT scores work.
Try one question first
Sample · Analogies · written by AdmitTest
Drill is to bore as saw is to
- sand
- cut
- wood
- hammer
That was a Verbal Skills question, with no clock. On the real test the Verbal Skills section gives 16 minutes for 60 questions: 16 seconds each.
Why practice here
A full test, free
Not a 15-question sample: all 298 questions and all five clocks, so your child knows on test day what the 16 minutes of Verbal Skills feel like.
Honest numbers
Raw scores by section and skill, explained. No invented 200–800 score, no promised admission.
Built from the published format
Section lengths, question counts and the kinds of questions follow what STS and dioceses publish. Every question is our own.
Every answer checked twice
Math and number questions are generated by code and each answer is worked out again by a separate checker. Word questions are answered independently by two solvers before the key is accepted.
Two plans, paid once
Start with the free test. Buy only if the result shows something worth practicing.
Everything for test day
HSPT Full Prep
- Everything in HSPT Practice Tests
- Skill trainer: drills by question type, with 1,409 practice questions that are not in the full tests
- A printable paper version of every test, with a bubble answer sheet (PDF)
- 500 HSPT vocabulary words (PDF)
- Cheat sheets: math formulas and grammar rules (PDF)
- A day-by-day plan to your test date
HSPT Practice Tests
- All four of our full timed HSPT practice tests (the free one and three more)
- An explanation for every question
- The result report by section and by skill after every test
- Mistake notebook: redo only the questions you missed
Bought HSPT Practice Tests already? Upgrade to HSPT Full Prep for $30, the difference, from your dashboard.
Free, before you pay anything: one full timed HSPT practice test (all five sections, each on its own clock), the result by section and by skill, and the explanations for the first 10 questions of each section. No email, no sign-up.
- One payment. No subscription, nothing renews
- 12 months of access, open the moment you pay
- 14-day money-back guarantee (if no more than one paid test has been started and no more than 30 trainer questions answered)
- No account to create: the buyer's email and payment details only. Nothing about your child
Payment is processed by Creem, our merchant of record; we never see your card number. Prices are in US dollars, plus tax where it applies.
| What you get | Free | HSPT Practice Tests $39 | HSPT Full Prep $69 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full timed HSPT practice tests (5 sections, 298 questions each) | 1 | All four | All four |
| Result by section and by skill | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Answers and explanations | First 10 of each section | Every question | Every question |
| Mistake notebook | No | Yes | Yes |
| Skill trainer (drills by question type) | No | No | Yes |
| Printable paper tests with a bubble answer sheet (PDF) | No | No | Yes |
| 500 HSPT vocabulary words (PDF) | No | No | Yes |
| Math formulas and grammar rules cheat sheets (PDF) | No | No | Yes |
| Day-by-day plan to your test date | No | No | Yes |
Questions parents ask
What is the HSPT?
The High School Placement Test, published by Scholastic Testing Service (STS). Many Catholic high schools use it to admit and place 8th graders. It has five multiple-choice sections: Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Reading, Mathematics and Language, 298 questions in all.
How long is the HSPT?
About 2.5 hours of test administration, according to STS. The five sections take 16, 30, 25, 45 and 25 minutes (141 minutes of testing), as dioceses such as the Archdiocese of Washington publish them; it says to plan on about 3 hours with two short breaks.
When is the HSPT in 2026?
There is no national date: each diocese or school sets its own. Many test on Saturday, November 21 or Saturday, December 5, 2026 (for example Cincinnati and Dayton on Nov 21, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area on Dec 5). Check with the high school your child is applying to.
Can my child use a calculator on the HSPT?
No. STS says calculators are not permitted for the Mathematics subtest, and the manual says the same for Quantitative Skills. Scratch paper or the test booklet may be used. Our practice test is built to be solved without a calculator too.
Is there a penalty for guessing on the HSPT?
No. STS says there is no penalty for answering incorrectly, so your child should answer every question.
Will your test tell us my child's HSPT score?
No, and nobody can honestly do that. The real score is a standard score from 200 to 800 plus national percentiles, and STS publishes no table that turns a number of right answers into either. So we show the raw score by section and by skill, which is what tells you what to practice.
Are these real HSPT questions?
No. Every question is written by us in the format STS describes: the same five sections, the same number of questions, the same kinds of questions. STS says it never sells the HSPT to test-preparation companies, and nobody can sell you the real questions.
What does the free test include?
A full timed HSPT practice test: all five sections, each on its own clock. When it ends you see the score of each section and each skill and the explanations for the first 10 questions of each section. No email, no sign-up.
What is the difference between $39 and $69?
HSPT Practice Tests ($39) opens all four of our full timed HSPT practice tests (the free one and three more), with an explanation for every question, the result report by section and by skill after each test, and the mistake notebook. HSPT Full Prep ($69) adds: skill trainer: drills by question type, with 1,409 practice questions that are not in the full tests; a printable paper version of every test, with a bubble answer sheet (PDF); 500 HSPT vocabulary words (PDF); cheat sheets: math formulas and grammar rules (PDF); a day-by-day plan to your test date. Upgrading later costs $30, the difference.
Can I get my money back?
Yes. Write to [email protected] within 14 days of purchase and we refund the full price, no reason needed, as long as no more than one paid test has been started and no more than 30 trainer questions answered. If something is broken on our side, tell us at any time: we fix it, or refund you in full if we cannot.
Who charges my card?
Payment is processed by Creem, our merchant of record; we never see your card number.
What do you collect about my child?
Nothing personal. The free test needs no name and no email. If you buy, we keep only the buyer's email address (a parent's) and the practice results under it.
Guides for parents
- How to prepare for the HSPT, including a 2-week plan
- HSPT math: 64 questions in 45 minutes, no calculator
- HSPT practice test PDF: what exists, and what we offer
- HSPT scores explained: standard scores, percentiles and the CSQ
- The HSPT test: what is on it, how long it is, and the rules
- HSPT test dates 2026, by diocese and region
- All guides
Preparing for another school test?
Practice for ISEE, SSAT, TACHS, COOP, SHSAT, CogAT, NNAT and OLSAT comes later, after the HSPT. Tick the ones you need and press Send: we build the most requested first. No email needed.