How to study for the HSPT: a 4-week plan
Four weeks gives room for two or three full timed practice tests (298 questions, about 2.5 hours each) with 30 to 45 minutes of daily work in between: week 1 finds the weak spots, weeks 2 and 3 fix them, and week 4 is polish and rest. Only have two weeks? Use the 2-week plan instead.
Updated October 24, 2026 · by AdmitTest
This plan is our own suggestion, built on what STS itself advises: read the directions, pace yourself, answer every question and work without a calculator, and trust that a well-rounded education is the best preparation. Practice cannot build years of reading in a month; it can make the format familiar and close quick gaps. The two-week version is in how to prepare for the HSPT; this page spreads the work over a month.
Week by week
| Week | Goal | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Find out where the points go | Day 1: a full timed practice test, all five sections, no help. Day 2: read the result by section and skill together. Days 3 to 6: one short session each on the first weak skill, the format rules and the clocks. Day 7: rest. |
| Week 2 | Fix the weakest section | Daily 30 to 45 minutes on the weakest section's skills: go over each wrong answer and say why the right one is right. Add 20 minutes of reading a day. Day 14: rest, or one timed section. |
| Week 3 | Second weakest section, then test two | Days 15 to 19: the next weak section. Day 20: second full timed practice test, a different test from the first. Day 21: compare section by section with Day 1. |
| Week 4 | Polish and rest | Days 22 to 25: short sessions on what is still weak, one timed section a day at most. Day 26: a lighter review. The last two days before test day: no new material, pack what the school asked for, sleep. |
If the date allows a third full test, place it about a week before test day, not the night before.
A 40-minute day
- 5 minutes: review yesterday's mistakes.
- 25 minutes: the skill of the day, with a timer.
- 10 minutes: go over every wrong answer and write the reason in a notebook.
Where to put the time, by section
The clocks differ a lot, so the practice does too (see the section table):
- Verbal Skills: 60 questions in 16 minutes. Speed on vocabulary questions; words learned in families. Guide.
- Quantitative Skills: number series and comparisons reward a method. Guide.
- Reading: the passages are read within the section's 25 minutes. Daily reading is the best practice. Guide.
- Mathematics: 64 questions in 45 minutes without a calculator; fractions, percents and word problems by hand. Guide.
- Language: punctuation, capitalization and usage rules can be learned in days. Guide.
Vocabulary comes up in Verbal Skills and in Reading: see our HSPT vocabulary list for words to start with, and the sample questions for each type.
The week of the test
Check the school's instructions for the day (see what to bring and the calculator rule), keep practice light, and sleep. Answering every question matters: wrong answers cost nothing.
Free full-length HSPT practice test. 298 questions in five timed sections, no sign-up. Your child's score by section and by skill when it ends.
Start the free testCommon questions
How long should my child study for the HSPT?
A month of 30 to 45 minutes a day is plenty for most students, with a full timed practice test every week or two. STS itself advises against expensive prep and says a well-rounded education is the best preparation, so the goal is familiarity and closing a few gaps, not cramming.
Should my child study every day?
Short, regular sessions beat long ones, and one rest day a week is part of the plan. Reading counts: 20 minutes of any book or article a day helps Reading, Verbal and Language alike.
What should we study first?
Take one full timed practice test, then look at the result by section and by skill. Start with the skills that lost the most points and the sections that ran out of time.
How many practice tests are enough?
Two or three full tests in four weeks is a good rhythm: one at the start, one in the middle and, if time allows, one about a week before the real test, each a different test so the score does not just measure memory.