HSPT study guide
HSPT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The HSPT (High School Placement Test) is a standardized admissions exam used by many Catholic and other private high schools as one part of their application file. It is typically taken by eighth graders applying to ninth grade, though schools set their own testing schedules and may admit students at other grade levels. The test is designed to measure academic readiness for a college-preparatory high school curriculum, so it samples broadly rather than testing a single subject in depth. Its sections cover verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, mathematics, and language conventions, with a separate cognitive-abilities portion that schools may or may not use depending on the version they administer. The HSPT study guide has 6 sections and about 1,945 words.
01Verbal Skills
Verbal Skills measures how precisely you handle words: synonyms, antonyms, analogies, verbal classification, and logic. The core skill is relational thinking - seeing how two words connect, then finding the same connection elsewhere.
321 words, about 2 min02Quantitative Skills
Quantitative Skills checks number sense and reasoning rather than heavy computation: number series, quantitative comparisons, estimation, and word problems involving rates, percents, and proportions. Sequences: look for a constant difference (arithmetic), a constant multiplier (geometric), or alternating/pattern rules (add 2, multiply 3, add 2...).
309 words, about 2 min03Reading
Reading questions ask about main idea, supporting details, vocabulary in context, inference, and the author's purpose or tone. The passages are short, so precision matters more than speed.
355 words, about 2 min04Mathematics
Mathematics covers arithmetic, fractions and decimals, percents, basic algebra, geometry, and measurement. Most problems are multi-step, so setup matters as much as calculation.
309 words, about 2 min05Language
Language questions check grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and spelling. You often choose the correctly written version of a sentence or spot the error.
314 words, about 2 min06Cognitive Skills
Cognitive Skills measures reasoning and pattern recognition: logic puzzles, spatial reasoning, classification, sequencing, and deductive inference. The content is less about memorized facts and more about applying rules systematically.
337 words, about 2 min