PSSA Grade 8 Science study guide
PSSA Grade 8 Science · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is the Commonwealth's annual standards-based, criterion-referenced testing program. In science, every Pennsylvania student in grade 8 - and in grade 5 - is assessed, and the results describe how well a student has attained proficiency on Pennsylvania's academic standards in Science and Technology. The PSSA Grade 8 Science study guide has 4 sections and about 1,406 words.
01The Nature of Science: Inquiry, Variables, and Evidence
The Nature of Science domain asks how scientific knowledge is built, not what facts you memorized. You should be able to take a short scenario and identify its parts: a testable question , a hypothesis that predicts a relationship between two variables, the independent variable (what the experimenter deliberately changes), the dependent variable (what is measured in response), the control group (the comparison condition in which the independent variable is absent or at a standard value), and the constants (all other conditions held the same).
387 words, about 2 min02Biological Sciences: Cells, Energy, Heredity, and Ecosystems
Life-science questions on this test usually link structure to function. Know that cells are the basic unit of life, that cell theory states all living things are made of cells, that cells come from existing cells, and that cells carry out life processes.
340 words, about 2 min03Physical Sciences: Motion, Energy, Matter, and Waves
Physical-science items reward careful use of definitions and formulas. In motion, distinguish speed (distance per time) from velocity (speed with direction) and acceleration (change in velocity per time, including slowing or turning).
344 words, about 2 min04Earth and Space Sciences: Systems, Cycles, and Scale
Earth and space questions test systems and cycles. Inside Earth, layered structure (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core) drives plate tectonics : plates move over the mantle, and their interactions build mountains, cause earthquakes, and form volcanoes.
335 words, about 2 min