The 8th Grade High School Placement Test (HSPT) is a required part of our admissions process for eighth grade students. Taking the test at Saint Mark's on the first weekend of exams guarantees the consideration for academic scholarships. Academic scholarships are assessed based on objective data from the composite scores of the exam and are allocated annually to the top test-takers. In efforts to prepare eighth grade students for the 8th Grade HSPT, we host two 8th Grade HSPT Prep Course sessions prior to the exam each fall. The prep course sessions are designed for eighth grade students to attend both sessions. The content is cumulative. Additionally, we host a 6th Grade Practice Test and a 7th Grade Practice HSPT each spring to help familiarize middle school students with the exam prior to entering the fall of their 8th grade year.

EXTENDED TIME REQUEST:
Extended time is available for the 8th Grade HSPT. If you would like to request extended time, please email a recent psychoeducational evaluation, or additional supporting documentation, to Mrs. Hara Blum at hblum@stmarkshs.net. Extended time will not be permitted for the 6th Grade and 7th Grade Practice Tests.

TIPS DURING THE TEST:

• Listen to and read the directions for each subtest carefully.
• Pace yourself – Time limits are set for each subtest. The test administrators will announce when time is halfway through so you can determine if you are working at a pace that will enable you to finish. Try not to spend too much time on one item.
• Read each question carefully.
• Work out the problem – Use scratch paper or your test booklet to do any figuring.
• Answer every question – If you are unsure of an answer, take your best educated guess. Your score is determined by the number of items you answer correctly; there is no penalty for answering incorrectly.
• Check your work – If there is time left, go back and review your answers. Check to make sure each item has only one response. Throughout the test, continuously check that the answer you are marking on your answer sheet corresponds to the item number in the test booklet. Each answer should be marked with a #2 pencil. The selected answer - in scantron format - should be colored in with a dark mark labeled inside of the lines of each circle.

HOW IS MY CHILD'S TEST SCORED?
The number of questions that your child answered correctly is added up for each subtest. Points are not subtracted for incorrect answers. Your student's raw scores (the number of correct answers) are then converted to standard scores and national percentile rankings for each subtest. The national percentile tells what percentage of students had scores below your student in a national sample. National percentiles range from 1 (low) to 99 (high). A percentile rank of 50 is exactly average.

Your student's composite scores (Total Cognitive Skills, Total Basic Skills, and Battery Composite scores) are computed in the same way.  The raw scores are added together from the subtests that make up each composite score and are then converted to standard scores and national percentiles. See below for the parts that make up each composite score.

-Total Cognitive Skills = Verbal & Quantitative subtests
-Total Basic Skills = Reading, Mathematics, & Language subtests
-Composite = Verbal, Quantitative, Reading, Mathematics, & Language subtests


TEST SCORES (NATIONAL PERCENTILES)

Your student’s performance on each area of the test is reported in terms of standard scores and national percentile ranks. Your student’s scores are listed in numeric form under each subtest header. The abbreviated subtest headers are expanded upon in the section titled “What the Test Measures.” Standard scores range from 200-800. Percentiles range from 1-99 and compare your student’s performance with that of other students. Your student’s national percentile rank indicates the percentage of students in the national sample that had lower scores than your student. Your student’s national percentiles are also illustrated in the graph in terms of a performance rating.

This section explains what each subtest measures and defines the parts that make up Total Cognitive Skills, Total Basic Skills, and the Battery Composite.