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HSPT Registration Information

The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is a five-part multiple choice test of verbal, quantitative, reading, mathematics, and language arts skills. The exam takes about three hours. 
Students completing the HSPT are ranked in percentiles and scored in relation to national and local scores. Standard scores range from 200-800, with 500 as the mean. The Cognitive Skills Quotient for the combined verbal and quantitative ability scores is interpreted the same way as with the IQ test, with the average being 100. Scoring summaries include Total Cognitive Skills, Total Basic Skills and a composite score based on the five subtests.
Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. (STS) first developed the HSPT in 1955. Since that time, STS has revised the HSPT annually in order to ensure its effectiveness for the schools using the test.
Registration for the 2021 High School Placement Test will open in October of 2021.

List of 3 items.

  • How do I prepare for the HSPT?

    While guides are available in bookstores and libraries to supplement the materials that will be provided, content preparation is not advised, as the nature of the test does not lend itself to this kind of preparation. Students are encouraged to become familiar with the test sections and the kind of questions they will be expected to address. The Archdiocese of Washington and Elizabeth Seton High School do not endorse any specific guide. We recommend getting a good night's sleep the night before and a healthy breakfast before the test.
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  • How do I receive my HSPT scores?

    All parents/guardians of students taking the HSPT will receive a copy of their child’s HSPT scores via email, in January 2021. 
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  • How do I register for the HSPT?

    All students attending a Catholic elementary school must register to take the HSPT through their elementary schools by completing the online HSPT Registration Form. Please ask your elementary school for more information on taking the High School Placement Test. Catholic school students will take the High School Placement Test in their classrooms on December 2.
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