About the HSPT

The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is a five-part multiple choice test of verbal, quantitative, reading, mathematics and language arts skills. The exam includes 298 questions and takes 3 hours to administer. This includes two short breaks and 30 minutes for distributing and collecting the answer sheets and test booklets. Subtests and standard testing time limits are as follows: 16 minutes for verbal ability; 30 minutes for quantitative ability; 25 minutes for reading achievement; 45 minutes for mathematics achievement; and 25 minutes for language arts. Students completing the HSPT are ranked in percentiles and scored in relation to two normed groups: those taking the test on the same date nationally and those taking the test in the greater Washington area. 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.

Process for Students Attending a Catholic Elementary School
Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of Washington take the HSPT, the official entrance test published by Scholastic Testing Service, Inc., at their schools on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Principals in the Archdiocese of Washington schools provide 8th-grade students and their parents/guardians with the web link to the HSPT online registration form. Parents/guardians complete the registration and payment for the test online. Online test registration opens on Monday, October 7, 2024. Test registration and payment must be submitted by Monday, November 25, 2024. A confirmation letter is sent via email to the parent/guardian.

Process for Students Not Enrolled in an Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Elementary School
Students attending schools that do not administer the HSPT may register and pay for the HSPT online. Online registration for the HSPT opens on Monday, October 7, 2024.

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. The HSPT scores are one factor that 12 of the Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Washington consider when reviewing students’ applications to their schools, though schools elsewhere also use this test to assist with educational diagnosis and awarding of scholarships. The Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Diocese of Arlington both utilize the HSPT for admissions purposes, and the Archdiocese of Washington has worked closely to align materials and procedures with these dioceses. For more information about STS and the HSPT, please visit the High School Placement Test section of the STS website:  https://www.ststesting.com/hsp/index.html