Expert: Michael Wall Date: 1/30/2008 Subject: HSPT
Question Hi, I have taken the High School Placement Test. What percentile do most Private High School look for? What is considered to be an average or a high score in percentile?
Do you know if the SSAT test is scored similarly?
Answer Joe,
I was never part of the admissions department, but I found out a few things that might be helpful. I'll tell you each with a suggestion.
-The HSPT is not only used mostly by parochial schools, but it is not given by a national group like the NTS; it is given by each school. That means that each school chooses which sections of the test they wish to give. What does this mean for you? Because each school also chooses what score range they will use for admissions standards, general test information is not as helpful as it might be with tests such as the SATs or ACTs. I suggest calling the schools that you will apply to and either set up an informational interview on their use of the test (you would NOT talk about your applying or getting in unless they raise the subject) or talk on the phone about their use of the test. You will find that each school will give slightly different responses.
(You might have this general information on the HSPT: HSPT
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is used by many Catholic schools as an admissions test and as a placement test. This test is only administered to 8th grade students entering 9th grade. The HSPT is developed by Scholastic Testing Service (STS) and is sometimes referred to as the STS exam or STS-HSPT. The HSPT, unlike the ISEE and SSAT, is given by each individual school, so STS does not deal directly with student registration.
The HSPT consists of five multiple-choice sections: verbal skills (synonyms, antonyms, analogies); quantitative skills (series, geometric comparisons, number manipulations); reading comprehension; math (arithmetic, basic algebra and elementary geometry); and language skills (grammar and composition). The HSPT is approximately 140 minutes long, but may vary depending on the sections each particular school chooses to add.
HSPT scores are reported on a 200 to 800 scale. Wrong answers do not count against your score, so you should never leave a question blank. STS adds up your correct answers to obtain your raw score, then converts this to a scaled score to adjust for small variations in difficulty among different test forms.)
-Scoring averages are based on that year and the particular form you took. And because the score required is particular to the school, it is more important to focus on that goal rather than the national average. If you are still curious about test averages, take a peek at the "National Percentile Group Summary Results" PDF on http://ststesting.com/reportssmp.html .
-The SSAT has four sections, three are scored from 250-350, and the essay is not scored, but is provided to the schools to which you apply. There is a good amount of information on it at http://www.petersons.com/testprep/test_info.asp?id=563&sponsor=1&path=hs.pft.ssa... Remember that your schools may or may not accept the SSAT; it is important that you talk with the admissions offices about their requirements.
I hope this is helpful! If you are planning on taking the test again, remember that practice helps. The HSPT has an open form produced for schools to give practice exams. Schools in your area might be willing to give you past versions of the open test with the answers for practice. You also have a range of companies who would love you to pay them for materials or tutoring.
