HSPT Test

The HSPT Test: What They Will Not Tell You

What is the HSPT test? If you are a parent who is hoping to enroll your son or daughter in a competitive private high school, chances are that he or she will be required to take the HSPT, which stands for High School Placement Test. Private high schools use the exam results to make two decisions. The first decision is whether or not to admit the student to the school. Secondly, some schools, usually larger ones, will use the test results to determine what level of classes a student is ready for. Needless to say, your child's academic future hinges on how well he or she does on the HSPT test.

Unfortunately, neither the schools that use the test nor the company that administers it will divulge much information about it. You can find a brief description of the sections of the HSPT-math, qualitative, reading, and language-on their websites, but that is pretty much the extent of it. Unfortunately, it is the information they do not divulge which is what most parents want to know. For example, what constitutes a good score on the HSPT? That is up to each high school to decide for itself, and schools generally keep that information a closely guarded secret, regarding it as proprietary information. Another fact that many high schools do not mention, for obvious reasons, is that it is usually a good idea to have your child apply to several schools in case his or her score is not high enough for your first institutional choice.

The most important information that is not being revealed is how to help your son or daughter prepare for the HSPT test. On the main test website, the only advice offered on preparing for the test is along the lines of "try your best," "do not rush," and "guess if you are not sure of the answer." Obviously, these are not exactly trade secrets, and they are common sense for most students, so they are not much help. Fortunately, there are ways of preparing for the HSPT that can enable your son or daughter to achieve a high score and land a spot in an elite high school. There are excellent HSPT study guides available; any student who uses one to prep for the HSPT test will have a significant advantage on test day. You can rely on these elite high schools to give your child a great education, but if you rely on their advice when it comes to preparing for the HSPT, your child may not win admittance.

An HSPT Study Guide Can Dramatically Impact Your Child's Future

An HSPT study guide can mean the difference between your child attending one of America's elite colleges or universities, possibly with a substantial scholarship, or having to settle for a second tier college or university. Graduates of elite private high schools have a significant advantage over other applicants when it comes to being admitted to the top colleges and universities in the U.S. That is why it so important for your child to earn a high score on the High School Placement Test (HSPT), and an HSPT study guide is one of the best ways to prepare for this crucial and rigorous exam.

The test consists of nearly 300 questions with sections on quantitative, math, reading, and language (some schools use a version that also includes a science portion). Scores range from 200 to 800, much like other well-known standardized tests, but the scoring algorithm is proprietary information. Most high schools that require the test as part of their application process do not publish the range of acceptable scores for applicants. For that reason, it is always best to have your child apply at several private high schools and submit the HSPT scores to all of them. A score that just misses the cutoff mark at one private school may be well above the minimum score required at another.

Whether your child applies to one private high school or ten, it is imperative that he or she has access to a good HSPT study guide in the days and weeks leading up to the test. Failing this critical test can have such a lasting negative impact on a child's future that it is downright foolhardy not to prepare in advance. With a good HSPT study guide for review, a student can identify his or her weak areas and work to improve them before the day of the HSPT exam. This can mean the difference between passing and failing-and between an academic future at a top-tier college or university and one at a second-tier institution.

How to Ace the HSPT Exam

So you hope to score well on the HSPT exam and earn a coveted admission slot to an elite private high school? Good for you! Every year, the demand for spots at America's top colleges and universities keeps growing, and you will need every advantage you can get when it comes your time to apply. Having a diploma from one of your city's top private schools can be a real boost to your chances of being admitted. Of course, first you will need to win admittance to the private high school, and you can do that by acing the HSPT exam.

The HSPT, also called the High School Placement Test, is a standardized test used by private high schools across the US to help them determine who should be admitted to the few openings they have every year. It is not the only factor, but it is a huge one. It covers a wide range of topics, and there are hundreds of questions on it. Your score on the HSPT exam will truly be one of the make or break factors in your educational path from here on in. If you make a great score on the test and get into an elite high school, your odds of getting into a top flight college or university increase, which can then lead to being admitted to one of America's top professional or graduate schools.

The primary way to ensure that you do well on the HSPT is to not underestimate it. The test is much tougher than many people think it is, and students who take it unprepared are setting themselves up for a huge disappointment when they get their scores back. Second, do not think you can cram for the test. You cannot; it simply covers too much information. Last-minute cramming will not help; in fact, it will more than likely leave you too tired and stressed out to do your best on the HSPT.

The best way to ace the HSPT exam is to start reviewing a few weeks ahead of time. You will not find much help on the official website for the test; they give only vague tips. To find out what you need to know, you should obtain a good HSPT study guide and use it regularly in the days before the exam. You do not need to knock yourself out; a few hours a day should be sufficient. By doing so, you will be well ahead of the pack and on your way to acing the HSPT exam.

High School Placement Test: Do not Be Overconfident

The High School Placement Test is used by private high schools in America to determine which applicants to their schools are qualified for admission, as well as what level of studies they are ready for once admitted. While most schools do not publish what constitutes a passing score on the HSPT, the higher one's score, the better his or her chances are for being admitted and being placed in advanced courses. It is important to do well on the High School Placement Test, but every year many of the students who take the test fail it.

Surprisingly, many of the students who fail the exam are the same students who are expected to make a high score on the HSPT. There is actually a scientific reason for this conundrum, and it is important that you know about it. It is called the Dunning-Kruger effect, and educational experts have recently begun giving this test a lot more weight when interpreting standardized test results. The Dunning-Kruger effect is simply a fancy way of saying that many people tend to overrate their test taking skills and end up doing poorly because they do not prepare, while those people who are not as sure of themselves tend to score better. That is because they spend time studying in order to make up for their lack of confidence in their abilities.

How does this apply to you? Well, it means that when it comes to judging how ready you are for the High School Placement Test, you should err on the side of caution. It is better to be worried and spend more than adequate time preparing than it is to be overconfident and not spend enough time studying. Just be aware that most people tend to overrate their abilities, even very smart students. Do not make this mistake and ruin your chances of being admitted to an elite high school. Assume that you are not ready to pass the High School Placement Test on your own, get a good study guide, and spend some time prepping for the exam. You will be glad you did.