Are you a student looking to attend a private Catholic High school? Do you need help understanding what the average score on the HSPT is? You have come to the right place if you can answer yes to either of these questions.
The HSPT exam is important for your child’s future. The exam is used by Catholic high schools nationwide and is administered to 8th-graders for 9th-grade placement. Every year, this entrance exam is given to prospective students and handled by each high school. If you are looking for information on what is a good score on the HSPT test, what to expect from exam scoring and how the results are used, we can help you with that and more. All you have to do to get this information is keep reading.
How is the HSPT Score Calculated?
How is the HSPT Score Calculated?The HSPT exam is available in two forms: open and closed. If a school utilizes a closed format, it utilizes the newest form and leases all materials needed through the Scholastic Testing Service. For the closed option, the exam form changes yearly and is more secure than the open format. Upon completion, exams are sent back to the testing service for scoring. If students take an electronic form of the exam, it can be scored immediately, and results provided the same day.
If your school is using an open form of the exam, it utilizes an older form of the exam. However, the exam is administered and scored by the school.
For scoring, students will receive a score for each exam and a composite score for all exams. For each subtest, all questions answered correctly are added together to receive the raw score. Students cannot lose points for questions that were answered incorrectly. Once the raw scores have been obtained, they are converted into standard scores.
A similar calculation is performed for the composite score. The HSPT exam contains three composite scores. These include the Total Cognitive Skills, Total Basic Skills, and battery Composite scores. Each of the scores includes different subset exams. The breakdown for each score is listed below:
- Total Cognitive Skills: The cognitive score includes the scores for the Verbal Skills test and quantitative Skills test.
- Total Basic Skills: This measures a student’s performance within the Reading, Mathematics, and language tests.
- Composite: This score includes all five subtests. Any optional tests are not included in a student’s composite score. If, for any reason, all five tests are not scored, the composite score provided will be an estimate.
There are various score types that students will find on the exam. These scores include raw scores, as described above, and standard scores. Standard scores are the conversion of raw scores. These scores allow results to be statistically evaluated.
Each of the different exams will have a different scoring scale for the standard score. The STS explains, “Standard score scales range from 200 to 800, with a mean of 500 and standard deviation of 100”.
National and Local percentile ranking scores are also provided on a student’s scoring sheet, showing how a student stacks up nationally and locally. However, in addition, HSPT grade equivalent scores show how students perform against other children within their grade levels.
Another score meant to predict a student’s future academic performance is the cognitive skills quotient (CSQ). This score is like the IQ score. The table below is used to determine the cognitive skills quotient. The left side of the scale shows the predicted score, whereas the right side of the table shows the percentage of the school population the student will likely fall in.
| Above 130 | Upper 3% of the school population |
| 110 & Above | The upper 25% of the school population |
| 100-109 | 50th to 75th percentile |
| 90-99 | 25th – 49th percentile |
| 89 & Below | Lower 25% of the school population |
| Below 70 | Lower 3% of the school population |
Another comparison is the stanine score. This score is meant to compare a student’s performance with those of the same grade level. This score is tied to the percentile rank and given a corresponding performance rating; the relationship is shown in the table below.
| Stanine | Percentile | Rating |
| 9 | 96-99 | High |
| 8 | 88-95 | |
| 7 | 76-87 | Above Average |
| 6 | 60-75 | |
| 5 | 41-59 | Average |
| 4 | 24-40 | Below Average |
| 3 | 12-23 | |
| 2 | 04-11 | Low |
| 1 | 01-03 |
The score sheet ultimately contains an abundance of information; however, understanding HSPT results allows you to understand where you rank with your classmates. In addition to the scores above, some students are also given a predicted ACT score.
What is Considered a Good HSPT Score?
Generally, a good score on the HSPT means scoring above average. This implies that students should do their best to aim above the 75th percentile. The chart above shows that an above-average score means scoring within the 60th to 87th percentile. However, scoring under the 75th percentile is regarded as an average score on HSPT.
Why is Having a Good HSPT Score Important?
A good HSPT score can do wonders for your academic future. If the schools you are looking to attend require you to take the exam, it can determine what schools you can attend and how much scholarship funding you can receive. Another reason it is important to obtain a good score is because the test can only be taken once. If it is taken again, the lowest score will be reported.
How are HSPT Results Used?
The HSPT results are first utilized in a student’s high school admissions. In addition to this, the scores are also used to determine scholarship eligibility and course placement. Different schools may utilize different score types. In addition, the scores can be used to forecast a student’s performance over time.
HSPT Preparation Tips: What Can You Do to Prepare?
If you are taking the HSPT exam, you should ensure that you are adequately prepared. The exam is difficult, and your personal needs will determine your length of preparation. Regardless of whether you choose to prep for a few days or a few weeks, it is important that you know what to expect. The tips below will help you prepare for the exam and get the score you need.
Take a Practice Exam
Taking a practice exam is essential in understanding where you are in your study process versus where you need to be. A practice exam should be completed when you start your studies to gauge where you are, and another one should be completed at the end to determine where you land. There are several options available online and via text for your use.
Obtain a Study Resource
The test administration for the HSPT exam does not offer any prep materials. Therefore, purchasing a text that you know will help you cross the finish line is important. An abundance of resources is available online via prep agencies and textbooks through stores like Amazon.
One highly ranked resource is Barron's HSPT Strategies and Practice text. This is an excellent resource to investigate if you are looking for an exam prep solution. It contains three practice exams as well as a comprehensive review.
Know the Specifics
Though the test is offered nationally, each high school will likely have different rules and specifications around testing. Ensure you have made yourself aware of any policies affecting your testing and your test location. For example, some schools will be able to share your HSPT scores with other schools, and others will not. You must know details like this before your test date.
Wrapping Things Up: What is a Good Score on the HSPT Test?
Regardless of your location, the HSPT test is an exam used nationality as an admission measure for catholic high schools. Many students have said that the test can be difficult. Therefore, preparation is necessary.
Obtaining a good HSPT score is essential to admission into some high schools and scholarship decisions. Doing things like ensuring you take a pretest and purchasing a study resource will help you score above average.
Check out our other interesting articles below:
> Average Aptitude Test Scores
> Average SAT Subject Test Scores for Harvard
