Anonymous wrote:Is this a pass or fail test or a general marker of the academic strengths and weaknesses of each particular student?

General marker of academic strengths and weaknesses. The score report actually gives you break downs of each score and subsets. There are Cognitive Skills and Basic skills.
Cognitive Skills are Verbal, Quant and a Total Cognitive Skills Score
Basic Skills are Reading, Mathematics, Language, and a Total Basic Skills Score

You then have a Battery Composite Score (CMP) that is a total of the Verbal, Quant, Reading, Language and Math. (this is really the "percentile" that most people compare).

They also give you Grade Equivalents for Reading Math and Language. I can give further break down if you'd like but any prep book can do this better than the score report I'm reading from.

You get a number grade (like 600) and a percentile.
A low HSPT grade can exclude you from a school, or they may offer you conditional admission.

The HPST doesn't test religion.

5th and 8th graders in the Diocese of Arlington take a religion test that show the school and diocese how the religious ed program is working and if people are practicing what is preached. That score doesn't follow the child anywhere. It is more about the whole class/school. What they know and what they do.

Is this a pass or fail test or a general marker of the academic strengths and weaknesses of each particular student?

If your child takes Honors classes in public middle then they should be fine on the HSPT. I did prep my kid a bit, but she scored solidly in the 80's and was accepted to all three schools she applied to (2 in ADW, 1 outside- $15 extra to send scores outside and can only send to one). She did a Princeton Review prep book from Amazon.

It's the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Archdiocese of Washington, and Diocese of Arlington. Fairfax is within the Diocese of Arlington, Fairfax is not a separate diocese.

The Archdiocese of Washington, Arlington, Baltimore, and Fairfax all use the HSPT as their entrance exam. There are rules for sending those results to schools of other archdiocese. For example, if you take the test in ADW, you may submit the results to 2 schools within the archdiocese and to schools outside for a fee. They won't let you hand deliver results.

I bought a study guide for my daughter. She did not attend Catholic elementary/middle school. http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-COOP-HSPT-TACHS-3rd/dp/1438001452

If your child does attend Catholic middle school, they typically do test preparation at school.

Admissions director for a Catholic school here!
The best trick is if you are Catholic and how it. you have an increased chance if you would like to pusue the career of a nun.

Here is an old link for testing info for Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of Washington.
http://adw.org/applying-catholic-high-school/

For Virginia, I assume there is a similar link or the Archdiocese of Arlington.

Are the tests an overall academic assessment like the SAT?

Does the test also delve into theology, Catholicism?

Is this a test kids study for and if so, are there recommended study materials?

Is it true that if you take the test in VA you may apply to any VA Catholic high school and subsequently allowed to apply to one DC Catholic high school?

This is new territory for our family so any info/advice would be greatly appreciated.