How To Prepare For The Hspt

A score of 500 will be considered average. A score of 600 or more on the test will put you above average.

You won’t need to take this test at every single high school, as your results will be mailed to the other high schools you have applied to.

Any electronics (phones, tablets, smartwatches), as teens could potentially cheat with them Rulers Calculators (you will need to calculate on paper)

Firstly, find a category that fits with most of the words. Are three of the words related somehow? For instance, if the words are “house”, “window”, “door”, and “stairs”, you could say that all of the words are related to a house. Next, find a word that means the opposite of the other words. If the words are “cheerful”, “content”, “overjoyed”, and “sullen”, “sullen” would be the word that does not belong, as “sullen” means gloomy, while the other words fit into the category “happy”. Then, find a word that is a category of all the other words. In the first example, “house” would be the odd one out, as the other words are parts of a house.

In the problem, “Arnold is taller than Beatrice. Beatrice is taller than Charlie. Charlie is shorter than Arnold”, the third statement would be true. If Beatrice is taller than Charlie but shorter than Arnold, Charlie would be shorter than Arnold as well. Charlie can’t be taller than Beatrice, as the second statement contradicts that. Subsequently, Charlie can’t be taller than Arnold because it contradicts the second statement too; if Charlie was taller than Arnold, he would also be taller than Beatrice. You can also write it out like this: A > B | B > C | C < A. If A > B and B > C, then C < B. If C < B, then A is the tallest, B is the second-tallest, and C is the shortest. Consider this question. “Thomas is smarter than Luca. Luca is smarter than John. John is smarter than Thomas. " The third statement is false. T > L | L > J | J > T. If Thomas is smarter than Luca, and Luca is smarter than John, John is the least smart. So, Thomas is smarter than Luca and John. Check this problem. Physics is more difficult than chemistry. Chemistry is easier than philosophy. Philosophy is easier than physics. If the first two statements are true, the third would be uncertain. If “Y” stands for philosophy, P > C | C < Y | Y < P. The second statement states that chemistry is easier than philosophy and physics, but there is no relationship established between philosophy and physics that would let us determine if the statement is true or false. So, the answer is “uncertain”.

The words may be synonyms. In the question, “Expensive is to pricey as sullen is to: (a) elated, (b) angry, (c) gloomy, or (d) banquet”, “expensive” and “pricey” are synonyms. So, the unknown word and “sullen” must also be synonyms. Only (c) gloomy is a synonym of “sullen”, so the answer is “c” However, the words may also be antonyms. In the question, “Light is to darkness as clean is to: (a) dirty, (b) aroma, (c) disgusting, or (d) tidy”, “light” and “darkness” are antonyms. The opposite of “clean” is (a) dirty, so the answer is “a”. The words may also be parts of one another. In the question, “Shell is to egg as peel is to: (a) rind, (b) orange, (c) omelet, or (d) helmet”, a shell is part of an egg, so a peel is a part of an orange, which is answer choice (b). To put it another way, an egg has a shell as its outer covering, and an orange has a peel as its outer covering.

The words “more than” mean that a number is added. The words “less than” mean that a number is subtracted. “Of” usually means a number is multiplied. “Cube” means that a number is multiplied three times, and “square” means that it’s multiplied two times. “Average” means the sum of a group of numbers divided by how many numbers there are. So, “7 more than 10% of 100” means (10% * 100) + 7. 10% of 100 is 10, and 10 + 7 is 17. So, the answer is 17.

For example, 5, 10, 15, 20. . . is an arithmetic sequence. The previous number is added to a constant of 5 to get the next number. The next number is 20 plus 5, which is 25. 100, 91, 82, 73. . . is an arithmetic sequence. Each previous number is subtracted by 9 to get the next number. The next number is 64. 3, 9, 27, 81. . . is a geometric sequence. The previous number is multiplied by a constant of 3 to get the next number. The next number is 81 multiplied by 3, which is 243. Same goes with the sequence 625, 125, 25. . .

each previous number is divided by 5 to get the next one. The next number is 5. 1, 4, 9, 16, 25. . . is also a sequence. Each of these are consecutive numbers raised to a power of two. These are consecutive squared numbers. 12{\displaystyle 1^{2}} is 1, 22{\displaystyle 2^{2}} is 4, 32{\displaystyle 3^{2}} is 9, and so on. The next number is 62{\displaystyle 6^{2}}, which is 36. 2, 5, 10, 17, 26. . . is also a sequence. These numbers are consecutive square numbers plus one. So, the next number is 62{\displaystyle 6^{2}} plus one, which is 37. Two or more steps may repeat at a time. By way of illustration, 2, 5, 10, 13, 26. . . is a sequence. You add three, then multiply the number by two. The next step in the sequence is to add by 3, so the next number is 29. Sometimes, there may be two interwoven sequences. The two sequences will alternate. For example, 2, 5, 8, 8, 32, 11. . . may not look like a sequence. But, if you separate the numbers, you will find that 2, 8, 32. . . and 5, 8, 11. . . are sequences. The next number is from 2’s sequence- 32 is multiplied by 4 to get 128.

A problem may ask you to compare (a) two squared, (b) three cubed, and (c) four cubed. Two is smaller than three and four, so you would have to multiply two more times than three or four to get it to be larger than each of the numbers. If three is multiplied two times, you’ll need to multiply it at least 4 times to make it larger. Same goes with three cubed- three is less than four, so the cubed form of three will be exponentially less than four cubed. If you’ve memorized what each of the numbers equals, you can compare them too. Two squared is 4, three cubed is 27, and four cubed is 64. So, both ways, (c) > (b) > (a). Some problems may tell you to compare variables larger than zero. For instance, (a) 6(a + b), (b), 6a + 6b, and (c) 6(a + b) + b may be the variables the problem wants you to compare. Using the Distributive Property, (a) equals 6a + 6b. So, (a) equals (b). (c), by the Distributive Property, equals 6a + 6b + b, which equals 6a + 7b. 6a + 7b is larger than 6a + 6b. So, (c) is larger than (a) and (b) which are equal.

There will be 3-5 questions with every essay you read. You will read around 5-8 passages.

After you finish reading one paragraph, try to summarize what it says. You shouldn’t focus on tiny details when you summarize- the questions don’t ask about details too much. They usually ask about broad topics or main ideas.

For example, if you’re reading a passage about how important the respiratory system is, you might find the first paragraph to be about what it is, the second part to explain each part of the system, and the third paragraph to be about how to take care of it. If a question asks about what organs are part of the respiratory system, you may check the second paragraph to find the answer.

Answer the question, “This passage is most likely found in”. As you’ve probably summarized each paragraph, this should be a breeze. If the article’s tone is scientific (it uses jargon and formal words), it could be found in a scientific journal. If the essay sounds informal and opinionated, it could be found in an opinion section of a newspaper. Answer the question, “The author of this passage is probably a”. This is pretty similar to answering “this passage is most likely found in a”. If the article’s tone is scientific, it was most likely written by a researcher or a scientist of some sort. If it sounds informative but not too formal, the passage could’ve been written by an older student or a teacher. Answer the question, “This next thing that will most likely happen is”. Check the last paragraph of the essay. This question will usually be asked for narratives and stories. If the last paragraph is about the hero asking their mentor for help, something that could happen next is that the mentor gives the hero some ideas. The mentor could also teach the hero some skills.

For example, you probably know what the word “smart” means. It means “intelligent”. If you look in a passage, the word may be presented like this: “The man’s eyes smart and his vision dims from the thick cloud of gun smoke. " This sentence is used in a passage about war reenactments. In this context, it means the man’s eyes feel a sharp, stinging pain.

Place commas when separating items in a list. The sentence “John bought eggs, fish, and peas” uses commas this way. The comma preceding the word “and” (the Oxford/serial comma) does not have to be placed. If it isn’t placed, the HSPT will not consider that as wrong. You should also add a comma after an introductory phrase. For example, “After having a lavish party, the millionaire decided to post the event on social media” uses a comma this way. Use a comma before the conjunction in compound sentences. Use a semicolon in place of a conjunction. The sentence “We decided to go to the museum; it was pretty quiet and peaceful. " uses a semicolon. [7] X Research source Put an apostrophe for possessive nouns and contractions. “He’s going to the store”, “That is Melinda’s dog”, and “Let’s go skiing next week” use apostrophes this way. In quotations, put the comma inside of the quotes if the quotation is broken. “Why,” the girl asked, “do you procrastinate so much?” is an example of that.

Use subject-verb agreement. If the noun is singular, add an “s” to the verb. If the noun is plural, do not add an “s” to the verb. “He runs to the park and back every morning” and “The dogs ecstatically jump up and down” are also sentences using correct subject-verb agreement. The word “you” is considered plural, so do not add an “s” to the verb in this case. “You seem sorrowful” is a correct way to use subject-verb agreement. The indefinite pronouns “everyone”, “everybody”, “each”, “either”, “every”, “anybody”, or “much” should be followed with a singular verb. Similarly, “both”, “few”, “some”, “several”, “many”, or “others” require a plural verb. Use pronouns correctly. Subject, possessive, and object pronouns are each used differently, so make sure to touch up on pronoun rules. Correct run-on sentences and comma splices.

Remember this rule, “i before e except after c”. This applies to words like “society”, “grief”, “relieve”, “receive”, and “tier”. This rule does not apply to all words though; words like “weird”, “seize”, and “concierge” do not follow this rule. [8] X Research source If a word has a silent e, drop the “e” before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. Examples of this include “like” to “liking” and “judge” to “judgment”. If the suffix begins with a consonant, do not drop the “e”.

Proper nouns will need to be capitalized. Proper nouns like names of people, places, brands, months, and days will need to be capitalized. “Jonathan”, “New Hampshire”, “Bugatti”, “January”, and “Sunday” are proper nouns, so they all start with a capital letter. Capitalize holidays. “Independence Day”, “New Year’s Day”, “Christmas”, “Kwanzaa”, “April Fools”, “Veteran’s Day”, and “Memorial Day” are examples of holidays, so they are all capitalized. Capitalize the first letter of a person’s title. For instance, “Aunt Susan”, “Grandpa Joe”, “Doctor Mike”, “Pope Benedict XVI”, “Queen Elizabeth II”, and “Mr. Bean” have titles that are capitalized.

For example, it may ask you to combine two sentences: “Queen Elizabeth was the hated sister of Queen Mary. Also known as “Bessie”, her father was the infamous King Henry VIII. " The sentence, “Queen Elizabeth I was the hated sister of Queen Mary and she was known as “Bessie” her father was the infamous King Henry VIII” is a run-on sentence. “Queen Elizabeth I, also known as “Bessie”, was the hated sister of Queen Mary, her father was the infamous King Henry VIII” is a comma splice. “Queen Elizabeth I, the hated sister of Queen Mary, was known as “Bessie”; her father was also the infamous King Henry VIII” makes sense and is not a run-on sentence.

Review adding and subtracting decimals and large numbers. Touch up on multiplying and decimals and large numbers. Review rounding numbers. Review scientific notation.

Know how to solve exponents and square roots. The most common roots are square and cube roots. Know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide variables with exponents.

Know how to find the perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids. Other shapes won’t likely be covered on the test, so you don’t need to memorize the formula for those. Know how to find the circumference and area of circles. There are a couple of circle-related geometry problems on the HSPT, so make sure to memorize the formulas for each if you haven’t yet learned this. Know how to find the volumes of cubes and rectangular prisms. Know how to find a missing angle in a triangle.

Review how to solve ratios and proportions too.

Review how to solve a linear equation.