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High School Placement Test Prep

Confidence and skills for the HSPT, before the big day.

Get higher scores (and build confidence) on the High School Placement Test

High school is a new adventure for your child. But high school placement testing can be stressful, even for the most confident student!

Sylvan is here to help. Our High School Placement Test (HSPT) prep tutors are experts at helping kids take standardized tests with confidence. That means your child will feel calm and prepared on test day.

Find HSPT Prep Near You →

What’s included

How to prepare for the High School Placement Test

With Sylvan’s HSPT Prep, your child will:

Improve skills and develop better study habits. Our test prep tutors will help your child target the skill areas that need the most help. We incorporate local curriculum, so there’s a positive impact in class, too.

Feel more confident on test day. No matter how well prepared your child is, some kids just get anxious taking tests. (We get it!) Sylvan will help your child review tested skills and apply strategies to tackle test day with confidence.

Feel fully supported and keep frustration down. We tailor our tutoring sessions to your child’s unique needs, so your child learns in the best way for them. Our tutors are experts at connecting with kids, making learning fun and turning anxiety into confidence.

Be more successful on test day and beyond. Our high school placement testing prep can make a big impact on scores — and on moving ahead to your child’s preferred high school.

Prep that fits how your child learns

Every HSPT Prep program starts with where your child is now. We look at which of the five sections need the most work, build a plan around them, and keep you in the loop on progress along the way — so the test feels manageable rather than overwhelming.

About the test

What is the High School Placement Test?

Students hoping to attend Catholic and other private high schools will likely have to take the HSPT. Schools use it for admissions, for placing students in the right courses, and sometimes for scholarships.

Who takes it

8th graders applying to private high schools

Usually taken in the late fall or winter of 8th grade, at the school your child is applying to

Each school decides how it uses the results

Format

About 2½ hours, with close to 300 multiple-choice questions

On paper or online, depending on the school

Some schools add an optional section in science, religion or mechanical aptitude

Sections

Verbal Skills

Quantitative Skills

Reading

Mathematics

Language

Scoring

Raw scores are converted to a scaled score of 200–800

Reported with national and local percentile ranks

Each school sets its own expectations, so there is no single passing score

Hear it from Sylvan families

What parents are saying

“We have had our child enrolled at Sylvan over the past several years for a variety of reasons, from learning to read when he was young, to test prep for high school entrance exams, and they have always given him the the attention and care he needs to be successful academically. Thank you to the team in Sherman Oaks!”

— Rebekkah S. · Sylvan of Sherman Oaks & Studio City

“Sylvan has been a great asset to enhancing my daughter's learning. Sylvan has really helped my daughter improve her math skills and learn concepts for the next grade level. My daughter is more confident and did not stress when she took a school entrance exam recently.”

— Savannah A. · Sylvan of Rochester & Greece

“Excellent teachers are wonderful working with the children (younger, older, and including entrance exams like the SATs!). The office and its administrators always accommodate busy afterschool schedules. Wonderful customer service. We’re grateful to have found them.”

— F M. · Sylvan of Dallas & Highland Park

Get started today

Start preparing for high school placement testing today

HSPT Prep is available at select Sylvan centers. Give us a call at (888) 338-2283 or fill out the form to discuss your child’s learning goals and schedule our Insight™ Assessment to accurately determine where your child stands academically.