HSPT

We have tutors experienced with all facets of the HSPT, and working with a private tutor can help your student through getting personalized attention and more efficient test preparation. THE HSPT is also known as the High School Placement Test. It is a standardized test that many independent or private schools utilize as part of their admissions process. In some schools, the test results are also used to help determine what students earn scholarships or awards.

The test is generally taken by students in the eighth grade, in preparation for them going to a new school for ninth grade. In addition to reviewing potentially covered material with your student, our tutors can offer help with study skills and even work with your student to boost their confidence in their abilities. There are several versions of the test, including the Pre-HSPT issued to seventh graders, closed HSPT and open HSPT.

How Can a Tutor Help My Student with the HSPT Test?

The verbal skills section of the test involves performing tasks that utilize language based reasoning, and it relates to fields such as language and social studies. If your student struggles with this area of the test, their HSPT tutor may provide them with samples of these types of tasks to give them extra practice. With more practice comes more comfort and familiarity with the test.

For the quantitative skills section, your student has to perform number and quantity based tasks. If your student has a hard time with math and quantitative logic, their HSPT tutor may work with them on solving different problem types. They can then apply this style of thinking to other problems and practice using logic and problem solving skills to answer the questions. Our HSPT tutors will also work with your student in the particular learning style that suits them best.

For visual learners, tutors may use graphs or charts to illustrate information, while auditory learners may do better with a lecture styled review session, where they can take notes and ask questions. The session is tailored to your student’s needs rather than forcing them to learn like everyone else does when in the classroom setting. This promotes academic success in a variety of ways.

For the reading section of the HSPT test, your student must read different passages and answer questions about them, such as making inferences. During their tutoring sessions, a student who needs help with this section may learn active reading and note taking techniques from their HSPT tutor. Rather than having to scour the passage over again, they can reference their notes to answer questions. They may even benefit from learning to skim the questions prior to reading the passages so that they know what types of information to be looking for.

For the mathematics section of the HSPT, solve problems related to skills such as arithmetic. Your student may be like many others and struggle with math problems, especially if they have not learned the requisite skills needed to answer the questions. Our HSPT tutors can work with your student on previous concepts that they have covered to review them and make sure your student has a comprehensive understanding of how to solve these types of problems. They can also work on sample problems, learning to perform calculations without the use of a calculator, as one is not allowed on the test.

For the language section, students have to apply rules of grammar and punctuation and answer questions about these conventions. If your student is struggling with this area, their HSPT tutor may work with them to develop flashcards to review the material, such as how to spell certain words or to remember different parts of speech. Each of the topics can be reviewed so that your student understands the material before the big test.

The HSPT also has two optional sections, science and the Catholic religion. It is important that you check to see if your student will be tested on these areas, in which case reviewing the material may be important to do with a tutor, and the tutor can incorporate this material into their study sessions. If they are not going to be tested in these areas, you do not need to worry about having a tutor review this test material.