Parents
Guides for parents
What is the HSPT? A parent's guide to the Catholic high school entrance exam
What the HSPT is, who takes it, how it is structured, how it is scored, and what actually matters for admissions.
Updated Feb 10, 2026
How HSPT scoring works
Standard scores, national and local percentiles, stanines, the CSQ, and the three composites, explained with what each one is actually for.
Updated Mar 12, 2026
What is a good HSPT score?
There is no pass mark. Here is how to judge a score against the schools your child is applying to, and the percentile bands where honors placement and scholarships usually begin.
Updated Apr 14, 2026
The Cognitive Skills Quotient (CSQ) explained
What the CSQ on an HSPT report is, how it differs from an IQ score, and how much weight schools give it.
Updated May 12, 2026
HSPT vs ISEE, SSAT, and TACHS
How the four main high school entrance exams differ in who uses them, format, timing, guessing rules, retakes, and cost, and which one your child actually needs.
Updated Sep 4, 2026
The Pre-HSPT for 7th graders
What the 7th-grade practice sitting is, which schools offer it, what it costs, and whether it is worth doing a year early.
Updated Jun 9, 2026
HSPT test-day checklist
What to bring, what to leave home, the night before, the morning of, and what to tell your child about the clock.
Updated Aug 11, 2026
HSPT study plans for 4, 8, and 12 weeks
Week-by-week plans built around the real pace of the test. Pick the one that matches the time you have; each ends the same way, with timed full-length practice.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
How to take the HSPT: strategies that raise your score
Written for the student. What to settle before test day, how to move through each section, what to do with leftover minutes, and how to keep nerves from costing points.
Updated Sep 13, 2026
How to build HSPT vocabulary in ten minutes a day
Written for the student. Why words carry a quarter of the test, the journal-and-sentence method, the charge trick that rescues a guess, word families, and how roots unlock words you have never seen.
Updated Sep 12, 2026