What is the HSPT exam? Who takes it and what's on it
Short answer
The HSPT, or High School Placement Test, is a 298-question multiple-choice test from Scholastic Testing Service with five sections: Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Reading, Mathematics and Language. Catholic high schools use it to make admission decisions; in North Jersey, the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Paterson give it on Friday, November 6, 2026 through the NJ COOP program.
First, the name
HSPT stands for High School Placement Test. So “HSPT exam,” “HSPT test” and “the HSPT” all mean the same thing.
It is published by Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. (STS) of Bensenville, Illinois, and has been in use since 1955. One quick clarification: STS is not affiliated with Scholastic Inc., the children’s book publisher. Different company, similar name.
Who takes it
Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark (Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties, plus Rockland County, NY) and the Diocese of Paterson (Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties) use the HSPT through the NJ COOP program. The main NJ COOP sitting for fall 2027 entry is in November 2026.
In the rest of the New York City area, Catholic high schools use a different test. The Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn/Queens and the Diocese of Rockville Centre use the TACHS. Rockland County is the odd one out: it sits in the Archdiocese of New York geographically, but its Catholic high schools test through the NJ COOP HSPT program.
If you are not sure which one your child needs, see TACHS vs HSPT: which test does your child need?.
Catholic high schools outside those dioceses also use the HSPT, and they set their own test dates and fees. Check each school’s admissions page.
What’s on the test
Five multiple-choice subtests, 298 questions in total.
| Subtest | Questions | About how long |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Skills | 60 | 16 minutes |
| Quantitative Skills | 52 | 30 minutes |
| Reading | 62 | 25 minutes |
| Mathematics | 64 | 45 minutes |
| Language | 60 | 25 minutes |
| Total | 298 | about 2 hours 20 minutes |
A note on those times: STS does not publish section times on its public pages. It says only that time limits are set for each subtest. Treat the minutes above as approximate. The New Jersey session runs 8:00 to 11:45 a.m., which is longer than 2 hours 20 minutes because it includes check-in and breaks.
Two optional tests exist, and individual schools decide whether to add them:
- Science — 40 items, 25 minutes
- Catholic Religion — 20 minutes
Neither counts toward the composite score.
Calculators are not allowed. For the full question-by-question breakdown, see What’s on the HSPT?.
How it’s scored
Every subtest and composite gets a standard score from 200 to 800, where 500 is average. Reports also show national and local percentiles from 1 to 99.
Three composites appear on the report:
| Composite | Made from |
|---|---|
| Total Cognitive Skills | Verbal + Quantitative |
| Total Basic Skills | Reading + Mathematics + Language |
| Battery Composite | All five subtests |
Composites are built from summed raw scores converted separately. They are not the average of the part scores, so don’t try to reconcile them by hand.
No guessing penalty. Only correct answers count, and wrong answers cost nothing. Your child should put an answer on every question, even the ones they have to guess on. See which admissions tests penalize wrong answers for how this compares to the other entrance tests.
New Jersey dates for 2026–27
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Registration opens at njcoopexam.org | September 1, 2026 |
| Deadline for students at participating Catholic schools | October 9, 2026 |
| Extended-time forms postmarked by | October 20, 2026 |
| Registration closes | October 23, 2026 |
| Test day | Friday, November 6, 2026, 8:00–11:45 a.m. |
| Make-up test | Saturday, November 14, 2026 |
| 9th-grade applicant records due | December 9, 2026 |
| Score reports emailed to families | January 11, 2027 |
| High schools send admission decisions | January 15, 2027 |
Testing starts at 8:30 a.m., so arrive by 8:00. Students who arrive late have to use the make-up date and pay an extra $10 in cash. Extended-time students test from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and extended time is not offered on November 6 at three sites: Mary Help of Christians, Lacordaire Academy and Mother Seton Regional.
The fee is $70 and is non-refundable. Full registration walkthrough: NJ COOP HSPT 2026.
Scores go to three schools
On test day, your child lists up to three participating high schools, and the scores go to all three in no particular order. There is no ranking, so listing a school first does not signal anything.
Two limits worth knowing before test day:
- COOP scores are not sent to schools outside the COOP program.
- A student may take the COOP HSPT only once.
That second one matters. Talk through the three school choices at home in October, not in the testing room.
What about the Pre-HSPT?
STS also publishes a Pre-HSPT, a 7th-grade version that high schools give as practice. It is scored against 7th-grade norms, and the optional Science and Religion tests are not available with it.
Practice by skill
Try these skill practice pages.
HSPT is a registered mark of Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. Clever Branch is not affiliated with STS.
Sources
- High School Placement Test (HSPT) - Overview (Scholastic Testing Service)
- HSPT Interpretive Manual for Closed HSPT and Pre-HSPT (STS, 2021, PDF)
- HSPT vs TACHS 2026-27 (ConnectPrep)
- HSPT Parent's Page - Preparing for the HSPT (STS)
- HSPT Parent's Page - How Are Tests Scored? (STS)
- Cooperative Admissions Examination Program (COOP) (NJ)
- Archdiocese of Newark/Diocese of Paterson 2026-2027 Cooperative Admissions HSPT Testing Program - Important Dates (PDF)
- COOP/HSPT Student Handbook 2026-2027 (PDF, revised 9/6/26)
- E3n | Enroll. Educate. Excel