TACHS vs HSPT: which test does your child need?

Both are entrance tests for Catholic high schools, and they cover similar skills. Which one your child takes depends on where the high school is. The table below compares them for the 2026–27 season, using only official sources, which are listed under the article.

Who uses which test

Test	Used by Catholic high schools in
TACHS	The Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn/Queens and the Diocese of Rockville Centre (Long Island)
HSPT (NJ COOP program)	The Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Paterson; participating schools in Rockland County, NY, are part of this program too

Two geographic distinctions matter. Long Island’s Diocese of Rockville Centre uses the TACHS, not the HSPT. And Rockland County, NY, takes part in the Newark/Paterson HSPT program, even though it’s in New York. HSPT scores from the NJ COOP program go only to participating COOP schools, so check each school’s admissions page to confirm which test it uses. (TACHS Handbook, NJ COOP program)

Side by side

	TACHS	HSPT (Newark and Paterson program)
Who runs it	Riverside Insights, for the three New York dioceses	Published by Scholastic Testing Service (STS)
2026 test date	November 6, 2026 (Archdiocese of New York); November 7, 2026 (Brooklyn/Queens and Rockville Centre)	November 6, 2026, with a make-up on November 14, 2026
Fee	$78, including score reports to three high schools	$70, non-refundable
Where	Online, at home, on your own computer, with AI proctoring	On paper at a test site, with #2 pencils
What’s tested	Reading, Written Expression, Mathematics and Ability (reasoning with figures), in six timed subtests	Verbal Skills (60 questions), Quantitative Skills (52), Reading (62), Mathematics (64) and Language (60): 298 questions
Time	About 2 hours 10 minutes of testing	The test session runs 8:00 to 11:45 a.m., with testing starting at 8:30
Calculator	Basic calculator built into the test for some portions (new in 2026)	Not allowed
Wrong answers	No penalty, so answer every question	No penalty, so answer every question
Scores	Local and national percentile ranks	Standard scores from 200 to 800 (average 500), plus national and local percentiles from 1 to 99
Where scores go	Up to three high schools, chosen by November 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET	Up to three participating high schools, listed on test day
Results	Schools by December 7, 2026; families online after 3:00 PM ET on January 22, 2027	Families by email on January 11, 2027; admission decisions January 15, 2027
Retakes	Only current 8th graders, and only once	Once in the COOP program

What’s really different

• The TACHS is online at home in 2026; the NJ HSPT is on paper. A child who is comfortable on paper may need practice with on-screen tests for the TACHS, and the reverse for the HSPT.
• The TACHS includes figure-based reasoning. Its Ability section tests reasoning with figures.
• The HSPT has 298 multiple-choice questions across five subtests.
• Scores look different. HSPT reports include standard scores from 200 to 800. TACHS reports show percentile ranks.

For the full details of each test, see the TACHS page and the HSPT page.