Saso High School Prep's Official Blog

Many parents wonder if their child needs to take a class to prepare for the HSPT. They think that if their child has good grades in school that an HSPT prep course is not necessary. We have found that grades alone do not indicate whether a child is prepared to do well on the HSPT.  The reason for this is that the HSPT tests students on material that goes back to the earlier grades, and some students have forgotten some of this material.  Even though they may be earning good grades in the present as a 7th or 8th grader, they may not remember how to do certain math problems or remember certain grammar rules that they learned in 5th or 6th grade. In addition, the HSPT is a timed test, so that students need to complete each of the five sub-tests in a rather strict time frame. Students who are more methodical (and thus slower workers), find the timing of the sub-tests very challenging. Taking an HSPT prep class can help students to learn to finish the HSPT sub-tests in the time allotted

Many parents ask us this question. And the answer depends upon several factors. If your child is a high-achieving student and consistently scores in the 80th and 90th percentile on their yearly standardized tests (STAR, IOWA, SAT, ERB, etc.), then he or she can wait until the fall of 8th grade to begin HSPT preparation. If, on the other hand, your child : does poorly on standardized tests suffers from "test anxiety" is a methodical and somewhat slow worker takes a great deal of time finishing assignments has average grades in school (B's and C's)  then we suggest that he or she begin HSPT preparation during the the summer after 7th grade. We offer two programs that are very helpful.  One is our HSPT Diagnostic Assessment for 7th graders. The assessment will tell you whether your child is prepared for the HSPT and what areas he or she needs to work on now in order to get ready for success on the HSPT. Visit our website for more information on the  Diagnos