Last updated November 9, 2026
HSPT vs TACHS: Catholic High School Entrance Tests Explained
A note from the parent who built this: I am preparing my own son for his entrance tests, and everything on this site gets tested on him before it goes live.
If your child is in Grade 8 and applying to a Catholic high school, they will almost certainly sit one of two tests. Most dioceses use the HSPT (High School Placement Test). Catholic high schools in New York City, the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island use the TACHS (Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools). This guide covers what each one tests, how it is timed, and how to prepare.
Which test will my child sit?
- TACHS if you are applying to Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of New York (Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and the counties to the north) or the dioceses that cover Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. It is sat once, online at home, in early November.
- HSPT almost everywhere else. There is no national date: each school or diocese sets its own, usually between December and February of Grade 8.
If you are not sure, ask the high school’s admissions office. It will tell you the test and the date.
The HSPT: five parts, 298 questions
The HSPT is a paper test with five timed parts in a fixed order. The question counts are from Scholastic Testing Service’s own manual. The times are the ones a diocese that runs the test publishes, since the setter does not list them itself.
| Part | Questions | Time | What is on it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Skills | 60 | 16 min | Synonyms, antonyms, analogies, logic, and which word does not belong |
| Quantitative Skills | 52 | 30 min | Number series, worded calculations, comparing figures and comparing quantities |
| Reading | 62 | 25 min | Passages with questions (40), then vocabulary (22) |
| Mathematics | 64 | 45 min | Numbers and word problems, measurement, geometry, algebra, data and probability |
| Language | 60 | 25 min | Punctuation, capitals and usage, spelling, and composition |
No calculator is allowed, and nothing is taken off for a wrong answer. Some schools add one optional test at the end, such as Science or Catholic Religion, which does not count toward the main scores.
The HSPT question types that surprise families
- Logic. Two statements, then a third. Your child decides whether the third is true, false or uncertain, assuming the first two are true. “Uncertain” is right whenever the facts allow the third statement but do not force it.
- Comparisons. Three figures or three expressions labeled (a), (b) and (c), and four statements about them. Only one statement is true, and a statement with two parts is true only if both parts are.
- Number series. A row of numbers made by a rule: adding, multiplying, a step that grows, or two steps taking turns. Your child finds the next number or a missing one.
- Find the mistake. Three sentences and a fourth choice, “No mistakes”. Your child picks the sentence with an error in capitals, punctuation, usage or spelling, or “No mistakes” when all three are right.
The TACHS: six timed tests, about 2 hours 10 minutes
Since 2026 the TACHS is taken online at home, in one sitting. It has six tests in order, each on its own clock. Once a test ends, your child cannot go back to it.
| Test | Choices | What is on it |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 4 | Passages with questions on detail, purpose and meaning |
| Written Expression | 4 | Improving a piece of writing, and spotting mistakes in how words and sentences are used |
| Mathematics | 4 | Number sense, measurement, equations, probability and percent |
| Figure Matrices | 5 | A grid of pictures that change by a rule, with one missing |
| Paper Folding | 5 | A folded, punched square: how does it look unfolded? |
| Figure Classification | 5 | Three pictures that are alike: which choice goes with them? |
Riverside publishes the tests, their order and the answer choices, but not how many questions each test has or how long each one takes. The last three are the Ability tests, all pictures and no reading. Older guides describe a different Ability section, so check the date on anything you read.
How to prepare for either test
- Practice for pace. HSPT Verbal Skills is 60 questions in 16 minutes, about 16 seconds each. That speed has to be practiced on a clock, not explained.
- Answer every question. Neither test takes anything off for a wrong answer, so a blank is a lost chance.
- Work by hand. No calculator on the HSPT, and only a basic one for some TACHS questions. Fractions, percents and long multiplication need to be quick on scrap paper.
- Learn the unusual question types first. For the HSPT, the logic and comparison questions; for the TACHS, paper folding and figure matrices. Most children have never seen them in school.
- Sit a whole test once. Two and a half hours is long for a 13-year-old. One full sitting before test day makes the real one feel familiar.
Practice in the HSPT and TACHS style
We write HSPT-style practice with all five parts at the real lengths and times, including the logic, series, comparison and find-the-mistake questions, and the optional Science test for schools that add it. Our TACHS-style practice has the three achievement tests and the three Ability tests, each Ability test on its own clock. Every test is new when your child starts it, and the score shows straight away.
To be clear about what these are: tests we wrote, not real HSPT or TACHS questions, and we are not connected with Scholastic Testing Service, Riverside Insights or any diocese. TACHS lengths are our own choice, because Riverside does not publish them. Our score is the number of questions right, not a standard score or percentile. A free account includes 3 practice tests, and a plan opens unlimited tests with the answers and worked solutions.
What’s next
Start with HSPT practice or TACHS practice. Applying to private schools as well? The ISEE and SSAT pages cover the independent school tests.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between the HSPT and the TACHS?
- Both are entrance tests for Catholic high schools, sat in Grade 8. The HSPT, from Scholastic Testing Service, is used by most dioceses across the US and has five parts: Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Reading, Mathematics and Language. The TACHS, from Riverside Insights, is used in New York City, the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island, and has six timed tests: Reading, Written Expression, Mathematics and three short picture-based Ability tests.
- How long is the HSPT?
- 298 questions in five timed parts: Verbal Skills 60, Quantitative Skills 52, Reading 62, Mathematics 64 and Language 60. A diocese that gives the test lists the times as 16, 30, 25, 45 and 25 minutes, about 2 hours 21 minutes of testing, and about two and a half hours with instructions.
- How long is the TACHS?
- About 2 hours 10 minutes for its six tests, taken online at home. Riverside does not publish how many questions each test has or how long each one takes.
- Can you use a calculator?
- Not on the HSPT. The online TACHS has a basic calculator built in for some questions, and personal calculators are not allowed.
- Is there a penalty for wrong answers?
- No, on either test. Only right answers count, so a child should answer every question.
- Are there official HSPT or TACHS practice tests?
- Neither setter offers full practice tests to families, and real questions are kept secure. Practice tests sold online are written by publishers. Ours are too: written by Scholar Tests in the style of each test, with no connection to Scholastic Testing Service, Riverside or any diocese.