My son wanted to apply to a specific Catholic high school, but we didn’t have the time to sign up for a formal class. We are not Catholic and his former schools were either public or Baptist—so he had no prior exposure to the test format. We purchased this book based on a Facebook group suggestion. In order to take full advantage of this resource, you must be diligent and encourage your student to study daily. Just like any other study guide, it’s only as helpful as the time you invest in the strategies. My child had 8 weeks to buckle down before the exam. My son ended up scoring above average in every category. Honestly, he enjoys math but to see that he earned 98th percentile was mind blowing. Wasn’t as impressed with his verbal battery, BUT he didn’t study that section as much as I encouraged—so can’t blame Barron’s for lack of student motivation. I gave the book 5/5. Son said the real test was harder than the study book’s practice exam, but that’s relatively speaking. He didn’t study the verbal section as I instructed. GREAT NEWS: He was accepted into the school and I totally believe that his HSPT score impacted his admission.

This text by Barron’s is the best HSPT book out there, hands down. The tests are free of error, and I believe they will be te most similar to the test itself. Great purchase!

I purchased the Barron's HSPT review guide for my 8th grader about 3 months before he took the test and I'm glad I did. My son never took a standardized test as long or as comprehensive as the HSPT. This book helped familiarize him with the content, format, sequence and timing of the test. After he took the first diagnostic in the book, he felt frustrated and short on time. By the time he was done with the book, he was finishing before time was up, could re-check his work and his scores showed improvement. The practice tests also highlighted some areas of relative weakness for him to focus upon. My son received a four year academic scholarship based in part upon his HSPT score results. I'll caveat this statement by saying my son is a straight A middle school student. However, I do think this prep guide helped him demonstrate his abilities. I doubt he would have performed as well if he took the HSPT "cold".

I only wish I could put the HSPT prep book in hands of all children in private schools with families unable to buy it. This is a goldmine. It is truly favor of God the 7th grade math teacher connected me with high school offered the HSPT class last month. Thank you, Jesus!

There are a few typos in the practice tests of this book, which is unfortunate, because Barron's was typically the best. However, not enough for that alone to yield less than 5 stars. One BIG error is that the timing allotted for the Verbal Subtest is stated as 18 minutes, and it is definitely only 16 minutes. This is not a typo, because throughout the book it's stated as 18 minutes, including on each practice test.

Feeling more prepared going through the practice. It has a lot of problems.

This HSPT book was a great buy. WE bought it 2 weeks before my daughter has to take a high school placement examination. It comes with 3 full practice exams and the questions are pretty similar to the test as far as I can see. It also comes with multiple questions in the various sections. In the week and a half we have been doing practice tests, she has improved her time and expanded her knowledge. It has given her confidence into going into the test. I just wish I had bought it sooner so we could have taken full advantage of the book, but if you are in a crunch for studying, this book is a good investment.

The book provides an excellent review of HSPT compared to other books, with many review questions and little instruction. This focuses on reviewing each section and teaching techniques for approaching each type of question. There are review questions after each subsection to test your understanding, along with full-length practice tests. I am so happy I found this book!