Placement Test - Cathedral High School

Taking the Placement Test

Each applicant for freshman admission must take the STS High School Placement Test as part of the application process. For your convenience, we offer this placement test on three Saturday mornings during the fall and one Saturday morning in January.

High School Placement Test Dates

Testing dates for 2023 have concluded. Please contact the admissions office if you have any questions.

Click here to register online or register on the application checklist.

For Parents: Coffee with Cathedral!

While students are taking the placement test on each Saturday date, we offer a gathering for parents/guardians called "Coffee with Cathedral" that is designed to share valuable information about academics, counseling, and more. This gathering and campus begins at 8:30 a.m. The Admissions Team will direct parents to this location on the morning of the placement test.

HSPT: Things to Note

Things to note about the High School Placement Test at Cathedral:

While this test is one of many factors we consider when making admissions decisions, this is not an “admissions” test at Cathedral.
- There is no minimum score required for acceptance at Cathedral.
- The placement test helps greatly in the initial determination of a student’s placement into one or more of our academic levels of instruction. We want to help each student achieve academic excellence commensurate with his or her innate ability, and the placement test helps us do so.
The placement test lasts approximately three hours (including breaks).
The placement test includes sections designed to assess verbal, language and reading comprehension skills as well as quantitative ability and math skills. There also is a composite score that provides an overall indicator of performance.
We do not charge a fee for taking the placement test at Cathedral.
If a student has documented needs for accommodations (e.g. extended time), please provide documentation of such needs at least two (2) weeks prior to any given test date. Please contact Mrs. Maribeth Cloud with documentation.

Reporting Test Results

Students testing at Cathedral High School can expect results via mail within two weeks following the test.
Cathedral will share a student’s scores with other high schools if the family requests that we do so.
We will accept HSPT results taken at other high schools. Please scan and send score report to admissions@gocathedral.com.
- Please note: Results from the spring High School Placement Test taken at Bishop Chatard High School during a student's seventh-grade year are not considered valid placement test results for admission to Cathedral High School and/or for consideration for merit scholarships at Cathedral High School, as these scores are percentiles that are normed against 7th-grade norms instead of 8th-grade norms.

Merit Scholarship Opportunities

Cathedral uses the High School Placement Test when awarding merit-based scholarships:
- A student whose composite score is at the 98th or 99th national percentile earns a Presidential Scholarship, a merit scholarship of $4,000 per year that is renewable for all four years.
- A student whose composite score is at the 95th, 96th or 97th national percentile earns a Cathedral Scholarship, a merit scholarship of $2,500 per year that is renewable for all four years.