Alaska AK STAR Grade 3 Math Practice Tests

Give your third grader the confidence to succeed on the Alaska AK STAR Grade 3 Math test.

This Smart Stars practice book provides five full-length, standards-aligned practice tests that mirror the length, item mix, and question types of the real AK STAR spring assessment in Mathematics. Every question was written by experienced educators, reviewed for accuracy, and built around the Alaska Mathematics Standards at Grade 3 (Alaska’s own standards, not the Common Core) so the topics and emphasis match what Alaska students actually see.

AK STAR (the Alaska System of Academic Readiness) is the test the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development gives to every public-school student in Grades 3-9. It is delivered by NWEA, the nonprofit behind MAP Growth, as an untimed, computer-adaptive test, with paper forms available as an accommodation. The spring administration is the one that counts toward grade-level results. The Grade 3 math test uses no calculator and no reference sheet, and it blends single-answer multiple choice with multiple-select (“select the two”), type-in answers, drop-down sentence-completion, table and matching tasks, and two written constructed-response questions where students show their work. On the test a student answers about 30 scored questions plus two hand-scored constructed-response questions, with a few unscored field-test questions mixed in invisibly. Each practice test here follows that same shape: 30 scored-style questions, 2 constructed-response questions, and 6 field-test-style questions, 38 in all, for 190 questions across the book: to build true test-day endurance.

What’s inside

• Five full-length practice tests, with detailed Answers and Explanations after every test
• Coverage of every Grade 3 math area Alaska reports (Operations & Algebraic Thinking, Number & Operations, Measurement & Data, and Geometry) weighted toward the Operations & Algebraic Thinking work (multiplication, division, and two-step problems) that carries the most questions, just like the real blueprint
• Field-test-style questions blended invisibly into each test, just like the real AK STAR, and fully answered here so nothing on test day feels unfamiliar
• Two written constructed-response questions per test: the kind AK STAR hand-scores at Grade 3: each with a full worked solution and a point-by-point scoring guide
• Practice in every AK STAR item format rendered for paper: multiple choice, multiple select (“select the two”), type-in/fill-in answers, drop-down sentence-completion, true/false and matching tables, drag-and-build tasks, number lines, line plots, area models, clocks, and figure-based geometry
• Every explanation walks through the reasoning step by step and ends with a labeled Tip, Check, or Estimate (with a Strategy on the multi-step questions), so students learn the move, not just the answer
• A combined Quick Answer Key after each test for fast self-grading
• A family letter, a test-taking tips section, and a Grade 3 math study reference page up front: included as a study aid, since the real AK STAR provides no reference sheet at Grade 3
• No-calculator practice throughout, matching the official AK STAR Grade 3-5 policy

Topics covered

• Place value, rounding to the nearest ten and hundred, and adding and subtracting whole numbers within 1,000, with and without regrouping
• Understanding multiplication and division through arrays, equal groups, repeated addition, and number lines, and the way multiplication and division undo each other
• Multiplication and division facts within 100, missing-factor problems, the distributive property, and two-step word problems with a symbol for the unknown
• Multiplying one-digit numbers by multiples of ten, and arithmetic patterns such as even-times-five
• Fractions as numbers: unit fractions, fractions of a whole and of a set, fractions on a number line, equivalent fractions, and comparing fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator (halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths)
• Sorting and classifying quadrilaterals (squares, rectangles, and rhombuses) and partitioning shapes into equal parts
• Perimeter of polygons, including finding an unknown side and composite (L-shaped) figures
• Area of a rectangle by tiling with unit squares and by multiplying side lengths, including composite rectangles
• Measuring length to the nearest half inch and quarter inch, and telling and writing time to the minute and finding elapsed time
• Reading and building scaled picture graphs and bar graphs, and line plots marked in halves and fourths
• Analyzing data (including the minimum and maximum of a data set) to answer “how many more,” combine-and-compare, and two-part questions

Why parents and teachers choose Smart Stars

• Educator-authored. Every question is written and reviewed by classroom-experienced educators.
• Mirrors test day. Each practice test matches the official AK STAR shape, item mix, question formats, hand-scored constructed responses, and no-calculator, no-reference-sheet policy, with field-test questions blended in invisibly just like the real test.
• Built for Alaska. Aligned to the Alaska Mathematics Standards at Grade 3 (Alaska’s own standards, not the Common Core) with grade-appropriate real-world contexts and a diverse cast of student names.
• Explanations teach the why. Every Answers and Explanations entry shows the full worked solution, then a labeled closing Tip, Check, or Estimate (and a Strategy on multi-step problems) so students learn the reasoning.
• Varied and graduated. Slot positions, contexts, names, and number choices rotate test-to-test, and the five tests step up in difficulty: the later tests lean on more multi-step, multi-select, and two-part reasoning: so no two feel like the same practice run.