Massachusetts Practice Tests
Massachusetts Practice Books and Flashcards
Massachusetts's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) covers English language arts and math every year, science and technology/engineering in grades 5 and 8, and civics in grade 8. The tests are given on a computer in the spring, and paper tests are used only in limited cases, such as for students who need one as an accommodation. Every MCAS session is untimed: students have as much time as they need within a regular school day, and the times below are the state's recommended times for scheduling. MCAS scores do not decide whether a student moves on to the next grade.
English Language Arts
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3, 4 and 5 | Two sessions on two days; online; reading passages plus stand-alone grammar and usage questions; two short written responses of one to two paragraphs | Untimed | Reading (53 to 63%), language (25 to 35%), writing (7 to 17%) |
| Grades 6, 7 and 8 | Two sessions on two days; online; reading passages plus stand-alone grammar and usage questions; one essay and one short written response | Untimed | Reading (53 to 63%), language (21 to 31%), writing (11 to 21%) |
Written answers are based on the passages students read and are scored for both the writing and its conventions. Grades 3 to 5 no longer write an essay, and narrative writing is no longer tested.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Two sessions; online; no calculator; no reference sheet | Untimed; about 1½ hours per session recommended | Operations and algebraic thinking (25 to 35%), measurement and data (20 to 30%), fractions (15 to 25%), number and operations in base ten (10 to 20%), geometry (5 to 15%) |
| Grade 4 | Two sessions; online; no calculator; no reference sheet | Untimed; about 1½ hours per session recommended | Fractions (25 to 35%), operations and algebraic thinking (15 to 25%), number and operations in base ten (15 to 25%), measurement and data (15 to 25%), geometry (5 to 15%) |
| Grade 5 | Two sessions; online; no calculator; reference sheet | Untimed; about 1½ hours per session recommended | Number and operations in base ten (25 to 35%), fractions (20 to 30%), measurement and data (15 to 25%), operations and algebraic thinking (10 to 20%), geometry (5 to 15%) |
| Grade 6 | Two sessions; online; no calculator; reference sheet | Untimed; about 1½ hours per session recommended | Expressions and equations (25 to 35%), ratios and proportional relationships (15 to 25%), the number system (15 to 25%), geometry (10 to 20%), statistics and probability (10 to 20%) |
| Grade 7 | Two sessions; online; no calculator in Session 1, calculator in Session 2; reference sheet | Untimed; about 1½ hours per session recommended | Expressions and equations (20 to 30%), ratios and proportional relationships (15 to 25%), the number system (15 to 25%), statistics and probability (15 to 25%), geometry (10 to 20%) |
| Grade 8 | Two sessions; online; no calculator in Session 1, calculator in Session 2; reference sheet | Untimed; about 1½ hours per session recommended | The number system with expressions and equations (35 to 45%), geometry (25 to 35%), functions (15 to 25%), statistics and probability (5 to 15%) |
Questions include multiple choice, multiple select, technology-enhanced, short answer and constructed response, where students show calculations and explain their thinking. An on-screen centimeter ruler and eighth-inch ruler are available in every grade.
Science and Technology/Engineering
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 5 and 8 | Two sessions; online; built from performance tasks | Untimed | Earth and space science, life science, physical science, technology/engineering (20 to 30% each) |
Each performance task opens with an illustrated storyline about students making sense of a science phenomenon and includes an interactive simulation in which students collect data or make observations, followed by selected-response questions and one written response.
Civics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 8 | Two parts, a state-level performance task and an end-of-course test; online; the performance task uses primary and secondary sources and includes written answers | Untimed; about 1 hour recommended for each part | The full range of grade 8 civics standards on the end-of-course test; one of the seven grade 8 civics topics on the performance task |
The seven civics topics are the philosophical foundations of the United States political system, the development of the United States government, the institutions of United States government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, the Constitution, amendments and Supreme Court decisions, the structure of Massachusetts state and local government, and freedom of the press and news and media literacy.