Minnesota Practice Tests
Minnesota Practice Books and Flashcards
Minnesota's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) cover reading and math every year, plus science in grades 5 and 8. The tests are given online, with paper test materials for eligible students. Reading and math are adaptive, so the questions adjust to how a student is doing, while every student taking science sees the same scored questions. The MCAs are not timed: students may keep working as long as they are making progress, and the times below are the state's typical ranges for scheduling. Testing takes place in the spring.
Reading
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3 to 8 | Online; adaptive by groups of passages; multiple-choice and technology-enhanced questions; each question shown beside its passage | Untimed; typically 1.5 to 2 hours | Themes, central ideas, details and vocabulary; structure, author's perspective, arguments, relevancy and credibility |
The Reading MCA measures the reading strand of Minnesota's English language arts standards. Results are reported in four performance levels: Beginning, Intermediate, Meets and Advanced.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3 and 4 | Online; adaptive; no calculator in some question groups; four-function calculator in the others | Untimed; typically 1.5 to 2 hours | Number and operation, algebra, geometry and measurement, data analysis |
| Grade 5 | Online; adaptive; no calculator in some question groups; four-function calculator in the others; formula sheet | Untimed; typically 1.5 to 2 hours | Number and operation, algebra, geometry and measurement, data analysis |
| Grades 6 and 7 | Online; adaptive; no calculator in some question groups; scientific calculator in the others; formula sheet | Untimed; typically 1.5 to 2 hours | Number and operation, algebra, geometry and measurement, data analysis and probability |
| Grade 8 | Online; adaptive; no calculator in some question groups; graphing calculator in the others; formula sheet | Untimed; typically 1.5 to 2 hours | Number and operation, algebra, geometry and measurement, data analysis and probability |
Calculator and non-calculator questions are kept in separate groups, and the online calculator and math tables (a multiplication table and a hundreds chart) appear only where a calculator is allowed. Once a student moves on to the next group of questions, earlier answers can no longer be changed. Results are reported in four achievement levels: Does Not Meet, Partially Meets, Meets and Exceeds the Standards.
Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | Online; same scored questions for every student; two sections; questions built around real-world phenomena; one or two written responses; calculator for some questions | Untimed; typically 1.5 to 2 hours | Practices in earth and space science, practices in life science, practices in physical science |
| Grade 8 | Online; same scored questions for every student; two sections; questions built around real-world phenomena; one or two written responses; calculator for some questions | Untimed; typically 1 to 1.5 hours | Practices in earth and space science, practices in life science, practices in physical science |
Results are reported in four performance levels: Beginning, Intermediate, Meets and Advanced.