South Carolina Practice Tests
South Carolina Practice Books and Flashcards
South Carolina's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, South Carolina's SC READY tests cover English language arts and math every year, plus science in grades 4 and 6. The tests are given online, and paper tests are available for students whose IEP, 504 plan or language acquisition plan calls for them. None of the tests is timed, so the times below are the state's estimates for scheduling. Each test is designed to be given on its own day, and each session must begin and end on the same school day. Testing takes place during the last 20 school days of each district's calendar.
English Language Arts
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3, 4 and 5 | Online; three parts on three days: Writing, Reading Part A and Reading Part B; one text-dependent writing essay in the Writing part | Untimed; about 100 minutes for Writing and 60 minutes each for Reading Part A and Part B | Reading literary text, reading informational text, reading vocabulary across genres, writing, research and evaluating ideas, and the text-dependent writing essay (scored 1 to 4) |
| Grades 6, 7 and 8 | Online; two parts on two days: Writing and Reading; one text-dependent writing essay in the Writing part | Untimed; about 100 minutes for Writing and 75 minutes for Reading | Reading literary text, reading informational text, reading vocabulary across genres, writing, research and evaluating ideas, and the text-dependent writing essay (scored 1 to 4) |
For the text-dependent writing essay, students read a passage and write a response that draws on it: a narrative in grades 3 and 4, an argument in grades 5 and 6, and an argument or an informative essay in grades 7 and 8. Grade 3 reading must be given in the first five days of the testing window so the results are ready for South Carolina's Read to Succeed requirements.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Online; one session; no calculator | Untimed; about 105 minutes | Data, probability and statistical reasoning; measurement, geometry and spatial reasoning; numerical reasoning; patterns, algebra and functional reasoning |
| Grades 4 and 5 | Online; one session; no calculator; reference sheet of measurement conversions | Untimed; about 105 minutes | Data, probability and statistical reasoning; measurement, geometry and spatial reasoning; numerical reasoning; patterns, algebra and functional reasoning |
| Grades 6, 7 and 8 | Online; one day, two sections: a no-calculator section first, then a calculator section; reference sheet | Untimed; about 80 minutes for both sections | Data, probability and statistical reasoning; measurement, geometry and spatial reasoning; numerical reasoning; patterns, algebra and functional reasoning |
Online calculators are built into the calculator section: four-function and scientific in grade 6, scientific and graphing in grades 7 and 8, and students may instead use an approved handheld calculator. The reference sheet lists measurement conversions in grades 6 and 7 and formulas in grade 8.
Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 | Online; one section on one day | Untimed; about 90 minutes | Energy, waves, organisms and the environment, earth processes and features |
| Grade 6 | Online; one section on one day; calculator allowed | Untimed; about 90 minutes | Energy and waves, life science, history of Earth, Earth and the atmosphere |
The science tests include stimulus sets: a short passage, which may include a graph, map or diagram, followed by three related questions. State law also calls for grade 8 science and social studies in grades 5 and 7, but the state budget has suspended those tests.