Test Prep by State
Tennessee Practice Tests
Tennessee Practice Books and Flashcards
Grade 3
Grade 4
Tennessee's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, Tennessee's TCAP tests English language arts, math and science every year, plus social studies in grades 6, 7 and 8. Students in grades 3 to 5 take their tests on paper, and students in grades 6 to 8 take them online. Each test is split into subparts, and testing happens in one window at the end of the school year. If a parent or student asks, the test administrator may allow up to 20% more time on each subpart.
English Language Arts
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | On paper; two parts, writing and reading; written responses to reading passages; answers written in the test booklet | 220 minutes in all: writing 120, reading 100 | Reading literature (32 to 34%), reading informational text (32 to 34%), vocabulary (13 to 18%), conventions (13 to 14%), written expression (5 to 7%) |
| Grade 4 | On paper; two parts, writing and reading; written responses to reading passages; separate answer document | 260 minutes in all: writing 160, reading 100 | Reading literature (32 to 34%), reading informational text (32 to 34%), vocabulary (13 to 18%), conventions (13 to 14%), written expression (2 to 4%) |
| Grade 5 | On paper; two parts, writing and reading; written responses to reading passages; separate answer document | 280 minutes in all: writing 160, reading 120 | Reading literature (32 to 34%), reading informational text (32 to 34%), vocabulary (13 to 18%), conventions (13 to 14%), written expression (2 to 4%) |
| Grades 6, 7 and 8 | Online; five subparts; a written response in each of the first two subparts | 315 minutes in all | Reading literature (32 to 34%), reading informational text (32 to 34%), vocabulary (13 to 18%), conventions (13 to 14%), written expression (2 to 4%) |
The percentages count questions. The written response counts for much more than its share of questions: it is worth 16 points on a test worth 52 to 58 points.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | On paper; three subparts; no calculator in Subpart 1, four-function calculator in Subparts 2 and 3; multiple choice and multiple select questions; answers written in the test booklet | 110 minutes | Computation with whole numbers (22 to 30%), fractions (15 to 20%), number relationships and patterns (15 to 20%), geometric and measurement concepts (35 to 43%) |
| Grade 4 | On paper; three subparts; no calculator in Subpart 1, four-function calculator in Subparts 2 and 3; multiple choice and multiple select questions; separate answer document | 110 minutes | Computation with whole numbers (27 to 33%), fractions (30 to 38%), number relationships and patterns (17 to 20%), geometric and measurement concepts (15 to 23%) |
| Grade 5 | On paper; three subparts; no calculator in Subpart 1, four-function calculator in Subparts 2 and 3; multiple choice and multiple select questions; separate answer document | 110 minutes | Computation with whole numbers and decimals and evaluating expressions (20 to 25%), fractions (25 to 33%), number relationships and patterns (15 to 20%), geometric and measurement concepts (27 to 35%) |
| Grade 6 | Online; three subparts; no calculator in Subpart 1, four-function or scientific calculator in Subparts 2 and 3; reference sheet | 115 minutes | Number relationships (30 to 40%), expressions and equations (30 to 35%), ratios and rates (12 to 18%), geometry and data (15 to 20%) |
| Grade 7 | Online; three subparts; no calculator in Subpart 1, four-function or scientific calculator in Subparts 2 and 3; reference sheet | 115 minutes | Number relationships (17 to 23%), expressions and equations (25 to 30%), proportional reasoning (17 to 25%), geometry and data (25 to 38%) |
| Grade 8 | Online; three subparts; no calculator in Subpart 1, four-function or scientific calculator in Subparts 2 and 3; reference sheet | 115 minutes | Number relationships (17 to 23%), expressions and equations (22 to 30%), functions (17 to 25%), geometry and data (30 to 35%) |
In grades 6 to 8 the TI-30XS and Desmos scientific calculators are built into the online test for the calculator subparts.
Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | On paper; one subpart; no calculator; answers written in the test booklet | 60 minutes | Physical sciences (31 to 40%), life sciences (23 to 28%), earth and space sciences (27 to 36%) |
| Grade 4 | On paper; one subpart; no calculator; separate answer document | 60 minutes | Physical sciences (27 to 36%), life sciences (23 to 28%), earth and space sciences (31 to 40%) |
| Grade 5 | On paper; two subparts; no calculator; separate answer document | 90 minutes | Physical sciences (39 to 44%), life sciences (22 to 26%), earth and space sciences (34 to 38%) |
| Grade 6 | Online; two subparts; calculator allowed | 90 minutes | Physical sciences (15 to 18%), life sciences (29 to 36%), earth and space sciences (51 to 62%) |
| Grade 7 | Online; two subparts; calculator allowed | 90 minutes | Physical sciences (29 to 56%), life sciences (56 to 74%) |
| Grade 8 | Online; two subparts; calculator allowed | 90 minutes | Physical sciences (44 to 56%), life sciences (22 to 28%), earth and space sciences (24 to 33%) |
Engineering, technology and applications of science questions (up to 8% in grades 3 and 4, up to 10% in grades 5 to 8) are reported within the other science categories. Grade 7 science has no earth and space category.
Social Studies
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Online; two subparts; multiple choice, multiple select and technology-enhanced questions | 100 minutes | Early civilizations and ancient Mesopotamia (15 to 20%), ancient Egypt and Israel (18 to 23%), ancient India and China (20 to 25%), ancient Greece (15 to 20%), ancient Rome (15 to 20%) |
| Grade 7 | Online; two subparts; multiple choice, multiple select and technology-enhanced questions | 100 minutes | East Asia and the Byzantine Empire (15 to 20%), Southwest Asia, North Africa and West Africa (18 to 23%), the Middle Ages in Western Europe (18 to 23%), early modern Europe (18 to 23%), Indigenous civilizations of the Americas and the Age of Exploration (13 to 18%) |
| Grade 8 | Online; two subparts; multiple choice, multiple select and technology-enhanced questions | 100 minutes | Colonization and the American Revolution (20 to 25%), the new nation and its early growth (18 to 23%), sectionalism, reform and the Jacksonian Era (18 to 23%), expansion and division of the nation (15 to 20%), the Civil War and Reconstruction (13 to 18%) |