Virginia Practice Tests
Virginia Practice Books and Flashcards
SOL·
Virginia's State Tests at a Glance
In grades 3 through 8, Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL) tests cover reading and math every year and science in grades 5 and 8, plus two history and social science tests: Virginia Studies in elementary school and Civics and Economics in middle school. Tests are taken online, and paper versions are only for students with a documented need. The reading and math tests are computer adaptive, so the questions adjust to each student's answers. SOL tests are not timed: a student who needs more time may keep working until the end of the school day. Virginia also gives Growth Assessments in reading and math in the fall and winter.
Reading
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 3 and 4 | Online; computer adaptive; passage sets | Untimed | Understanding literary texts and vocabulary (46 to 61%), understanding informational texts and vocabulary (39 to 54%); 28 scored questions |
| Grade 5 | Online; computer adaptive; passage sets; plus a reading and writing part on a separate day (one nonfiction passage, six questions, one writing prompt) | Untimed | Understanding literary texts and vocabulary (39 to 54%), understanding informational texts and vocabulary (46 to 61%); 28 scored questions |
| Grades 6 and 7 | Online; computer adaptive; passage sets | Untimed | Understanding literary texts and vocabulary (39 to 52%), understanding informational texts and vocabulary (48 to 61%); 31 scored questions |
| Grade 8 | Online; computer adaptive; passage sets; plus a reading and writing part on a separate day (one nonfiction passage, six questions, one writing prompt) | Untimed | Understanding literary texts and vocabulary (39 to 52%), understanding informational texts and vocabulary (48 to 61%); 31 scored questions |
There is no separate writing test in grades 3 through 8; writing is measured by the reading and writing part of the grade 5 and grade 8 reading tests. Percentages are for the online test. The online test may add a few questions at the end from one grade above or below; the 0 to 600 test score counts only the on-grade scored questions.
Mathematics
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | Online; computer adaptive; no calculator | Untimed | Number and number sense (30 to 37%), computation and estimation (23 to 30%), measurement and geometry (20 to 23%), probability, statistics, patterns, functions and algebra (20 to 23%); 30 scored questions |
| Grade 4 | Online; computer adaptive; four-function calculator on some questions only | Untimed | Number and number sense (25 to 31%), computation and estimation (28 to 33%), measurement and geometry (19 to 25%), probability, statistics, patterns, functions and algebra (17 to 22%); 36 scored questions |
| Grade 5 | Online; computer adaptive; four-function calculator on some questions only | Untimed | Number and number sense (17 to 19%), computation and estimation (28 to 33%), measurement and geometry (17 to 22%), probability, statistics, patterns, functions and algebra (31 to 36%); 36 scored questions |
| Grade 6 | Online; computer adaptive; scientific calculator on some questions only; formula sheet | Untimed | Number and number sense (16 to 20%), computation and estimation (18 to 23%), measurement and geometry (20 to 25%), probability, statistics, patterns, functions and algebra (36 to 41%); 44 scored questions |
| Grade 7 | Online; computer adaptive; scientific calculator on some questions only; formula sheet | Untimed | Number, number sense, computation and estimation (25 to 30%), measurement and geometry (20 to 25%), probability, statistics, patterns, functions and algebra (48 to 52%); 44 scored questions |
| Grade 8 | Online; computer adaptive; scientific calculator on every question; formula sheet | Untimed | Number, number sense, computation and estimation (16 to 20%), measurement and geometry (23 to 25%), probability, statistics, patterns, functions and algebra (55 to 59%); 44 scored questions |
Percentages are for the online test. The online test may add a few questions at the end from one grade above or below; the 0 to 600 test score counts only the on-grade scored questions.
Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | Online; four-function calculator | Untimed | Force, motion, energy and matter (10 questions), electricity, sound and light (10), living systems and ecosystem interactions (10), Earth and space systems and Earth resources (10); covers grade 4 and grade 5 standards; 40 scored questions |
| Grade 8 | Online; scientific calculator; periodic table | Untimed | Force, motion, energy and matter (19 questions), living systems and ecosystems (15), Earth and space systems (11); covers grade 6, life science and physical science standards; 45 scored questions |
History and Social Science
| Grade | Format | Time | What’s tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Studies (elementary school) | Online; not computer adaptive; every student gets the same questions | Untimed | Physical geography and Virginia's Indigenous peoples (6 to 8 questions), 1607 through the American Revolution and westward expansion to the mid-1800s (14 to 16), Civil War and postwar eras (10 to 12), Virginia from 1900 to the present (6 to 8); 40 scored questions |
| Civics and Economics (middle school) | Online; not computer adaptive; every student gets the same questions | Untimed | American constitutional government (13 to 15 questions), citizenship, civic life and the political process (11 to 13), economic decisions (13 to 15); 40 scored questions |
Virginia Studies is given in an elementary grade and Civics and Economics in a middle school grade; the exact grade can differ from one school division to another.