Scholarships and Placement for Omaha Catholic Schools
An important rite of passage for those going to Omaha Catholic high schools is the High School Placement Test (HSPT). Gross Catholic is administering its HSPT Admissions Exam for all 8th graders on January 11, 2025, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Every Catholic High School in the Omaha area gives the HSPT. A student is only allowed to take the exam at one school. Sign up now for the exam at Gross Catholic.
Also of note, public Omaha high schools do not give admissions exams. Neither do the public high schools in Papillion or Bellevue. Interestingly, Gross Catholic High School is the only Catholic High School near the Papillion or Bellevue metro areas.
7th Grader?
If you are a 7th grader, then you can begin your conquering of the Admissions Exam by taking our practice exam. Gross Catholic’s 7th grade Practice Exam will be held the same day as the 8th grade exam. Register now for the practice exam at Gross Catholic.
Omaha Catholic schools will be switching from the HSPT to the PreACT beginning in 2026. The 7th grade practice exam will be the PreACT to prepare them for the new exam.
Opportunity for Significant Scholarships
Catholic schools in the Omaha area use the HSPT to place 8th grade students in courses according to their ability as measured by the test. The HSPT is also used to award scholarships to the students who take the exam. Gross Catholic awards a total scholarship amount of almost $50,000 to the top test takers.
One of the scholarships at Gross Catholic is tied to the taking of the HSPT Admissions Exam at Gross. The scholarship is named the “$1000 Campus Visit Grant.” If an 8th grader takes the exam at Gross Catholic and completes an official campus visit before the end of the school year, then the student receives $1000 off of their tuition when they attend Gross Catholic. This is unique to Gross because other Omaha Catholic schools do not offer such a grant.
Tips and Tricks for the Omaha Catholic Schools Placement Test!
There are five parts to the HPST: The verbal Skills section has 60 questions, and goes for 16 minutes. Quantitative Skills has 52 questions and is 30 minutes in length. Reading has 62 questions and last 25 minutes. The Mathematics section lasts 45 minutes and is composed of 64 questions. Language is 25 minutes long and has 60 questions.
Each Catholic high school uses the test differently. Gross Catholic uses the HSPT as our Admissions Exam. We then use the HSPT scores, the student’s grades, as well as teacher recommendations, to place students in appropriate classes. For example, if you have a high score on the test, you may be placed in Honors English and/or Honors Biology. Of course, we take into account the academic history of a student, not just one snapshot on test day. Remember, at Gross Catholic, the students who received the highest scores on the HSPT also receive substantial scholarships.
Carve Out Time to Study
School breaks are a great time to carve out some quality time with your HSPT Study Guide. Set a schedule and stick to it. Start with study sessions of 20-30 minutes, then increase the time to 60 minutes. A daily schedule over a number of weeks is a much better strategy than cramming everything in a few days before the test.
The Perfect Scenario
The best way to ace the Gross Catholic Admissions Exam is all about preparation. First, take the Practice Exam as a 7th grader. Once you get your scores back, create a plan of action. Over the next year, focus on strengthening areas where there were lower scores. For example, if you struggled with the math section on fractions, spend extra time practicing fractions. Ask your math teacher for suggestions. Spend a lot of time reading for comprehension since that is usually an important factor in a high score. Then, early on in your 8th grade year, make time in your schedule to study every week. Work on your weak areas.
Exam Guru
Our Gross Catholic standardized test “guru,” Mr. Rick Sloup, has some important suggestions: “A student’s performance on the HSPT depends primarily on several factors. Most important is a student’s level of reading comprehension. In general, the better a student’s reading comprehension, the better his or her performance will be on all sections of the HSPT, even the mathematics portions. Obviously, a firm grasp of basic arithmetic and pre-algebra topics such as fractions, decimals, and percentages will also aid immensely with the math tests. In addition, the overall quality of a student’s grade school education, and the information they have acquired through family and other social interactions, will be directly related to how they score on the placement exam. Familiarity with standardized tests, particularly the HSPT, and how they are structured also impacts a student’s performance.”
Breakfast, Rest, and Pace
Eat a good breakfast and get plenty of rest the night before the test. How you feel physically on test day, can impact your score. When taking the actual HSPT, it is best to pace yourself. Know how much time you can spend on a question in each section beforehand. If a question is giving you trouble, skip it, answer questions you know, and then come back and answer them at the end. Again, if you are in the 7th grade, we highly recommend taking our Practice Exam. Taking our Practice Exam prepares you for the exact circumstances of our real Admissions Exam, and it’s a great idea to be prepared, right?
The day of the exam, just stay calm and breathe easy. You can do this! Good luck!
Remember, the Gross Catholic Admissions Exam is being held on January, 11th, 2025 from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM.