HSPT Prep in Cincinnati

For families targeting a Catholic high school in Cincinnati, the HSPT is the gatekeeper, and because the whole archdiocese tests on a single November morning, the calendar does the planning for you: registration opens August 1, testing follows in November, and admissions decisions arrive in the winter.

Which Cincinnati Catholic high schools use the HSPT?

All of them; the Archdiocese of Cincinnati requires the test of every 8th grade applicant. That includes St. Xavier High School, Elder High School, Archbishop McNicholas, Roger Bacon, Mercy McAuley, Mount Notre Dame, St. Ursula Academy, and The Summit Country Day School, along with the other archdiocesan high schools. One sitting covers them all.

School and archdiocese names are referenced for informational purposes only. Saso Prep is an independent test-prep provider and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any of these schools or the archdiocese. Participation, test dates, and policies change every year; always verify directly with your target school.

How Cincinnati schools use HSPT scores

Cincinnati schools put the HSPT to work in four ways: admission decisions, course placement for incoming freshmen, honors program eligibility, and merit scholarship consideration. The share-with-three system has one rule worth underlining: a school can only consider your child for any of those if it receives the scores, so designate every school you're applying to at registration, including the school where you test; testing on a campus does not automatically send scores there. Each school sets its own criteria, so verify current scholarship offerings directly. (For what counts as a strong percentile, see what's a good HSPT score →.)

When is the HSPT given in Cincinnati?

On one archdiocese-wide date: the third Saturday of November, in the morning at Catholic high schools across the archdiocese. Online registration opens August 1 through the archdiocese's registration portal, students test at any archdiocesan high school they're eligible to attend, and score reports are emailed directly to families. A make-up date is offered for students who can't attend the main sitting. That November date makes late summer and early fall the natural prep window; the practical first step is registering as soon as the portal opens. See the HSPT test dates page → for this year's dates across all regions.

How Cincinnati families prepare with Saso Prep

Saso Prep has spent nearly three decades on one test, the HSPT, and prepares Cincinnati families entirely online, so location is never the barrier. The dependable sequence is the same for every student: assess, build, rehearse.

1. Assess with a full-length practice test, so you see the starting point and which areas need the most work.
2. Build skills across every section with the self-study course or live classes.
3. Rehearse under real timing with full-length tests, so test day feels routine.

Two paths fit most families:

• Self-paced. The Ultimate HSPT Self-Study Course ↗ covers all five sections on demand with 18 video lessons and 1,000+ practice problems, so your child studies on their own schedule, a clean runway from August registration to the November test.
• Live online. Prefer live instruction? The Live Online HSPT Course ↗ is a ten-session Zoom program taught by Mr. Saso, timed to fall test windows. Live students average in the 90th percentile, and registration includes the self-study course, assessment, and mock exam at no extra cost.

New to the exam? Start with what is the HSPT → and how to study for the HSPT →. Ready to choose? Compare every option on the courses & practice tests page →.

Frequently asked questions