HSPT Prep in Washington, DC

For families targeting a Catholic high school anywhere in the DC corridor, the HSPT is the gatekeeper. Schools across Northern Virginia, Washington, and Maryland use it to decide admission, to place incoming freshmen into honors and accelerated courses, and to award merit scholarships, and since students get one attempt, thorough preparation is the highest-leverage move you can make.

Which Washington, DC-area Catholic high schools use the HSPT?

The HSPT is the standard Catholic high school entrance exam across the region, and three neighboring dioceses use it. They align their materials and test dates, and score reports can be sent across all three for a small added fee, so a student tests once. Below are well-known examples by diocese; always confirm the current entrance-exam requirement directly with each school.

Northern Virginia – Diocese of Arlington

Every Diocese of Arlington high school requires the HSPT: Bishop Ireton (Alexandria), Bishop O'Connell (Arlington), St. Paul VI (Chantilly), and Saint John Paul the Great (Dumfries). Schools test in late November and early December, and families register through the high school where the student will take the exam. Scores can be sent to your Arlington choices plus one Archdiocese of Washington school.

Washington, DC & the Maryland suburbs – Archdiocese of Washington

Twelve Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Washington use the HSPT, including Gonzaga College High School, DeMatha Catholic, Georgetown Visitation, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. John's College High School, Bishop McNamara, Academy of the Holy Cross, and Elizabeth Seton. Catholic-school eighth graders test at their own schools in early December; everyone else registers online and tests at one of the high school sites.

The Baltimore area – Archdiocese of Baltimore

Every eighth grader applying to a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore takes the HSPT. Familiar schools include Calvert Hall College, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph, Archbishop Spalding (Severn), Notre Dame Preparatory, and The John Carroll School (Bel Air). Testing falls on the first two Saturdays of December, with registration through the diocese's Scholastic Testing Service portal; scores reach up to three Baltimore schools, plus two more in Baltimore or Washington for a small fee.

School, diocese, 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, dioceses, or archdioceses. Test dates and policies change every year; always verify directly with your target school.

HSPT scholarships at DC-area Catholic high schools

This is where a strong HSPT score pays off most directly. All three dioceses (Arlington, Washington, and Baltimore) use the HSPT for scholarship selection alongside admission and course placement, and many individual schools tie their own merit awards to how a student scores:

• Bishop O'Connell (Arlington) awards automatic merit scholarships based on a student's HSPT National Percentile Composite: for example, a $9,000-per-year award for a composite in the 95th–98th percentile, and its top I.H.M. Legacy Award for a 99th-percentile composite. No separate application is required, and awards renew with GPA.
• DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville) weighs HSPT results, alongside transcript, recommendations, and essay, when selecting its Fr. Cyprian Nusca Scholars, four-year partial scholarships for its strongest incoming freshmen.

Beyond named awards, schools across the corridor use strong HSPT percentiles to place freshmen into honors and accelerated courses, so a high score can shape your child's schedule from day one. (Award details change yearly; verify current offerings with each school. For what counts as a strong percentile, see what's a good HSPT score →.)

When is the HSPT given in the DC area?

Dates are set by each diocese and testing site and shift a little every year, so confirm rather than assume. Across the corridor the HSPT is given in late November and early December: Arlington and Washington schools test in early December, and Baltimore schools test on the first two Saturdays of December, with occasional January make-up dates. Students generally test once at a single site and can have results sent to several schools, including across dioceses. The practical first step is to pick your testing site and lock in its date and registration deadline early. See the HSPT test dates page → for dates across all regions.

How DC-area families prepare with Saso Prep

Saso Prep has spent nearly three decades on one test, the HSPT, and prepares Washington-area families entirely online, so location is never the barrier. Two paths fit most families:

• Self-paced. The Ultimate HSPT Self-Study Course ↗ covers all five sections on demand, so your child studies on their own schedule, ideal alongside a packed DC-area school and activity calendar.
• Live online. The Live Online HSPT Course ↗ is a ten-session Zoom program taught by Mr. Saso, with classes timed to fall and winter test windows. Live students average in the 90th percentile, and registration includes a self-study course, assessment, and mock exam at no extra cost.

Whichever you pick, the dependable sequence is the same: diagnose, build, rehearse.

1. Assess with a full-length HSPT Diagnostic Assessment ↗ to get an approximate starting percentile.
2. Build skills across every section with the self-study course or live classes.
3. Rehearse with a true-to-test HSPT Mock Exam ↗ so the real thing feels familiar.

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