Selective Enrollment High School Admissions &
The CPS HSAT
If you’re a parent of a 7th or 8th grader in Chicago, you’ve likely heard about the CPS High School Admissions Test (CPS HSAT). The CPS HSAT is a key part of the application process for Selective Enrollment High Schools and other advanced CPS choice programs. It’s normal to feel uncertain about what the test involves and how to help your student prepare.
At Test Prep Chicago, we offer focused, effective CPS HSAT tutoring to help students build confidence and develop the skills they need for success. Click below to find essential information about the CPS HSAT, Selective Enrollment High School admissions. and how Test Prep Chicago can help your child succeed:
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What is the CPS HSAT?
Learn about the CPS High School Admissions Test, its contents, how scoring works, and more!
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Which Schools Use the CPS HSAT?
Find a list of schools that use the CPS HSAT as a factor in admissions decisions here.
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What Does Admissions Look Like?
Find out more about the Selective Enrollment High School admissions process.
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Important Dates for 2025
Get an idea of important dates relating to admissions and CPS HSAT testing here.
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How Can Test Prep Chicago Help?
Discover how TPC can help your child be successful on the CPS HSAT exam.
What is the CPS HSAT?
The CPS High School Admissions Test (CPS HSAT) is Chicago Public Schools’ official test for 8th graders applying to Selective Enrollment High Schools, as well as some other schools that feature International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced College Prep (AP) and Double Honors programs. Find out more basic information about the exam below:
~25 Reading Questions
In 30 minutes
60
Minutes
No calculator
No guessing penalty
Administered online
Single take only
~39
Math Questions
In 30 minutes
Test Dates
CPS students test during school in October. For the 2025-26 school year, we expect CPS students to test on Wednesday, October 8.
Non-CPS students will sign up on go.cps.edu to test at a CPS testing center on a weekend in October. For the 2025-26 school year, we expect non-CPS students to test on October 18, October 19, October 25 or October 26.
Content
While the test is usually taken online, CPS does not publicly release official test materials, sample questions, or detailed outlines of what’s covered. At Test Prep Chicago, we stay up-to-date on the material in these exams by conducting exit interviews each year with students right after they take the CPS HSAT. This allows us to adjust our materials and instruction based on the most recent trends, material, subjects, and question types that students encounter.
Extended Time
Students with disabilities, including ADHD, dyslexia, or processing disorders, can receive testing accommodations such as extended time (i.e. time-and-a-half, or 50% extended time), extra breaks, or small group testing through CPS’s GoCPS process. To get these accommodations, you must indicate on your GoCPS application that your child has an IEP or 504 Plan, which triggers a review by CPS. This will not negatively impact your student’s application process.
Which Schools Use the CPS HSAT?
You can apply to up to six Selective Enrollment schools. The 11 available include:
Brooks Preparatory Academy
Hancock High School
Jones College Preparatory High School
King College Preparatory High School
Lane Tech College Prep High School
Lindblom Math & Science Academy
Northside College Preparatory High School
South Shore International College Preparatory High School
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Westinghouse College Preparatory High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Other public high schools like Lincoln Park High School, Amundsen High School, and William Howard Taft High School also use CPS HSAT scores in admissions decisions for their choice programs: International Baccalaureate (IB), Advance College Prep (AP), and Double Honors.
How Does the Selective Enrollment Admissions Process Work?
Chicago’s Selective Enrollment High Schools use a 900-point rubric to determine admission. 450 points come from a student’s 7th-grade core subject grades (English, Math, Science, & Social Studies), and 450 points come from a student’s CPS HSAT score.
After filling out a GoCPS application and completing the CPS HSAT test, students are ranked through a two-phase process. The top 30% of seats go to the highest overall scorers (based on the 900-point rubric), regardless of location. The remaining 70% are distributed equally among the four CPS Tiers, based on your census tract’s socioeconomic data.
CPS Tiers
You can find your Tier via your GoCPS account, or by clicking this link. You can also utilize this calculator to determine the score your student will need to achieve on the CPS HSAT in order to get into their top schools, based on their grades. Note the scores included in the calculator are based on last year’s cutoff scores, so the scores could change for the upcoming school year.
Ranking High Schools
As part of the application process, students are required to rank up to six high schools through their GoCPS application. Here’s what you need to know:
Rank your school choices in order of true preference. Students are only considered for one Selective Enrollment offer, and CPS will match them with the highest-ranked school on their list for which they qualify.
Always rank your top-choice school first. If you don’t qualify for your first choice, CPS will automatically consider your next school in line. However, if you place a school lower on your list in the top spot because you think it’s more realistic, you risk getting matched there, even if you could’ve gotten into a higher choice.
You can update your rankings after test scores are released. CPS typically allows families to re-rank their school preferences after CPS HSAT scores come out, usually in November. This gives you a chance to make informed choices based on your student’s performance.
To submit school rankings and track your application process, use the official GoCPS platform, go.cps.edu.
Important Dates for 2025 Admissions
Registration: Opens via GoCPS in September.
Test Dates (2025 cycle): For CPS students, we anticipate the date being October 8, although we are still waiting on confirmation from CPS. For Non-CPS students a weekend in October at a testing center.
Score Release: Mid-November, with the opportunity to re-rank school preferences until late-November.
Offers Released: Spring of 2026
How Can Test Prep Chicago Help?
Our CPS HSAT Test Prep programs help students arrive confidently prepared to take the exam. We offer:
Full courses, 1-day workshops and/or individual tutoring
Comprehensive packets including practice questions, detailed explanations, and test-taking strategies, targeting the material seen on the CPS HSAT
Access to our online testing platform where students complete diagnostic and final tests and homework assignments. Students and parents receive results, analytics and step-by-step solutions for all test and homework practice questions.
Supplementary material for students taking the HSPT and/or ISEE in addition to the CPS HSAT