Breaking Down the Four Sections on the PreACT 9
Recently, it was announced that Chicago Public Schools has replaced the CPS HSAT with the PreACT 9 Secure, a nationally recognized assessment that is now being administered to rising Chicago 8th-graders as part of the Selective Enrollment High School admissions process.
The change represents far more than a simple name swap. The PreACT 9 is a fundamentally different type of exam. While the CPS HSAT was built specifically for CPS admissions, the PreACT 9 was created to measure academic readiness and predict future success on the ACT, the college entrance exam many students take during high school. As a result, families are encountering a test that is longer, more comprehensive, and more closely aligned with the skills students will need throughout high school and beyond.
One of the first things families notice about the PreACT 9 is its length. The exam includes four separate sections (English, Math, Reading, and Science) and requires students to maintain concentration for two and a hours. Success on the exam depends not only on academic ability, but also on a student's capacity to stay focused and work efficiently over an extended period of time. Here is a breakdown of each of the sections seen on the PreACT 9:
The English section focuses on grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, usage, and writing effectiveness. Students are presented with passages and asked to identify the best revisions, correct grammatical errors, improve sentence flow, and strengthen organization. Questions frequently require students to understand comma usage, subject-verb agreement, sentence boundaries, transitions, and word choice. Students are tested on writing production (27-33% of questions), language knowledge (12-18% of questions), and English conventions (48-55% of questions), and students are given 35 minutes to answer 44 questions.
The Math section combines computational skills with higher-level reasoning. Students encounter questions involving algebra, geometry, ratios, proportions, statistics, and data analysis. Students must analyze information, interpret graphs, and choose efficient solution strategies while managing strict time limits. Students are tested on the real number system (10-13% of questions), algebra (20-27% of questions), functions (20-27% of questions), geometry (10-13% of questions), and statistics/probability (10-13%), and are given 45 minutes to answer 35 questions.
The Reading section involves reading passages drawn from literature, social studies, humanities, and science before answering questions that assess comprehension and analytical thinking. Rather than focusing solely on straightforward details, many questions require students to infer meaning, identify an author's purpose, evaluate tone, and determine how evidence supports an argument. The challenge lies in balancing speed with accuracy; students must process substantial amounts of information without sacrificing careful analysis. Students are tested on key ideas and details (52-60% of questions), craft and structure (28-36% of questions), and integration of knowledge and ideas (12-16% of questions), and are given 40 minutes to answer 33 questions.
For the Science section, many students enter the test expecting questions that emphasize memorized scientific facts, formulas, or vocabulary. Instead, the Science section is largely an exercise in data interpretation and reasoning. Students are presented with science-oriented reading passages, graphs, charts, experimental results, and research summaries. They must identify trends, evaluate conclusions, compare experimental designs, and draw logical inferences from evidence. In many cases, prior scientific knowledge plays a smaller role than the ability to analyze information quickly and accurately. Students who are comfortable reading tables and scientific passages, as well as interpreting visual data often perform well, even if they do not consider science to be their strongest subject. Students are tested on interpretation of data (23-50%), scientific investigation (15-35% of questions), and evaluation of models, inferences, and experiments (19-38% of questions), and are given 35 minutes to answer 32 questions.
Beyond the test itself, one of the most significant features of the PreACT 9 is the detailed score report students receive afterward. Unlike many admissions exams that provide only a single score, the PreACT 9 offers a comprehensive breakdown of performance across multiple areas. Students receive individual scores for English, Math, Reading, and Science, along with an overall composite score that reflects their performance across the entire assessment. This allows families to see where students excel and where additional support may be needed.
Test Prep Chicago can help your student prepare for the new PreACT 9. Note that Test Prep Chicago is a licensed participant in the NTPA ACT Affiliate Tutor Program. Through our connection, we have been aware that such a change might occur, and our team had already begun creating new PreACT 9 Secure curriculum. As such, students enrolled or looking to enroll in any courses or one-day workshops, or students beginning individual tutoring, can be assured that the content they are being taught will reflect the content seen on the new exam. All of our scheduled courses (sign up here) and one-day Palooza workshops (sign up here) will continue to run as planned, as will our individual tutoring sessions (sign up here), with the new PreACT 9 Secure content instead of the old CPS HSAT curriculum.