Nardin Academy entrance exam prep catches a lot of families off guard — not because the test is a secret, but because two of its five sections test reasoning skills that most 8th grade classrooms never touch. I've watched students spend months drilling math facts and grammar rules, then hit the HSPT Verbal Skills and Quantitative Skills sections and run out of time. Those sections test logic and number patterns, not memorized content. Getting ready for the Nardin Academy HSPT means knowing exactly where the hard points are — and this guide walks Buffalo-area families through the full picture: test structure, the WNY Catholic Schools application process, realistic score targets, and a month-by-month prep plan that actually matches Nardin's schedule.
Nardin Academy Entrance Exam — Fast Facts
- Exam name: HSPT (High School Placement Test) / WNY Catholic Schools Entrance Exam
- Format: 298 multiple-choice questions + personal statement essay (application)
- Duration: 150 minutes
- Sections: Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, Language
- Scoring: Raw score → standard score (200–800 per section) + composite + percentile ranks
- No penalty for wrong answers — answer every question
- No calculators, phones, smartwatches, or laptops permitted
- Exam date: Late November (e.g., November 22, 2025 — exact date announced each fall)
- Review course: Three Saturdays, October–November, $75 (waives $25 exam fee; net cost $50)
- Decisions: Enrollment invitations sent after January 22
- Application portals: catholichswny.smapply.io + Nardin's Blackbaud portal
- Deposit deadline: March 31 (standard) / April 15 (financial aid recipients)
- 7th grade practice exam: Offered each spring for $20
What Is the HSPT — and How Is It Different from the SAT, ACT, or SSAT?
The HSPT is a five-section, 298-question multiple-choice exam built specifically for 8th graders applying to Catholic high schools. It is not the SAT, the ACT, or the SSAT — and prep materials for those tests will leave real gaps in your daughter's readiness for the Nardin Academy HSPT.
The SAT and ACT assume students have covered algebra II and some pre-calculus. The HSPT's Mathematics section stays at arithmetic, basic algebra, and geometry — content most students have already seen by 7th grade. That is actually the easier part of the exam for most girls.
The harder challenge comes from two sections that don't show up in any regular class:
- Verbal Skills — logic puzzles, analogies, synonyms, antonyms
- Quantitative Skills — number series, geometric comparisons, non-standard math
Both sections measure reasoning ability, not memorized facts. Your daughter won't find the answers in a formula sheet. What I tell families is this: if your daughter can only focus her prep time on two sections, make it these two.
The SSAT, for comparison, leans heavily on vocabulary and reading. The HSPT covers five distinct skill sets — back to back, no breaks, 150 minutes, no calculator. One more thing worth knowing: there is no wrong-answer penalty on the HSPT. Skipping a question costs a point. Guessing costs nothing. Your daughter should fill in every bubble, even when she is not sure.
How the WNY Catholic Schools Entrance Exam and Nardin Academy HSPT Application Work Together
One of the most common mistakes I see Buffalo families make is assuming there is only one application to file. There are two — and missing either one can knock your daughter out of the running at Nardin, even if her HSPT score is strong.
The Catholic High Schools of WNY shared portal (catholichswny.smapply.io) handles HSPT registration and score sharing. Your daughter submits one application through this portal, sits the HSPT once, and her scores go automatically to every WNY Catholic school she lists. She can apply to Nardin Academy and Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart at the same time without retaking the test.
Nardin's own Blackbaud portal is separate. That's where Nardin collects the materials the consortium portal doesn't carry: 7th and 8th grade transcripts, the personal statement, and one letter of recommendation from an academic or community leader. If your daughter completes the shared portal but misses the Blackbaud submission, Nardin's admissions committee cannot review a complete file — even if her HSPT score arrived through the consortium.
Both portals open in early fall. Check Nardin's admissions page at nardin.org/admissions/high-school each August for exact dates, since the consortium announces specific deadlines annually and they shift slightly year to year.
What HSPT Score Does Your Daughter Need for Nardin Academy Admissions?
Nardin has not published a minimum HSPT cutoff, and the admissions committee reviews every file as a whole. That said, your daughter needs a realistic target to build a prep plan around — so here is what the data suggests.
The HSPT converts raw correct-answer totals into standard scores on a 200–800 scale per subtest. A composite is calculated across all five. Based on community-reported results — not an official Nardin figure — competitive applicants typically score at or above the 75th national percentile on the composite. That lands roughly in the 550–600+ standard score range, though individual subtest results matter alongside the composite.
What that means for prep: aim for the 75th–85th national percentile on every subtest, not just the overall composite. A 90th-percentile Verbal Skills score next to a 55th-percentile Mathematics score sends a mixed signal. Balanced preparation across all five sections is more valuable than maxing out one area at the expense of another.
Grades carry real weight too. Nardin reviews 7th and 8th grade transcripts alongside the HSPT. A student with a 3.8 GPA and a 70th-percentile composite is a strong candidate. One of the biggest pitfalls I see: students go hard on test prep in the fall and let their semester grades slip at the same time. That's the wrong trade-off.
Nardin Academy HSPT Prep Timeline: August Through November
A 3-month window — August through late November — is the right target for most 8th graders. Here is how to structure it so nothing gets crammed into the final two weeks.
- August — Diagnostic month. Take one full-length HSPT practice test under timed, no-calculator conditions. Score each section separately. Find the two weakest subtests. Those become your primary focus for the next eight weeks.
- September — Skill building. Drill Verbal Skills logic and analogy questions daily — 15 minutes is enough to build real pattern recognition. Add Quantitative Skills number-series practice three times per week. These two sections improve fastest with consistent repetition, not marathon sessions.
- October — Review course plus timed practice. Nardin's optional Saturday review course typically runs three Saturdays in October–November (for example, Oct 31, Nov 7, Nov 14). Attend if you can — the net cost is only $50 once the exam fee waiver is factored in. Between Saturdays, shift to full-length timed practice tests to build the stamina needed for 150 consecutive minutes.
- November — Final review and personal statement. Complete one final full-length practice test the week before the exam. Use this same window to finalize your daughter's personal statement for Nardin's Blackbaud portal. Then rest two full days before exam day — fatigue is a real score killer.
7th graders: Attend Nardin's spring Practice Entrance Exam ($20). Use the scored results to identify weak sections over the summer. Starting 12 or more months early is a genuine advantage — you have time to build skills without any last-minute pressure.
Is the Nardin Academy Entrance Exam Review Course Worth It?
Nardin's three-Saturday Entrance Exam Review Course costs $75 and includes a review book. Because it also waives the $25 HSPT registration fee, the real out-of-pocket cost is $50 for three structured sessions plus materials. For three Saturday mornings and a prep book, that's a fair deal — and I'd recommend it for most families.
The course covers Math and English fundamentals, which maps directly to the HSPT Mathematics and Language sections. Those sections matter, but they are not where most students lose the most ground.
Here's the honest picture: three Saturdays cannot go deep on every section. The course does not cover HSPT Verbal Skills logic and analogy questions or Quantitative Skills number-series problems in depth. It also does not include personal statement writing practice. Those three areas require work outside the Saturday sessions.
The students I've seen score highest on the HSPT are the ones who use the review course as a foundation and fill the gaps with focused critical thinking and essay writing practice on their own schedule. The Saturday course gives you structure. Online practice tests give you the depth the course can't cover in three meetings.
How to Prepare for the HSPT Logic and Quantitative Skills Sections — Nardin Academy's Hardest Questions
The HSPT Verbal Skills section tests logic puzzles, analogies, synonyms, and antonyms. The logic questions ask students to read a set of statements and identify which conclusion must be true or false — pure deductive reasoning. Most 8th graders have never practiced this format in school. That's exactly why it separates high scorers from average ones.
Analogy questions follow patterns like "A is to B as C is to D." Drilling relationship types — function, part-to-whole, degree, cause-and-effect — until pattern recognition becomes automatic is the fastest way to close the gap. I usually recommend 20 analogy questions per session, timed, over four to six weeks.
The Quantitative Skills section adds number series (for example: 3, 6, 12, 24, ?) and geometric comparisons. Number series require students to spot addition, multiplication, alternating, or mixed-operation patterns under time pressure. Timed drills of 15 to 20 problems build the speed this section demands. There's no shortcut — repetition is the method.
Nardin's personal statement is a separate requirement from the HSPT itself, but it belongs in the same prep plan. The essay asks students to write in their own voice about meaningful experiences, goals, or values. At the same time, the HSPT Language section scores grammar, punctuation, and composition under timed conditions. Practicing essay writing sharpens both: your daughter's authentic voice for the personal statement and the mechanics the Language subtest measures directly.
Frequently Asked Questions: Nardin Academy Admissions and HSPT Prep
Q: What subjects are on the Nardin Academy entrance exam?
A: The Nardin Academy entrance exam is the HSPT, which covers five sections: Verbal Skills (logic, analogies, synonyms, antonyms), Quantitative Skills (number series, geometric comparisons, non-standard math), Reading Comprehension (inference, main idea, vocabulary in context), Mathematics (arithmetic, algebra, geometry), and Language (grammar, punctuation, spelling, composition). The Verbal Skills and Quantitative Skills sections are pure critical thinking tests — students rarely drill logic puzzles or number series in school, making these the two highest-impact areas for targeted prep.
Q: When should my daughter start preparing for the Nardin Academy entrance exam?
A: Start no later than August before 8th grade — that gives you a full 3-month runway to the late-November HSPT date. August: take a full diagnostic HSPT to identify weak sections. September: focus on Verbal Skills logic and Quantitative number series. October: join Nardin's Saturday review course and shift to timed full-length practice tests. November: final review plus personal statement polish, then rest two days before exam day. 7th graders can start even earlier by attending Nardin's spring Practice Entrance Exam ($20) and using summer to close skill gaps identified in that scored session.
Q: Does Nardin's $75 review course cover everything my daughter needs?
A: Nardin's three-Saturday course covers Math and English and includes a review book — and it waives the $25 exam fee, making the net cost $50. It does not go deep on HSPT Verbal Skills logic and analogy questions, Quantitative Skills number-series problems, or personal statement writing. Online STEM critical thinking practice tests and essay writing practice tests fill those gaps between Saturday sessions, letting your daughter work on the hardest sections at her own pace.
Q: Can my daughter take the exam at multiple WNY Catholic schools?
A: Yes. The Catholic High Schools of WNY shared portal (catholichswny.smapply.io) lets your daughter submit one application and take the HSPT once — scores are shared automatically with every WNY Catholic school she designates. She can apply to Nardin Academy and Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart at the same time without retaking the exam. Each school reviews her composite score alongside its own application materials independently. Note that Nardin also requires a separate Blackbaud portal submission for transcripts, the personal statement, and the recommendation letter.
Q: What score does my daughter need to get into Nardin Academy?
A: Nardin has not published a minimum HSPT cutoff. Based on community-reported data — not an official Nardin figure — competitive applicants typically score at or above the 75th national percentile on the composite. On the HSPT's 200–800 standard score scale, that lands roughly in the 550–600+ range. Nardin's admissions committee reviews each file as a whole, so grades, the personal statement, and the recommendation letter all factor into the decision alongside the HSPT composite.
Q: Does my daughter need to complete both the WNY Catholic Schools application and a separate Nardin application?
A: Yes — two separate portals are required. The WNY shared portal handles HSPT registration and score sharing. Nardin's Blackbaud portal collects transcripts, the personal statement, and the recommendation letter. Both open in early fall. If your daughter misses the Blackbaud submission, Nardin cannot complete its review of her file — even if her HSPT score arrived through the consortium portal. Check Nardin's admissions page each August for exact open dates, as they shift slightly from year to year.
Q: How much weight does the HSPT score carry versus grades and the personal statement?
A: Nardin has not published a weighting formula. The admissions committee looks at five things together: 7th and 8th grade transcripts, the composite HSPT score, the personal statement, one letter of recommendation, and shadow day participation. No single factor automatically disqualifies an applicant. A strong personal statement can move a borderline file forward — which is exactly why essay writing practice deserves the same dedicated time as HSPT drilling, not a rushed final draft the week before the Blackbaud deadline.
Q: What should my daughter expect at Nardin's 7th Grade Practice Entrance Exam?
A: Nardin's spring Practice Entrance Exam costs $20 and gives 7th graders a full preview of the HSPT — 298 multiple-choice questions across five sections in a 150-minute sitting under real no-calculator, no-phone conditions. Your daughter walks away with a scored result. Use it to find her two or three weakest subtests, then build a focused summer prep plan around those gaps before 8th grade begins. This is the most accurate diagnostic available to Nardin-bound students — far more useful than a generic online placement quiz.
Practice the Critical Thinking Skills the Nardin Academy HSPT Tests Most
The HSPT's Verbal Skills and Quantitative Skills sections are critical thinking tests in disguise — logic puzzles, analogies, number series, and geometric reasoning that most classroom instruction never covers. These are also the sections where focused practice makes the biggest difference, because the patterns become recognizable once your daughter has seen enough of them.
At stemcriticalthinking.com, our STEM Critical Thinking Practice Tests target exactly the logic and quantitative reasoning skills the Nardin Academy HSPT rewards — the question types that Nardin's review course covers only briefly and generic prep books skip entirely. Our Essay Writing Practice Tests develop the written voice your daughter needs for Nardin's personal statement and sharpen the grammar mechanics the HSPT Language section scores directly.
Both are available online — no Saturday commute, no waiting for a course to start. Start with a diagnostic session in August, track section-by-section progress through October, and arrive at the November HSPT having already practiced under timed conditions dozens of times.
Buffalo families preparing for Nardin Academy admissions: See STEM CT practice test options and start your daughter's prep today →
