How to Prepare for a Math Placement Test

To best serve students, you need to know exactly where they are at. 

Knowing their strengths helps you know how you can challenge them. And knowing the areas they struggle in can help you provide targeted support. 

A math placement test can be the perfect way to find out where every student in your class is.

To prepare for a math placement test, it’s important to brief students on what to expect. Go over the test format and how to answer the questions. Let them know what tools will be available for them to use, such as calculators, scratch paper or protractors. 

Beyond that, how to prep for a math placement test will depend on the grade level of the student and the type of test being administered. 

Let’s dive into how to help your students specifically do the best they can on a math placement test.

Math Placement Tests in Elementary School

Elementary school placement tests provide insight on how students are progressing through all the skills they need to learn in the first years of their education. 

The standards that your school adheres to will set the skills that students need to learn each year. Placement tests can show exactly what grade level students are performing at based on those standards. 

If you’re looking for a placement test to give you an overview of your students’ math skills, Prodigy's math placement test is a high-quality and free tool to use. 

This test can also be a good practice run for your students if you’re wondering how to prep for a math placement test that’s a part of your standards.

Subjects of study

Math placement tests for each grade level will test for the specific skills students are expected to learn in each grade. 

When evaluating a math placement test for its effectiveness, it’s important to compare what it tests for against your curriculum standards. 

To make math placement test prep helpful for your student, it’s essential to pick the right test. 

We’ve put together all the math standards for grade 1 through grade 8 for you to reference as you evaluate math placement tests.

Elementary School Math Placement Test Prep

If you’re an elementary teacher or have a child in elementary school, there’s a number of skills that they need to be working on. Knowing what to learn is the first step. 

So, here’s all of the skills they need to learn by the end of each grade. 

Grade 1 

• Know how to count, recognize, and write numbers.
• Do simple addition and subtraction with single-digit numbers.
• Understand the idea of "more" and "less."
• Be familiar with patterns and shapes.
• Know how numbers are grouped into ones, tens, etc.
• Count up to 100; count by 5s and 10s to 100; count by 2s to 40.
• Show numbers on a number line.
• Add and subtract two-digit numbers.
• Write the date, tell time and read a calendar.
• Count and make combinations with coins; add and subtract money.
• Recognize, sort and group flat shapes (like circles and squares).
• Understand the value of money.

Grade 2 

• Learn to read, write and count numbers up to 100 and more.
• Practice adding and subtracting two-digit numbers without carrying over, up to 100, using different methods and tools.
• Discover number patterns using a hundreds chart and a calculator.
• Combine shapes to create new ones and find shapes in everyday life.
• Learn about different coins and bills, including quarters (25 cents), half-dollars (50 cents) and dollars (100 cents).
• Understand what numbers mean and how to use and show them in different ways.
• Get good at adding and subtracting numbers accurately.
• Look at and understand data and information.
• Use the right tools, units and formulas for measuring things.
• Explore the features of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.

Grade 3

• Add big numbers up to four digits (like 1234 + 5678)
• Subtract numbers, even when you need to borrow (like 52 - 29)
• Round numbers to the closest ten or hundred (like turning 47 into 50)
• Learn about 2D shapes (like squares) and 3D shapes (like cubes)
• Solve word problems involving time, money, and measurements
• Practice doing math in your head without paper
• Multiply numbers with two digits (like 12 x 34)
• Divide numbers with two digits (like 56 ÷ 7)
• Understand and compare fractions (like 1/2 and 1/4)
• Read and understand charts and graphs.

Grade 4

• Understand place value, adding and subtracting (with carrying and borrowing), including problems with decimal points and money.
• Memorize math facts and solve word problems by writing equations.
• Measure and calculate the perimeter, area and volume of shapes, using both standard and metric systems.
• Estimate sums and differences through rounding. Understand multiples and factors.
• Explore basic algebra by solving for unknowns and plot points on a graph
• Identify mean, median, mode and range from data.

Grade 5

• Round numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand and beyond.
• Multiply numbers mentally and by breaking them into smaller parts, and divide numbers with two-digit divisors.
• Order fractions and compare their sizes.
• Understand and calculate perimeter and area, and use place value to work with decimals.
• Use formulas to solve measurement problems and understand probability.

Middle School and Junior High Math Placement Test Prep

If your students are older you will need to follow different standards. Here are the skills and concepts that middle school and junior high students need to learn in sixth grade through eighth grade. 

Grade 6

• Understand and compare numbers using charts and lines.
• Multiply large numbers and find common factors and multiples.
• Write and manipulate numbers in different forms.
• Solve basic algebraic expressions and use ratios to compare data.
• Visualize and relate fractions, decimals and percents, and work with coordinate graphs.
• Recognize various types of shapes, including quadrilaterals and polygons.

Grade 7

• Develop an understanding of operations with rational numbers.
• Accurately represent rational numbers with decimals.
• Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
• Draw, construct and describe geometrical figures and describe the relationships between them.
• Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving angle measure, area and volume.
• Extend use of the four basic arithmetic operations on whole numbers, fractions, mixed numbers and decimals.
• Interpret and analyze data presented in a variety of forms.
• Use properties of operations to generate equivalent equations.
• Solve real-world and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions, equations and inequalities.

Grade 8

• Write numbers in words, standard form, expanded form and scientific notation.
• Identify and use ratios and rates.
• Multiply and divide positive and negative rational numbers.
• Find the perimeter and area of two-dimensional shapes.
• Identify and plot points in four quadrants and on the axes.
• Calculate the probabilities of independent and dependent events.
• Identify rational and irrational numbers and explain their meanings.
• Calculate and approximate principal square roots.
• Identify and perform transformations of a figure on a coordinate plane.
• Solve problems with two variables using linear equations.
• Define and differentiate between different types of sampling techniques.
• Use technology to find the mean, median, mode and range of real-world data.

Prodigy Placement Test Prep

If you want to use a math placement test without all the extra work it takes to make sure that it’s the best option, the Prodigy Math Placement Test is the perfect solution. 

Or if you’re just looking for a high-quality way to prepare your students for other upcoming math placement tests, the Prodigy Placement Test can do just that. 

You can rest assured that the Prodigy placement test was developed with curriculum standards in mind and provides a complete picture of your student’s education. 

Once your student has taken the Prodigy Math Placement Test, Prodigy Math can take their math skills to the next level. The fun adventure students find in the Prodigy Math game will keep them engaged and learning every step of the way. 

It’s free to get started with Prodigy Math for both teachers and parents. 

Start your child’s math adventure today!

Prodigy Placement Test