From parish school to Catholic college
Many Catholic families meet the same tests along the way: an entrance test for a Catholic high school, often the HSPT, Latin, and then college tests, including the CLT, which over 30 Catholic colleges accept. Here is everything on Owl in that order, with the free tools for each age first.
Updated October 31, 2026
Dioceses and schools set their own tests and dates. Check with the high schools on your list.
Ready for the HSPT, one skill at a time
The High School Placement Test is the admission and placement test many Catholic high schools use, usually taken in grade 8. Owl has practice for every HSPT skill with every answer explained, lessons, a study plan and a full timed practice test of all five sections, 298 questions.
- Verbal
- Quantitative
- Reading
- Mathematics
- Language
- Full timed tests
- Schools that use it
Parish school years: the building blocks
Spelling, math facts and grammar, a little every day, at school or at the kitchen table.
- Spelling practicePre-K and upHear a word, type it, see the rule. Themed lists, or your own list from this week's lesson.Spelling words by grade
- Math FactsGrades K to 5 for the basicsAdding, taking away, then every times table to 12 × 12, in short timed rounds.Times tables chart
- Owl ThinkersAges 5 to 10Puzzles with patterns, shapes and memory. Thinking games, not test drills.
- Daily Grammar FixGrade 4 and upOne sentence a day: tap the mistake, pick the fix, learn the rule.All the rules
- Grade checkupsGrades 3 to 8A calm run before a year-end test: classic passages, language and math, then a report by skill to print.
The entrance year: getting ready for high school
Many Catholic high schools ask for an entrance test in grade 8, and many Catholic schools teach Latin. Both reward steady practice.
- Latin practiceIntroduction and Beginning LatinEndings, sentences, vocabulary, derivatives, mottoes and myths, every question explained.
- VocabularyGrades 7 and upWord parts (prefixes, roots and suffixes), plain meanings, example sentences and flash cards.
- Reading libraryGrades 7 and upClassic readings in literature, science, history and the humanities, each with questions explained in full.
- Math Facts: mental math and fractionsGrades 5 to 8Two-digit sums, doubling and halving, fractions, decimals and percents.
- HSPT, for Catholic high schoolsGrade 8The entrance test many Catholic high schools use. Practice by skill, lessons and full practice tests.Schools that use it
- National Latin ExamLatin studentsTimed mock exams in the NLE's shape: 40 questions in 45 minutes, at the Introduction and Beginning levels.
- ISEESome Catholic and independent schoolsFor families applying to independent schools that ask for the ISEE.
- SSATSome Catholic and independent schoolsFor schools that ask for the SSAT instead.
Catholic high school: on to college
The CLT was built around the great books, and over 30 Catholic colleges accept it, along with hundreds of others. The SAT and PSAT/NMSQT matter too, for National Merit.
- Reading libraryGrades 9 to 12Classic readings in literature, science, history and the humanities, each with questions explained in full.
- VocabularySAT and CLT wordsWord parts (prefixes, roots and suffixes), plain meanings, example sentences and flash cards.
- Math Facts: test-day mathGrades 9 to 12The quick, no-calculator steps the CLT and SAT reward.
- Latin practiceKeep it goingEndings, sentences, vocabulary, derivatives, mottoes and myths, every question explained.
- CLT10Grades 9 and 10A first look at the CLT, scored 0 to 120. Practice it in Owl Junior.Open Owl Junior
- PSAT/NMSQTGrades 10 and 11The junior-year score is the one that counts for National Merit.National Merit, explained
- CLTGrades 10 to 12Accepted by over 350 colleges, some with scholarships tied to it.Colleges that accept it
- Digital SATGrades 11 and 12The test most colleges know best. Owl's SAT practice follows the digital test.CLT or SAT?
Choosing a Catholic high school or college?
Catholic School Compass lists every Catholic high school in the United States by state and diocese, and every accredited Catholic college, with sourced ratings of faith life, Mass times and cost after aid. Free to use.
Questions people ask
Is the HSPT only for Catholic schools?
It is used mostly by Catholic high schools for admission and placement. Some ask for the ISEE or SSAT instead, and some in the New York area use the TACHS. Check with each school on your list.
Which Catholic colleges accept the CLT?
Over 30 Catholic colleges are on the CLT's own list of colleges that accept it (our count, matching that list to federal college records in October 2026). Our CLT colleges page lists every college on it, and Catholic School Compass describes each Catholic college's faith life.
Does Owl teach the faith?
No. Owl is test practice: reading, grammar, math, vocabulary and Latin. It sits beside what your parish, school and family teach.
We homeschool. Is this page for us too?
Yes. Everything here works at home, and the grade checkups are made for homeschool year-end testing. See also the homeschool families page.
Which of these are free?
Spelling, Math Facts, Owl Thinkers, the Daily Grammar Fix, Vocabulary, the Reading library, Latin practice and the grade checkups are free to use, with no account needed to start. Each test also has free practice; the full study plans and extra practice tests are in the paid plans.
Sources
Read on October 31, 2026. If something here is out of date, write to hello@owltestprep.com and we will fix it.
Owl Test Prep is independent and is not connected with the makers of any test named here. Every Owl question is original.