Chicago PreACT 9 Secure & CPS HSAT Preparation
Prepare for the CPS HSAT—Now the PreACT 9 Secure
For the 2027–28 application cycle, Chicago Public Schools uses the PreACT 9 Secure as its High School Admissions Test. Elevate provides individualized preparation across English, math, reading, science, pacing, and test-day execution.
Apply for a PreACT 9 ConsultationOfficial name, clear preparation
Families may casually call it the “ACT 9,” but CPS’s official name is the PreACT 9 Secure, administered as the HSAT. It is distinct from the regular high-school ACT and from the HSPT used by Chicago Catholic high schools.
See the test format →Built for Chicago admissions
Preparation is aligned to the skills and timing demands of all four sections while keeping current GoCPS policies separate from tutoring advice.
Read the parent guide →PreACT 9 at a Glance
Four Sections in One High-Stakes Testing Session
CPS says the test takes approximately 2.5 hours and may be taken only once. ACT’s technical materials describe four subject tests—English, math, reading, and science—with scores reported on a 1–32 scale.
English
Usage, punctuation, sentence structure, organization, style, and rhetorical decisions.
Math
Pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, data, modeling, and efficient problem solving.
Reading
Main ideas, details, evidence, inference, vocabulary in context, and passage relationships.
Science
Data interpretation, experiments, models, competing explanations, and evidence-based conclusions.
Explore the Resource Center
Everything Families Need to Understand Before Test Day
Questions, timing, and scoring
A section-by-section explanation of what students face and how to pace it.
How CPS scoring works for 2027–28
The 640-point formula, what counts toward the HSAT Composite, and why old 900-point calculators are obsolete.
How private-school students register
GoCPS registration, October testing windows, and the no-retake rule.
IEP and 504 testing supports
What CPS currently tells families to verify before the testing session.
An eight-week preparation plan
A diagnostic-first roadmap that balances foundations, timing, and realistic simulation.
PreACT 9 vs. HSPT
Why CPS and Chicago Catholic admissions require different preparation.
The Elevate Method
Target the Cause of Every Lost Point
Identify section-level strengths, content gaps, pacing breakdowns, and fatigue patterns.
Rebuild missing skills with scaffolded instruction before demanding speed.
Introduce checkpoints, decision rules, and short timed sets that protect accuracy.
Practice the full four-section experience and review every error by cause.
Elevate Academic Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACT or Chicago Public Schools.