Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Exam
The Massachusetts Comprehensive assessment System (MCAS) is a standard-based assessment program to inform and improve curriculum and instruction, to evaluate student, school and district performance according to Massachusetts’s curriculum framework content standard and to determine student eligibility for the Competency Determination requirement to award high school diplomas. All these are in line with the No Child Left Behind act.
The MCAS test for grade 3-8 and 10 is in English, Language Arts and Mathematics. The test for grades 5, 8, 9, and 10 also contains science and technology/engineering, and the test for grades 5, 7, 10 and 11 contains history and social sciences.
Four varieties of questions make up the test. All the questions in the test are multiple-choice questions except the ELA Composition tests. Students are to choose one answer among four given options. These questions are machine scored.
There are also the short-answer questions. These are only included in the mathematics section. 
Students are required to give a short numerical answer or a brief statement in response.
The MCAS tests also include open-response questions. Here, students are asked to generate their own responses in the form of one- or two-paragraphs with charts and tables, illustrations, or graphs as required. Each question is worth up to four points.
The writing prompts questions require students to respond by creating a written composition. The compositions are scored on two criteria. Students are scored based on a six-score point scale for topic development, and they receive from 2 to 12 points (the sum of scores from each of the two scorers) in the test. Students are scored based on a four-point scale for Standard English usage, receiving between 2 to 8 points (the sum of the scores from each of the two scorers).
Student must pass both portions of the test in Grade 10 in order to graduate.
Exam Help & STudy Tips!
English Language Arts. This section contains a Reading Comprehension section. Learn how to score on reading comprehension >>>
Multiple Choice. Most questions on this test are multiple choice. Learn how to increase your score here >>>
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Practice Test Questions
Practice Reading Comprehension Questions - (includes Main Idea and Making Inferences)
Practice Math Questions (General)
Basic Math (Very Basic - Long & Short Division, Multiplication, Decimals, Fractions, Percent etc.)
Basic Math II (Percentage, Fractions Decimals exponents, simple algebra, parentheses removal etc.)
Basic Algebra (Word Problems using basic algebra)
Exponents (Adding, subtracting and multiplying exponents and exponent fractions)
Everything you Need to Pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive assessment System (MCAS)
MCAS Study Guide
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