Our MAP Practice Tests
The MAP, or the Measure of Academic Progress, is a computerized adaptive test which helps teachers, parents, and/or administrators improve learning for all students grades K-12 and make informed decisions to promote a child’s academic growth.
Use our MAP test practice below to better understand this exam.
MAP Test Content Outline
The NWEA, or Northwest Evaluation Association, is a global non-profit educational service organization that offers MAP testing.
The MAP Growth test is the main exam and covers:
- Mathematics: Grades K-12. 40-43 Questions.
- Reading: Grades K-12. 40-43 Questions.
- Language Usage: Grades 2-12. 40-43 Questions.
- Science: Grades 2-12. 40-43 Questions.
The questions asked are common-core and the curriculum being tested remains consistent across the country. You can take the MAP Growth test up to 4 times per academic year.
There is also a MAP Reading Fluency examination. This test measures oral reading fluency, decoding accuracy, and literal comprehension. The exam typically only takes 20 minutes.
It is important to note that not all students are asked the same questions. The MAP Test is an adaptive test. Meaning, that every student is asked a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions.
As the student answers correctly, questions get harder. Likewise, if the student answers incorrectly, questions become easier. The computer adjusts the difficulty of the questions in order to allow each student to take a unique test, personalized for their individual achievement and skill level.
Question types on MAP Growth tests include multiple choice, drag-and-drop, and other types of questions.
Breakdown of Subjects
| Mathematics K – 5 | Mathematics 6+ |
| Operations and Algebraic Thinking | Operations and Algebraic Thinking |
| Number and Operations | The Real and Complex Number Systems |
| Measurement and Data | Geometry |
| Geometry | Statistics and Probability |
| Reading K – 2 | Reading 3+ | Language Usage |
| Literature and Informational | Literary Text: Key Ideas and Details | Writing: Write, Revise Texts for Purpose and Audience |
| Vocabulary: Use of Functions | Literary Text: Language, Craft, Structure | Language: Understand, Edit for Grammar, Usage |
| Foundational Skills | Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details | Language: Understand, Edit for Mechanics |
| Language and Writing | Vocabulary: Acquisition and Use |
MAP Administration Information
Most students will take the MAP Growth Test at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Occasionally, schools may include a summer testing session.
The MAP Testing windows are as follows:
- Fall: September 21 – October 21
- Winter: December 14 – January 29
- Spring: May 9 – June 3
As mentioned before, the MAP Growth Test is taken on a computer.
Registration
You do not have to register yourself or your child on your own, unless in the case of a homeschooled student. The student’s school registers each of their students and provides a specific test date for the fall, winter, and spring.
Session Lengths
The Map Growth test is not timed. However, most students finish in an under an hour.
It also takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes for setup and pre-test instructions. Overall, teachers should allow about an hour and 20 minutes total for students to complete the exam.
Location
The MAP Growth Test is taken at the student’s school during class-time.
Fees
The MAP Test is free for students enrolled in school to take. That being said, if your child is homeschooled and wants to complete the test (in math and reading), you can pay $60 for the first student and an additionally $45 per additional student.
There are also a monthly and yearly payment plan options. Monthly, the payment plan would be $15 per month for the first student and $11 per additional student, if necessary. Yearly, $162 per year for the first student and $119 per additional student.
MAP Requirements
Students in grades 2 to 12 can participate in MAP testing for reading language usage, mathematics, and science. Early learners in grades K through 2 can also take the MAP growth test for reading and mathematics.
So, the only requirement is being a student in grades K through 12. As mentioned before, you can still take the MAP test if you are homeschooled.
MAP Scores
When students finish their MAP growth test, a RIT, or Rasch UnIT, score is received. This is a number score for each area they are tested in (reading, language usage, math, and science).
There is no maximum or “perfect” score on a MAP growth test. The score on any MAP test is a function of both the number of questions answered correctly and the difficulty of the questions asked.
What Does my MAP Score Mean?
Your RIT score represents a student’s achievement level at any given moment and helps measure their academic growth over time.
The RIT score works on a “scale” and accurately measures student performance, regardless of age, grades, or grade level. You can how much students have grown between tests. The RIT scale works so that questions with a lower RIT will be answered correctly more frequently. Similarly, questions of higher RIT will be answered correctly less frequently. More difficult questions will probably require new learning on the part of the student.
Since each subject area has a unique alignment to the RIT scale. So, scores between subjects are not equivalent.
Additionally, scores are defined as a percentile. The percentile measures how the student scored in comparison with other students in the same grade across the country. For example, an extremely gifted child would score in the 98th percentile in the fall and winter.
Students who score from the 25th to the 75th percentile rank are considered to be in the “average” range. As previously mentioned, students who score at the 98th percentile rank qualify for the “Gifted and Talented services”.
Also, important to note is that RIT score have the same meaning across grade levels. So, if a 3rd grade student and a 7th grade student have the same RIT score in reading, then they are testing at the same level in that subject.
Students can even enter their RIT scores into a college explorer tool to see which universities they’re on track to enter. Check out the official NWEA website to enter your score in the college explorer tool. If your RIT score is lower than the values shown on the slider does not necessarily mean that a student is not on track for the college, they are interested in.
Getting Your MAP Score
MAP test results are available 48 hours after the student completes the test.
To check your score, log in to the MAP Administration and Reporting Center, or MARC, and go to the reports section.
Log in with your username and password. Select “View Reports” from the left navigation menu. Then select “MAP Growth Reports” to generate a new report and see your score.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you prepare for a MAP test?
Talk with your child’s teacher as often as needed to discuss their progress. Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home with no distractions.
Make sure that your child is well-rested on school days and especially the day of the test. Additionally, use MAP test practice to become more comfortable with the exam before taking the real thing.
Does MAP testing affect your grade?
No! This assessment is only designed to target a student’s academic performance in mathematics, reading, and science.
Can parents opt out of MAP testing?
Sure! To opt-out of MAP:
Parents/guardians need to write a short letter to their school’s MAP administrator stating that they want their child to be exempt for that session.
Can you use a calculator on the MAP test?
The MAP growth test is grade agnostic, and therefore the calculator is not introduced at any particular grade level. A calculator is not allowed and not needed to take the math portion of the MAP growth test.
How accurately does the MAP assess student performance?
Because of many factors, MAP, like all assessments, may not accurately capture a student’s true performance during a single administration.
That is why the student is tested in the beginning, middle, and end of the school year in multiple grades. Progress and growth are able to be tracked this way.
