A jar holds a pure sample in which every particle is a single atom of the same kind. How is the sample classified?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.a; U.S. Energy Information Administration, The science of electricity
A rock sample has a mass of 84 grams and a volume of 40 cubic centimeters. What is its density?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.c; U.S. Geological Survey, Water Density
A student mixes two clear liquids at room temperature. Bubbles form, the mixture warms up and a solid settles out. Which claim does this evidence support?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.d; LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, section 3.6, Changes in Matter: Physical and Chemical Changes
A student weighs an open beaker before and after a reaction that makes bubbles of gas. The reading drops by 2 grams. Which explanation fits the conservation of matter?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.f
Air is about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with traces of other gases. The gases are not bonded to one another. How is air classified?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.a; NASA Glenn Research Center, Air Properties Definitions
Show all 42 questions (37 more)
Matter, continued
An atom has 11 protons, 12 neutrons and 11 electrons. What is the overall charge of the atom?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.e; U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Explains...Electrons and DOE Explains...Neutrons
Hydrogen and oxygen react to form water: 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O. How many oxygen atoms are on each side of the equation?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.f; NASA Glenn Research Center, Phases of Matter
In a model of an atom, which particles belong in the nucleus?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.e; U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Explains...Neutrons
Inside the Sun, atoms have so much energy that electrons separate from them, leaving charged ions. Which state of matter is this?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.b; U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Explains...Plasma
Liquid water is heated until it becomes water vapor. Which evidence supports the claim that this is a physical change?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.d; NASA Glenn Research Center, Phases of Matter
Thermal energy is removed from a gas until it becomes a liquid. How does a model of its particles change?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.b; NASA Glenn Research Center, Phases of Matter
Which of these is a chemical property of a substance?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P1.c
Energy 8
A camper burns wood in a fire pit. Which energy transformation is taking place?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.c; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Forms of energy
A pendulum swings back and forth. At which point of its swing does it have the most kinetic energy?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.b; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Forms of energy
A roller coaster car at the top of a hill has 5,000 joules of potential energy and is barely moving. If no energy is lost to friction, how much kinetic energy does it have at the bottom, where its potential energy is 0?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.b; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Laws of energy
A solar-powered calculator works when light shines on it. Which energy transformation takes place in its solar cell?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.c; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Laws of energy
The same book is placed on shelves 1 meter, 2 meters and 3 meters above the floor. On which shelf does it have the most gravitational potential energy?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.a; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Forms of energy
The same cart rolls down a ramp three times and reaches 1, 2 and 3 meters per second at the bottom. In which trial does it have the most kinetic energy at the bottom?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.a; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Forms of energy
Soup is heated from below in a pot. Hot soup rises, cools near the top and sinks again in a steady loop. What is this kind of heat transfer called?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.d; NOAA JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy
You stand near a campfire. The side of your body that faces the fire feels warm while your other side stays cool. How does the heat reach you?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P2.d; NOAA JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy
Motion 6
A car's velocity changes from 10 meters per second to 30 meters per second in 5 seconds. What is its acceleration?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P3.a; NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion
A force of 12 newtons gives a 3-kilogram box an acceleration of 4 meters per second squared. How much force gives a 6-kilogram box the same acceleration?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P3.c; NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion
A hockey puck slides across very smooth ice. If no unbalanced force acts on it, what does Newton's first law say the puck will do?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P3.b; NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion
A student pushes three carts with the same force and records each acceleration: 1 kilogram, 6 meters per second squared; 2 kilograms, 3; 3 kilograms, 2. Which claim do the data support?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P3.c; NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion
A table shows a toy car's distance from the start line: 0 meters at 0 seconds, 6 meters at 2 seconds, 12 meters at 4 seconds and 18 meters at 6 seconds. What does the pattern show?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P3.a
Two teams pull on a rope with equal force in opposite directions, and the rope does not move. What is true of the forces on the rope?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P3.b; NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion
Waves 10
A beam of light passes from air into water. What happens to the speed of the light?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.e; NASA Science, Wave Behaviors
A television remote control sends its signal with light waves just beyond the visible spectrum. Which waves does it use?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.c; NASA Science, Infrared Waves
How does the lens in a pair of eyeglasses or in a refracting telescope act on light to form an image?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.g; NASA Space Place, How Do Telescopes Work?
On a sunny day a black asphalt road gets hotter than a light-colored concrete sidewalk beside it. Which wave behavior best explains the difference?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.d; NASA Science, Wave Behaviors
Twelve wave crests pass a post in 4 seconds. What is the frequency of the waves?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.f; NASA Science, Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave
Two sound waves have the same frequency. Wave A has twice the amplitude of wave B. How do the two sounds compare?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.f; National Park Service, Understanding Sound
Waves bend and spread out as they pass the edge of an obstacle. What is this behavior called?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.d; NASA Science, Wave Behaviors
Which of these is a mechanical wave?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.a; NASA Science, Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave
Which waves of the electromagnetic spectrum have the longest wavelengths?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.b; NASA Science, Radio Waves
X-rays have much shorter wavelengths than ultraviolet light. How do their energies compare?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P4.b; NASA Science, X-Rays
Force 6
A student makes an electromagnet by wrapping a wire 3 times around an iron rod and connecting the wire to a battery. Which change would make it pick up more paper clips?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P5.c; National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Electromagnets
After a balloon is rubbed on hair, the hairs stand up and push away from one another without touching. Why?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P5.a; U.S. Energy Information Administration, The science of electricity
Each pair of balls is the same distance apart. Which pair pulls on each other with the greatest gravitational force?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P5.a; NASA Space Place, What Is Gravity?
Extra charge is placed at one spot on a metal ball that sits on a plastic stand. What happens to the charge on the ball?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P5.b; The Physics Classroom, Conductors and Insulators
Extra charge is placed at one spot on a rubber ball. Where is the charge a moment later?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P5.b; The Physics Classroom, Conductors and Insulators
What happens to the magnetic field of an electromagnet when its current is turned off?Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, S8P5.c; National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Electromagnets
How this list was compiled: Outline: Georgia Milestones Assessment System, Grade 8 Science Assessment Blueprint (Georgia Department of Education, July 2025), https://lor2.gadoe.org/gadoe/file/4feebd77-4a21-4788-a3ba-b6f50a71c876/1/GM_Gr8_Sci_Blueprint.pdf, read 2026-10-13. Each question names the element it practices in the Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science, read 2026-10-13 on the department's standards site, https://case.georgiastandards.org/27a08dc6-416e-11e7-ba71-02bd89fdd987. Each fact that is more than the standard's own words or arithmetic on the numbers in the question rests on the public page named under its answer, opened 2026-10-13: pages of NASA Science, NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Space Place, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, The Physics Classroom and LibreTexts Chemistry. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a Georgia Milestones test, a released or sample item, an item of the state's study guide or assessment guide, or another practice test.
How it works
An unofficial Georgia Milestones 8th grade science practice test. The 42 questions were written for this page from the state's blueprint and standards; none is a state sample item. Not affiliated with the Georgia Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What the Georgia Milestones 8th grade science test covers
Grade 8 science in Georgia is physical science, and the blueprint has five reporting categories. Matter is the largest, 28 percent: elements, compounds and mixtures, states of matter, physical and chemical properties and changes, atoms, and conservation of matter. Waves is 24 percent: sound and light, the electromagnetic spectrum, reflection, refraction and lenses. Energy is 18 percent: kinetic and potential energy, transformations and heat transfer. Motion and Force are 15 percent each: speed, acceleration, the laws of motion, gravity, electric charge and magnets.
How the answers are checked
Each answer names its standard, such as S8P4.d. A fact that goes past the standard is read on a public page named there, most often from NASA or the Energy Information Administration.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the GA Milestones 8th grade science test?
42 items in two sections of up to 40 minutes each. 38 count toward the score, for 46 points: 30 one-point items and 8 two-point technology-enhanced items. Four are field test items.
Do all 8th graders take the grade 8 science Milestones?
No. Eighth graders enrolled in the high school Physical Science course take that course's test in place of the grade 8 science test, by the state's test administration manual.
How is the 8th grade science Georgia Milestones scored?
As one of four achievement levels: Beginning Learner, Developing Learner, Proficient Learner or Distinguished Learner. A percent right on this page is practice, not one of those levels.