• 60 questions

HiSET Science Practice Test

Unofficial questions on experiments, tables and science facts, in the three content categories of HiSET's Science subtest.

A DNA strand holds 30 adenine bases. How many thymine bases pair with them on the other strand?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 60 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 60 questions, 80 minutes.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with PSI Services LLC, which owns the HiSET exam. Bank checked October 12, 2026.

The real subtest, as HiSET's own outline gives it

Questions
60
Time limit
80 minutes
To pass
At least 8 of 20 on the subtest; the full exam also needs a combined 45 across the five subtests.

Checked October 12, 2026 against the HiSET Test at a Glance and the HiSET Test Taker Bulletin 2026 (PSI Services LLC). Rules change, so confirm with the agency itself before your test.

HiSET's own free practice tests

Next step More life science: biology practice testHiSET practice test: all five subtests

All 60 questions

Life science 29

  • A chemical stops a cell's ribosomes from working. Which process does it block directly? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 3. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Ribosome.
  • A dead fish sinks to the bottom of a lake. Scavengers eat part of it. What happens to what they leave behind? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 2. Fact: NOAA Education, Aquatic food webs.
  • A diploid cell, with two sets of chromosomes, goes through meiosis. What does it produce? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Meiosis.
  • A DNA strand holds 30 adenine bases. How many thymine bases pair with them on the other strand? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA).
  • A dye is added to the water around living cells, but none of it gets inside them. Which structure is keeping the dye out? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 3. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Cell Membrane.
Show all 60 questions (55 more)

Life science, continued

  • A fertilized human egg has 46 chromosomes. How many of them came from the egg cell? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Chromosome.
  • A food chemist breaks a large molecule from egg white into its building blocks and finds amino acids. What kind of molecule was it? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Protein.
  • A student adds a little enzyme to a tube of starch solution. The starch breaks down, and a test afterward finds as much enzyme in the tube as before. What does this show? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 3. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Enzyme.
  • A student mixed yeast, sugar and water in four flasks, kept each flask at a different temperature, and counted the gas bubbles given off in one minute: 10°C, 4 bubbles; 25°C, 19; 35°C, 42; 60°C, 3. The student wants to find more exactly the temperature that gives the most gas. Which next step is best? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student mixed yeast, sugar and water in four flasks, kept each flask at a different temperature, and counted the gas bubbles given off in one minute: 10°C, 4 bubbles; 25°C, 19; 35°C, 42; 60°C, 3. Which statement is an observation and not a hypothesis? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student put 20 bean seeds in each of four dishes, kept the dishes at different temperatures, and counted the seeds that had sprouted after 7 days: 5°C, 2 seeds; 15°C, 11; 25°C, 18; 35°C, 9. Which question was this experiment set up to answer? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student put 20 bean seeds in each of four dishes, kept the dishes at different temperatures, and counted the seeds that had sprouted after 7 days: 5°C, 2 seeds; 15°C, 11; 25°C, 18; 35°C, 9. Which statement do these results support? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student put 20 bean seeds in each of four dishes, kept the dishes at different temperatures, and counted the seeds that had sprouted after 7 days: 5°C, 2 seeds; 15°C, 11; 25°C, 18; 35°C, 9. Why did the student put the same number of seeds in every dish? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Birds that hunt by sight eat the beetles living on a field of dark lava rock. Researchers recorded the share of dark beetles there: 2010, 48%; 2015, 63%; 2020, 79%. The rest were light-colored. Which explanation best fits the change? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Birds that hunt by sight eat the beetles living on a field of dark lava rock. Researchers recorded the share of dark beetles there: 2010, 48%; 2015, 63%; 2020, 79%. The rest were light-colored. Which further observation would best support the idea that birds are the cause? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Cells of type A contract all day and use a great deal of energy. Cells of type B are mostly inactive. Which difference would you predict under a microscope? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 3. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Mitochondria.
  • Five classmates each rested for 5 minutes, then measured their pulse at rest, after 2 minutes of walking and after 2 minutes of jogging. Mean results: at rest, 72 beats a minute; after walking, 95; after jogging, 138. Which conclusion do these results support? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Five classmates each rested for 5 minutes, then measured their pulse at rest, after 2 minutes of walking and after 2 minutes of jogging. Mean results: at rest, 72 beats a minute; after walking, 95; after jogging, 138. Why is a mean of five classmates reported and not one person's pulse? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • In a pond, tadpoles eat algae, and young bass eat tadpoles. A disease kills most of the tadpoles. Which change is most likely to follow first? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 2. Fact: NOAA Education, Aquatic food webs.
  • In one kind of beetle, the allele for a striped shell (R) is dominant over the allele for a plain shell (r). A striped beetle is mated with a plain beetle, and all 40 of their offspring are striped. What is the striped parent's genotype most likely to be? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Recessive Traits and Alleles.
  • In one kind of beetle, the allele for a striped shell (R) is dominant over the allele for a plain shell (r). Two striped beetles mate, and one of their offspring has a plain shell. What must be true of both parents? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 4. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Recessive Traits and Alleles.
  • Researchers put virus particles in a sterile broth that holds every nutrient but no living cells. A week later the number of virus particles has not grown. Why? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. Fact: National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary: Virus.
  • Tiny cells called zooxanthellae live in the tissues of reef-building corals. When stressed corals expel these cells, the corals turn white and can starve. What does this show about the two? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 2. Fact: NOAA National Ocean Service, Corals Tutorial: What is Zooxanthellae?.
  • Twelve tomato seedlings of the same age were split into three groups of four. All got the same light and water. Group 1 got no fertilizer, Group 2 got 5 grams a week, and Group 3 got 10 grams a week. Mean height after 4 weeks: Group 1, 21 cm; Group 2, 30 cm; Group 3, 31 cm. A classmate concludes, "Doubling the fertilizer doubles the growth." Do the results support this? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Twelve tomato seedlings of the same age were split into three groups of four. All got the same light and water. Group 1 got no fertilizer, Group 2 got 5 grams a week, and Group 3 got 10 grams a week. Mean height after 4 weeks: Group 1, 21 cm; Group 2, 30 cm; Group 3, 31 cm. Which change would give the most confidence in these results? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Twelve tomato seedlings of the same age were split into three groups of four. All got the same light and water. Group 1 got no fertilizer, Group 2 got 5 grams a week, and Group 3 got 10 grams a week. Mean height after 4 weeks: Group 1, 21 cm; Group 2, 30 cm; Group 3, 31 cm. Which variable was changed on purpose? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 1. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Wildlife counts on an island where foxes eat hares. Year 1: 400 hares, 20 foxes. Year 2: 620 hares, 28 foxes. Year 3: 510 hares, 45 foxes. Year 4: 300 hares, 38 foxes. Year 5: 280 hares, 22 foxes. Suppose the fox count keeps falling after Year 5. What is the most likely next change in the hare count? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 2. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Wildlife counts on an island where foxes eat hares. Year 1: 400 hares, 20 foxes. Year 2: 620 hares, 28 foxes. Year 3: 510 hares, 45 foxes. Year 4: 300 hares, 38 foxes. Year 5: 280 hares, 22 foxes. Which explanation best fits the fall in foxes after Year 3? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 2. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • Wildlife counts on an island where foxes eat hares. Year 1: 400 hares, 20 foxes. Year 2: 620 hares, 28 foxes. Year 3: 510 hares, 45 foxes. Year 4: 300 hares, 38 foxes. Year 5: 280 hares, 22 foxes. Which statement describes these counts? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: I. Life Science, descriptor 2. The results printed in the question are the only data.

Physical science 17

  • A book slides off a high shelf and falls to the floor. As it falls, how does its energy mainly change? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 2. Fact: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained: Forms of energy.
  • A cart on a level track was pulled with the same force in three trials. With a mass of 1 kg it accelerated at 6 m/s²; with 2 kg, at 3 m/s²; with 3 kg, at 2 m/s². Force equals mass times acceleration. How large was the force on the cart? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 2. Fact: NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion.
  • A cart on a level track was pulled with the same force in three trials. With a mass of 1 kg it accelerated at 6 m/s²; with 2 kg, at 3 m/s²; with 3 kg, at 2 m/s². Which statement describes these results? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 2. Fact: NASA Glenn Research Center, Newton's Laws of Motion.
  • A coil of copper wire is connected to a meter that detects electric current. The needle jumps whenever a magnet is moved through the coil and rests when the magnet is still. What does this show? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. Fact: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained: Magnets and electricity.
  • A heat lamp hangs above a tray of food and keeps it warm without touching it. Which kind of heat transfer is at work? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. Fact: NOAA JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy.
  • A student filled four identical cans with the same amount of water at 80°C, wrapped each can in a different material, and read the temperature after 20 minutes: no wrap, 52°C; aluminum foil, 55°C; cotton cloth, 61°C; foam, 68°C. Which conclusion do these results support? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student filled four identical cans with the same amount of water at 80°C, wrapped each can in a different material, and read the temperature after 20 minutes: no wrap, 52°C; aluminum foil, 55°C; cotton cloth, 61°C; foam, 68°C. Why did every can hold the same amount of water at the same starting temperature? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student measured four solid blocks. Block W: mass 54 g, volume 20 cm³. Block X: 38 g, 40 cm³. Block Y: 90 g, 100 cm³. Block Z: 63 g, 30 cm³. Density is mass divided by volume. Which block is the most dense? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 1. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: Water Density.
  • A student measured four solid blocks. Block W: mass 54 g, volume 20 cm³. Block X: 38 g, 40 cm³. Block Y: 90 g, 100 cm³. Block Z: 63 g, 30 cm³. Water has a density of about 1 g/cm³, and a solid that is less dense than water floats in it. Which blocks should float? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 1. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: Water Density.
  • A student sealed steel wool and air inside a flask and weighed it: 250.0 g. She heated the flask until the steel wool burned, let it cool and weighed it again: 250.0 g. Which conclusion do the readings support? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 5. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student shone the same flashlight through three sheets and read a light meter on the far side: clear glass, 92 units; wax paper, 41 units; cardboard, 0 units. With no sheet the meter read 100 units. Which conclusion do these results support? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student tested four liquids with a pH meter: lemon juice, 2.3; rainwater, 5.6; pure water, 7.0; soapy water, 9.8. Which liquid is basic? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 5. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: pH and Water.
  • A student wound wire around an iron nail, connected the wire to a battery, and counted the paper clips the nail could lift: 10 turns of wire, 4 clips; 20 turns, 9 clips; 30 turns, 13 clips; 40 turns, 18 clips. Which prediction best fits these results? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A toy car rolled along a straight track, and its position was recorded every 2 seconds: at 0 s, 0 m; at 2 s, 3 m; at 4 s, 6 m; at 6 s, 9 m. What was the car's speed? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 2. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • An atom has 11 protons and 11 electrons. It then loses one electron. What is its overall electrical charge now? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 4. Fact: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained: The science of electricity.
  • In a nuclear reaction an atom's nucleus gains one proton. What has changed? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 4. Fact: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained: The science of electricity.
  • One end of a copper rod is held in a flame. A minute later, a drop of wax on the far end of the rod melts. Which kind of heat transfer carried the heat along the rod? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: II. Physical Science, descriptor 3. Fact: NOAA JetStream, The Transfer of Heat Energy.

Earth science 14

  • A compass needle lines up with the Earth's magnetic field. Which part of the Earth creates that field? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 2. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Inside the Earth.
  • A geologist describes three rock samples. Sample 1: large interlocking crystals. Sample 2: thin layers of cemented sand grains. Sample 3: bent, folded bands of minerals. Sample 1 is an igneous rock. What do its large crystals suggest about how it formed? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 1. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, What are igneous rocks?.
  • A geologist describes three rock samples. Sample 1: large interlocking crystals. Sample 2: thin layers of cemented sand grains. Sample 3: bent, folded bands of minerals. Sample 3 formed from an older rock. What most likely changed it? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 2. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, What are metamorphic rocks?.
  • A geologist describes three rock samples. Sample 1: large interlocking crystals. Sample 2: thin layers of cemented sand grains. Sample 3: bent, folded bands of minerals. Which sample is most likely a sedimentary rock? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 1. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, What are sedimentary rocks?.
  • A power plant burns coal, a fuel that formed from the buried remains of ancient plants and animals. Why is coal called a nonrenewable source of energy? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 1. Fact: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained: Sources of energy.
  • A student poured the same amount of water down a tray of sand set at three slopes and weighed the sand that washed out: at 5°, 12 g; at 10°, 31 g; at 15°, 58 g. Which conclusion do these results support? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 2. The results printed in the question are the only data.
  • A student sketched the Moon through one cycle: new Moon on day 1, first quarter on day 8, full Moon on day 15, third quarter on day 23. On about which day should the next new Moon come? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 3. Fact: NASA Science, Moon Phases.
  • At a pier, the sea was highest at 3:10 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. and lowest at 9:20 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. What mainly causes this regular rise and fall? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 3. Fact: NOAA National Ocean Service, What are tides?.
  • The Earth is closest to the Sun during the Northern Hemisphere's winter. What does this show about the cause of the seasons? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 3. Fact: NASA Space Place, What Causes the Seasons?.
  • In the water cycle, what makes liquid water evaporate from the ocean, and what makes rain fall from clouds? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 2. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: The Water Cycle.
  • Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are small planets with solid, rocky surfaces. Why did rocky planets form nearest the Sun? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 4. Fact: NASA Science, Solar System Facts.
  • Star A steadily fuses hydrogen into helium in its core. Star B is an Earth-sized core left behind after a star's outer layers blew away. Which stages of a star's life are these? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 4. Fact: NASA Science, Stars.
  • Survey markers on opposite sides of a long valley move 2 centimeters farther apart every year, and fresh lava fills cracks in the valley floor. What kind of plate boundary runs through the valley? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 2. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Understanding plate motions.
  • Tectonic plates move slowly all the time, but their edges stick because of friction. What happens at the moment of an earthquake? HiSET Test at a Glance, Science: III. Earth Science, descriptor 2. Fact: U.S. Geological Survey, What is an earthquake and what causes them to happen?.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the Science section of the HiSET Test at a Glance (PSI Services LLC, copyright 2025, https://hiset.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/taag.pdf, read 2026-10-12): 60 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes; Life Science 49%, Physical Science 28%, Earth Science 23%; most questions rest on a described investigation and its results. The bank holds 29, 17 and 14 questions. The investigations and their results were made up for these questions, and 22 questions rest on them alone. Each stated fact was read on 2026-10-12 in the page its question names: the National Human Genome Research Institute's glossary (genome.gov), NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Every calculation was worked a second time. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free HiSET science practice test has 60 questions of our own, most built on a short experiment and its results. It is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by PSI Services LLC, the owner of the HiSET exam.

Read the full guide

Three content categories

HiSET's Test at a Glance, read October 12, 2026, gives life science 49% of the questions, physical science 28% and earth science 23%. This bank holds 29, 17 and 14.

Experiments first

Most real questions follow a description of an investigation and its results, the outline says, shown in graphs, tables and charts. Here each question prints its own small set of results, and 22 can be answered from those results alone.

What a question may ask

The outline lists it: the research question behind a study, the best procedure, a conclusion the results allow, and the difference between a hypothesis, an assumption and an observation.

  • Read the figures before the choices. A conclusion holds only if every number in the results agrees with it.

Questions and answers

Is this HiSET science practice test the same as the real test?

No. Every investigation, table and question was made for this site from HiSET's published outline. None is copied or reworded from a real test or an official practice test, and a result here is not a forecast of your score.

What is on the HiSET science test?

Life science, physical science and earth science. The outline draws its material from physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, health and astronomy, and tests both science knowledge and the reading of results.

What score do you need on the HiSET science test?

At least 8 on the subtest's scale of 1 to 20, by HiSET's Test Taker Bulletin 2026. The full exam also needs a combined 45 across the five subtests, so an 8 in every subject is not enough.

Is this the HiSET science practice test for 2019?

It follows no single year. These questions are written to the outline PSI Services published in 2025, and none comes from an older form. The free practice tests that HiSET publishes are on hiset.org.

More tests

Show 7 more

Browse Civics and Law