A balloon is rubbed on hair. Held above a table, it lifts small bits of paper without touching them. What does this show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-PS2-3
A child on a swing has moved forward, back, forward, back. The swing is at the back of its path now. Based on the pattern, what will it do next?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-PS2-2
A code uses short and long beeps. Short-short means A, short-long means B and long-short means C. A message is: long-short, short-short, short-long. What does the message spell?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS4-3
A hand-crank flashlight has no battery. When the crank is turned, the bulb lights. Which chain shows how the energy moves?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS3-2
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Physical Science, continued
A magnet held 1 cm above a pile of paper clips picks up 6 clips. Held 3 cm above, it picks up 2. Held 6 cm above, it picks up none. What does this show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-PS2-3
A metal spoon rests in a cup of hot soup. After a minute the top of the handle, which is out of the soup, feels warm. What does this observation show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS3-2
A moving cart bumps a parked cart of the same size. In test 1 the moving cart is fast. In test 2 it is slow. What is the best prediction for the parked cart in test 2?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS3-3
A red ball is inside a closed box that has no holes. Why can a person outside the box not see the ball?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS4-2
A student heats four things. Which change cannot be undone by cooling the thing again?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 2-PS1-4
A student holds a sheet of wax paper in front of a flashlight. A dim, blurry glow shows on the wall behind the paper. What does this show about wax paper?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 1-PS4-3
A student plucks a stretched string and hears a sound. What makes the sound?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 1-PS4-1
A student shakes one end of a rope to make waves. Then she shakes it so that the peaks of the waves are closer together. What changed?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS4-1
A toy boat floats still in a tub of water. A child blows on one side of its sail. What happens, and why?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-PS2-1
A toy car is powered by a twisted rubber band. When the band is let go, the car rolls across the floor. What energy change does this device make?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS3-4
A toy truck is pushed across the floor into a stack of 6 empty cans. Pushed slowly, it knocks down 1 can. Pushed fast, it knocks down 5 cans. Which explanation fits the evidence?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-PS3-1
Two dogs tug on the ends of a chew toy in opposite directions with the same strength. The toy does not move. Why?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-PS2-1
Life Science 11
A dog and her mate both have floppy ears. All five of their puppies have floppy ears, but two puppies are brown and three are spotted. What do these observations show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-LS3-1
A frog grows from an egg to a tadpole to an adult frog. A bean plant grows from a seed to a seedling to a plant with flowers. What do the life cycles of all organisms have in common?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-LS1-1
A model of how an animal reacts has three boxes in a row: SENSES RECEIVE INFORMATION, then an empty box, then THE BODY RESPONDS. What belongs in the empty box?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-LS1-2
A raccoon once found food in a certain trash can. Now it goes back to that same can every night. What does this behavior show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-LS1-2
A scientist finds the fossil of an animal that is unlike any animal alive today. What does the fossil give evidence of?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-LS4-1
Rock dug from a farm field far from any ocean is full of fossil clam shells. What is the best conclusion?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-LS4-1
Some animals, such as wolves, live and hunt in groups. Which argument about groups does this support?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-LS2-1
Students want to find out whether bean plants need light to grow. Which plan is a fair test?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 2-LS2-1
Students watch a woodpecker use its strong, pointed beak to chip holes in tree bark and pull out insects. Which argument does this observation support?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-LS1-1
Sunflower seedlings grow in two pots with the same soil, water and light. In pot A the leaves are left alone. In pot B every leaf is picked off as it appears. After two weeks the plants in pot A have grown 12 cm and the plants in pot B have grown 1 cm. Which claim do the data support?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-LS1-1
Two puppies from the same litter go to different homes. One is given far too much food and little exercise, and it becomes overweight. The other stays lean. What best explains the difference?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-LS3-2
Earth and Space Science 13
A fan blows across a tray of dry sand for one minute. On low speed, 5 grams of sand are moved. On high speed, 40 grams are moved. What do the measurements show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS2-1
A hillside has four rock layers. Fish fossils are found only in the bottom layer. Fossils of land plants are found in the layers above it. What does the pattern show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS1-1
A table shows a town's average high temperature for six months: December 42 °F, January 40 °F, February 45 °F, June 84 °F, July 87 °F, August 86 °F. What weather should be expected next January?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-ESS2-1
A town is often hit by storms with very strong winds. Which design solution reduces the impact of this weather hazard?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-ESS3-1
A town on the coast wants to reduce the harm a tsunami could do to its people. Which solution would help most?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS3-2
A world map marks each volcano with a red triangle. Where on the map would most of the triangles be expected?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS2-2
On a stream table, pouring 1 liter of water carves a channel 2 cm deep in the soil. Pouring 3 liters down the same slope carves a channel 5 cm deep. Which variable was tested?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS2-1
The roots of a tree grow into a small crack in a rock. Over many years the rock splits in two. What is this an example of?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS2-1
Trees and soil are cleared from a hillside so that coal near the surface can be mined. Which effect on the environment does the clearing cause directly?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS3-1
Which Earth event happens quickly?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 2-ESS1-1
Which energy resource is not renewable?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 4-ESS3-1; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Kids, Energy Sources
Which pattern of the sun in the sky can be predicted for tomorrow?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 1-ESS1-1
Which statement describes a climate and not the weather of one day?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-ESS2-2
Engineering Design 4
A class will design a model bridge. The bridge must hold 2 kilograms, and the class may use only 50 craft sticks. Which of these is a criterion for success?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-5-ETS1-1
A lunch cooler must keep food cold for at least 4 hours and cost no more than $10. Design A costs $8 and keeps food cold 5 hours. Design B costs $12 and keeps food cold 8 hours. Design C costs $6 and keeps food cold 2 hours. Which design best solves the problem?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-5-ETS1-2
A paper bridge holds 10 coins, 20 coins and 30 coins. At 40 coins it tears in the middle and falls. What does the test tell the designers?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation 3-5-ETS1-3
Two umbrellas are tested in the same rain for the same time. Under umbrella A, 2 drops fall on a paper towel. Under umbrella B, 31 drops fall on a paper towel. What does the test show?Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky Academic Standards for Science (December 2022), performance expectation K-2-ETS1-3
Unofficial practice for the science test Kentucky gives in grade 4, part of the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA). All 44 questions were written for this site from the state's science standards. Not affiliated with the Kentucky Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What the grade 4 science test covers
Kentucky's science blueprint sets a range for each domain: physical science 30 to 45 percent, Earth and space science 25 to 40, life science 20 to 35 and engineering design 5 to 15. The state measures grade 4 science against the core ideas of kindergarten through grade 4. So forces and magnets, life cycles and weather from grade 3 are tested beside the grade 4 work on energy, waves, fossils and erosion.
Earlier grades in the questions
Half of these questions are on grade 4 standards, twelve are on grade 3 and six reach back to kindergarten through grade 2. Each answer names its standard, such as 3-PS2-3.
The real test builds its questions around phenomena. Say what happened and why before you choose.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the KSA grade 4 science test?
The state's 2025-26 items and times chart lists 31 questions in one part, set to 12 to 15 passages. About half are multiple choice; the rest are multiple-select, technology-enhanced, short-answer and extended-response questions.
How long is the grade 4 science KSA?
The 2025-26 chart gives grade 4 science 90 minutes. Kentucky tests science once in each grade band: in grades 4, 7 and 11.
How is the grade 4 science KSA scored?
Each student gets a scale score and one of four performance levels: Novice, Apprentice, Proficient or Distinguished. There is no percent to pass.
Is the KSA the same as K-PREP?
It is the same state testing program under a newer name. The Kentucky Department of Education says the Kentucky Summative Assessments were previously called K-PREP, the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress.