A bat hunts insects in the dark. How does it find them?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at National Park Service, "Echolocation"
A bee lands on a flower and pollen sticks to its body. The bee carries the pollen to the next flower it visits. How does this help the plants?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Life Science (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics), NWEA; fact read at National Park Service, "What is a pollinator?"
A dinosaur's footprint is preserved in rock. Which kind of fossil is it?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Life Science (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity), NWEA; fact read at National Park Service, "What is a Fossil?"
Show all 16 questions (13 more)
Life Science, continued
A monarch butterfly passes through four life stages. Which list gives them in order?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Forest Service, "Monarch Butterfly Biology"
A puppy has the same curly coat as its mother. What do scientists call a trait that is passed from parent to offspring?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Life Science (Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Inherited"
What is an estuary?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Life Science (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "What is an estuary?"
Physical Science 5
A bar magnet hangs from a string. The north pole of a second magnet is brought near its north pole. What does the hanging magnet do?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Physical Science (Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Magnets and electricity"
Sunlight shines through a prism and spreads into a band of colors. What does this show about sunlight?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Physical Science (Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer), NWEA; fact read at NASA Space Place, "Why Is the Sky Blue?"
Turning a flashlight's switch to OFF opens its circuit. Why does the bulb go dark?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Physical Science (Energy), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Batteries, circuits, and transformers"
Two bikes of the same kind roll down a hill. One is moving faster than the other. Which bike has more motion energy?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Physical Science (Energy), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Forms of energy"
Which statement describes a liquid?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Physical Science (Matter and Its Interactions), NWEA; fact read at NASA Glenn Research Center, "Phases of Matter"
Earth and Space Science 5
Molten rock under the ground is called magma. What is it called once it breaks through Earth's surface?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Systems), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, "What is the difference between magma and lava?"
Rain, sleet, snow and hail are all forms of what?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Systems), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Precipitation and the Water Cycle"
What causes a tsunami?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth and Human Activity), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "What is a tsunami?"
What is a comet made of?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Place in the Universe), NWEA; fact read at NASA Space Place, "What Is a Comet?"
What is one year on Earth?MAP Growth Science 2-5 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Place in the Universe), NWEA; fact read at NASA Space Place, "How Long Is a Year on Other Planets?"
How this list was compiled: Outline: NWEA, MAP Growth, https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/; MAP Growth Test Description (MAP Help Center), https://teach.mapnwea.org/impl/maphelp/Content/AboutMAP/MAPTestDescription.htm; MAP Growth: Instructional Areas, NGSS, dated July 12, 2023, https://cdn.nwea.org/state-information/NGSS_STANDARDS_2023.pdf, all read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on the public page named on its question (National Human Genome Research Institute, NASA, NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy), all 2026-10-08. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a MAP Growth test, from a sample or practice item of NWEA, or from another practice test.
Grades 6–8: all 16 questions
Life Science 6
A virus is a segment of DNA or RNA inside a protein coat. How does a virus make copies of itself?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Virus"
Fertilizer washes off farm fields into a bay, and algae there grow out of control. The algae then sink and decompose. What does the decomposition do to the water?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Life Science (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "What is a dead zone?"
In a field, green beetles are harder for birds to spot than brown beetles, and color is inherited. Over many generations, what is most likely to happen?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Life Science (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Evolution"
Show all 16 questions (13 more)
Life Science, continued
When ocean water becomes too warm, corals can turn completely white. What have the corals done?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Life Science (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "What is coral bleaching?"
Which organelles assemble a cell's proteins?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Organelle"
Why do identical twins share the same genome?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Life Science (Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Identical Twins"
Physical Science 5
A satellite circles Earth without falling to the ground or flying off into space. Which two things are in balance?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Physical Science (Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions), NWEA; fact read at NASA Space Place, "What Is an Orbit?"
A toaster changes electrical energy into heat and light. By the law of conservation of energy, what happens to the total amount of energy?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Physical Science (Energy), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Laws of energy"
Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. It turns straight into a gas without melting first. What is this change called?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Physical Science (Matter and Its Interactions), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Sublimation and the Water Cycle"
On a diagram of a wave, what is the wavelength?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Physical Science (Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer), NWEA; fact read at NASA Science, "Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave"
Water has a high specific heat capacity. What does that mean?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Physical Science (Energy), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Specific Heat Capacity and Water"
Earth and Space Science 5
A quarry wall shows flat layers of sedimentary rock that have not been disturbed. Which layer formed most recently?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Place in the Universe), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, "Geologic Time: Relative Time Scale"
Astronomers give the distances to faraway stars in light-years. What is one light-year?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Place in the Universe), NWEA; fact read at NASA Space Place, "What Is a Light-Year?"
Global sea level is rising. Which two changes are its major causes?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth and Human Activity), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "Is sea level rising?"
Two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other, and crust is neither made nor destroyed. Which kind of plate boundary is this?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Systems), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, "This Dynamic Earth: Understanding plate motions"
What is an aquifer?MAP Growth Science 6-8 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Systems), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Aquifers and Groundwater"
How this list was compiled: Outline: NWEA, MAP Growth, https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/; MAP Growth Test Description (MAP Help Center), https://teach.mapnwea.org/impl/maphelp/Content/AboutMAP/MAPTestDescription.htm; MAP Growth: Instructional Areas, NGSS, dated July 12, 2023, https://cdn.nwea.org/state-information/NGSS_STANDARDS_2023.pdf, all read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on the public page named on its question (National Human Genome Research Institute, NASA, NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy), all 2026-10-08. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a MAP Growth test, from a sample or practice item of NWEA, or from another practice test.
Grades 9–12: all 16 questions
Life Science 6
A cell with two sets of chromosomes divides by meiosis. How many cells result, and how many sets does each one have?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Life Science (Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Meiosis"
A codon tells the cell which amino acid to add next to a growing protein. How many nucleotides make up one codon?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Codon"
A storm kills most of the lizards on a small island at random. By chance, a rare tail color is common among the survivors and their descendants. Which mechanism of evolution is this?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Life Science (Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Genetic Drift"
Show all 16 questions (13 more)
Life Science, continued
Along some coasts, wind pushes surface water away and deep water rises to replace it. Why are these upwelling zones often rich in life?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Life Science (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "What is upwelling?"
An enzyme speeds up a specific chemical reaction in a cell. What happens to the enzyme during the reaction?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Enzyme"
During transcription, a cell makes a copy of a gene's DNA sequence. What is the copy made of?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Life Science (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes), NWEA; fact read at National Human Genome Research Institute, Talking Glossary, "Transcription"
Physical Science 5
A car with a mass of 1,200 kilograms moves at 20 meters per second. What is its momentum?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Physical Science (Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions), NWEA; fact read at NASA Glenn Research Center, "Newton's Laws of Motion"
A machine takes in 200 joules of energy and does 50 joules of useful work. What is its energy efficiency?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Physical Science (Energy), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Laws of energy"
Atoms of carbon-12 and carbon-14 are both carbon. What is different about them?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Physical Science (Matter and Its Interactions), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Department of Energy, "DOE Explains...Isotopes"
One lake has a pH of 5 and another has a pH of 6. How does the acidity of the first lake compare with the second?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Physical Science (Matter and Its Interactions), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "pH and Water"
Which electromagnetic waves have the shortest wavelengths and the highest energies?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Physical Science (Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer), NWEA; fact read at NASA Science, "Introduction to the Electromagnetic Spectrum" and "Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave"
Earth and Space Science 5
A rock holds a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 1 billion years. What fraction of the original isotope is left after 2 billion years?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Place in the Universe), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, "Geologic Time: Radiometric Time Scale"
Earth's core has two parts. How do they differ?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Systems), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, "This Dynamic Earth: Inside the Earth"
In the Sun's core, hydrogen atoms collide so hard that they join to form helium and release energy. What is this process called?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Place in the Universe), NWEA; fact read at NASA Space Place, "Why Does the Sun Burn?"
The ocean absorbs about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. What does the added carbon dioxide do to seawater?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth and Human Activity), NWEA; fact read at National Ocean Service, NOAA, "What is Ocean Acidification?"
Which observation was early evidence that South America and Africa were once joined?MAP Growth Science 9-12 instructional area Earth and Space Science (Earth's Systems), NWEA; fact read at U.S. Geological Survey, "This Dynamic Earth: Historical perspective"
How this list was compiled: Outline: NWEA, MAP Growth, https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/; MAP Growth Test Description (MAP Help Center), https://teach.mapnwea.org/impl/maphelp/Content/AboutMAP/MAPTestDescription.htm; MAP Growth: Instructional Areas, NGSS, dated July 12, 2023, https://cdn.nwea.org/state-information/NGSS_STANDARDS_2023.pdf, all read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on the public page named on its question (National Human Genome Research Institute, NASA, NOAA, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy), all 2026-10-08. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a MAP Growth test, from a sample or practice item of NWEA, or from another practice test.
How it works
MAP Growth tests science in three grade bands: Science 2–5, 6–8 and 9–12. This unofficial page practices all three; each question names the public page that confirms its answer. It is not affiliated with NWEA, the publisher of MAP Growth.
Read the full guide
Three tests, the same three areas
Under the three instructional areas, NWEA lists the same eleven topics on all three tests, from cells, ecosystems and heredity to forces, energy, waves, Earth's systems and space. What changes is depth: a butterfly's life cycle in grades 2–5, cell parts in 6–8, DNA to protein in 9–12.
What is left out
NWEA also has a Biology/Life Science course test for grades 9 to 12, which this page does not practice. The areas here are those of the version for the Next Generation Science Standards; NWEA notes that areas vary by state and standard set.
Questions and answers
What is on the MAP science test?
Three instructional areas: Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science. NWEA describes one science assessment for grades 2 to 12 that covers those three domains.
How many questions are on the MAP science test?
About 40 to 43. NWEA calls the figure approximate because the test adapts to each student, and it includes familiarization questions.
Is MAP science testing timed?
No. NWEA lists MAP Growth as untimed. Its test summary gives about 45 to 60 minutes for one test, plus 10 to 15 minutes for setup and instructions.
What grades take the MAP science test?
Grades 2 to 12, in three versions by grade band. MAP Growth science is one of several tests a school can select, so not every school that uses MAP gives it.
How is the MAP science test scored?
With a RIT score for science and for each of the three instructional areas. NWEA describes the RIT scale as independent of grade level, which lets a school measure growth over time.