Grade 8 science in the three disciplines Maryland reports, each answer marked with its group of practices.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Maryland State Department of Education. Bank checked October 13, 2026.
The real test: MCAP science (MISA), grade 8
Time limit
160 minutes
This school year
Science in grades 5 and 8 stays under MCAP for 2026-27. The state's timeline moves it to MSTAR in 2027-28.
Sections
Four, with 40 minutes for each, on computer or on paper, in the Spring 2026 manual.
Reported by discipline
Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, and Life Science.
Reported by practice
Investigating, Sensemaking and Critiquing Practices.
Design
Students work from a stimulus such as a video, chart or diagram and answer several items about it. Items are written to evidence statements based on the Next Ge
Calculator
A scientific calculator in grade 8. Online testers use the one built into the test.
A balloon rubbed on a sweater sticks to a wall, then falls after a few minutes. Which question could be answered by an investigation?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS2-3, core idea PS2.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A paper clip hangs on a thread. When a magnet is brought near, the clip swings toward it without being touched. Which investigation would best map the magnet's field?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS2-5, core idea PS2.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A roller coaster car stops at three points on its track: 5 m, 20 m and 12 m above the ground. At which point does the system of the car and Earth store the most potential energy?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS3-2, core idea PS3.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Show all 42 questions (39 more)
Physical Science, continued
A sealed jar of air is set in ice water. In a particle model of the air, what changes as the air cools?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS1-4, the clarification statement; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student claims an analog signal is the more reliable way to send a message because its wave "carries every detail." Which statement is the best critique?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS4-3, core idea PS4.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student says, "When a truck hits a small car, the truck pushes harder on the car than the car pushes on the truck." Which evaluation is correct?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS2-1, core idea PS2.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student shines the same flashlight through clear plastic, wax paper and cardboard and measures how bright the light is on a wall behind each. What is being investigated?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS4-2, core idea PS4.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A team claims its lunch box keeps food cold best. Food starts at 4 °C in each box in a 25 °C room. After 4 hours the food is at 9 °C in the team's box and 15 °C in a standard box. Do the data support the claim?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS3-3, core idea PS3.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
An advertisement says a synthetic fabric "contains nothing that came from nature." Which critique is supported by science?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS1-3, the clarification statement; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
In a sealed container, 50 g of reactants form a gas and a solid. The solid has a mass of 38 g. What is the mass of the gas?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS1-5, core idea PS1.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Students want evidence that a larger total force causes a larger change in a cart's motion. They will pull the cart with 1, 2 and 3 rubber bands. What must stay the same in every trial?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS2-2, core idea PS2.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Three carts move at the same speed. The 1 kg cart has 8 joules of kinetic energy, the 2 kg cart 16 joules and the 4 kg cart 32 joules. What relationship do the data show?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS3-1, core idea PS3.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Two planets are the same size, but planet X has more mass than planet Y. The same probe weighs 12 N on X and 5 N on Y. Which claim do the data support?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS2-4, core idea PS2.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Two substances are mixed, and something new seems to form. Which data would best show whether a chemical reaction happened?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-PS1-2, the assessment boundary; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Life Science 14
A few insects in a field have a variation that lets them survive a pesticide. The field is sprayed every year. Over many generations, what happens to the share of insects with the variation?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS4-6, core idea LS4.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A marsh plan must keep at least 25 species, allow school visits and cost under $50,000. Plan A keeps 30 species, allows no visits and costs $20,000. Plan B keeps 28 species, allows visits and costs $45,000. Which plan meets every criterion?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS2-5, the performance expectation; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A model shows food molecules broken down inside an animal's cells and rearranged into new molecules. According to the model, what are two results?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS1-7, core idea LS1.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student argues that the human body is "just a pile of separate cells." Which evidence best counters the argument?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS1-3, core idea LS1.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student claims, "Every mutation harms the organism." Which evaluation is best?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS3-1, core idea LS3.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student tests whether people react faster to a sound or to a flash of light by timing how quickly they press a button. What should differ between the two sets of trials?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS1-8, core idea LS1.D; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A water plant sits in a jar of water in bright light. Which observation would be evidence that it is carrying out photosynthesis?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS1-6, core idea LS1.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Adults of species X look most like adults of species Z. But embryos of X and Y share a structure that embryos of Z never have. Which argument about relationships is stronger?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS4-3, core idea LS4.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
After a new kind of fish enters a river, counts of native minnows fall from 900 to 300 in three years. Counts of the insect larvae that minnows eat rise from 2,000 to 5,500. What do the data show?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS2-4, core idea LS2.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
In a food web model of a pond, arrows point from algae to snails and from snails to fish. What do the arrows show?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS2-3, core idea LS2.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
In a model of sexual reproduction, each parent passes on one of its two alleles for a gene. Both parents have the alleles A and a. Which combinations can their offspring have?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS3-2, core idea LS3.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Scientists want to learn how the amount of underwater grass affects the number of young crabs in a bay. Which data should they collect?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS2-1, core idea LS2.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Students ask whether fertilizer affects how fast bean plants grow. Which design is a fair test?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS1-5, core idea LS1.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Which investigation would give evidence that living things are made of cells?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-LS1-1, core idea LS1.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Earth and Space Science 14
A class pours water down a tray of sand to model how streams change the land. To test how slope affects erosion, what should they change, and what should they measure?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS2-2, core idea ESS2.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A graph shows Earth's average surface temperature rising over the past century. Which question would best help clarify the cause?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS3-5, core idea ESS3.D; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A jar holds a little water and is sealed with plastic wrap under a lamp. Drops form on the underside of the wrap and fall back. Which two processes of the water cycle follow evaporation in this model?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS2-4, core idea ESS2.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A map of a region shows 43 recorded earthquakes. Forty of them lie along one fault. Where is a future earthquake most likely?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS3-2, core idea ESS3.B; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student claims, "Earth's surface changes only in sudden events such as earthquakes." Which evidence best argues against the claim?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS2-2, the performance expectation and core idea ESS2.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student claims, "Oil and metal ores can be found under any piece of land if you dig deep enough." Which evidence best counters the claim?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS3-1, core idea ESS3.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student claims, "The order of rock layers and their fossils tells us exactly how many years old each layer is." Which evaluation is best?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS1-4, core idea ESS1.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A student's poster shows the Milky Way galaxy as a small object inside our solar system. What should be corrected?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS1-2, core idea ESS1.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
A town's population grew 20 percent in ten years, but its total water use fell 5 percent after water-saving fixtures were required. A resident says, "More people always means more water used." Which evaluation fits the data?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS3-4, core idea ESS3.C; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
In a model of a planetary system, planet A is 1 unit from its star and orbits in 1 year. Planet B is 5 units away and takes 11 years. Planet C is 10 units away and takes 30 years. What pattern do the data show?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS1-3, the clarification statement; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
In a model of the atmosphere, air heated near the equator rises and cooler air moves in beneath it. What does the model help explain?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS2-6, the performance expectation; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Rock samples are taken on both sides of a mid-ocean ridge. Rock 10 km from the ridge is 0.5 million years old, rock 50 km away is 2.5 million years old and rock 100 km away is 5 million years old. What pattern do the data show?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS2-3, the clarification statement; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Students model the moon's phases with a lamp for the sun, a ball for the moon and a student's head for Earth. What should they change to see the different phases?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS1-1, core idea ESS1.A; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
Students want evidence of how moving air masses change the weather. Which data should they collect?Next Generation Science Standards, MS-ESS2-5, the clarification statement; read in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013)
How this list was compiled: Outline: MCAP Spring 2026 Science (MISA) Score Interpretation Guide (Maryland State Department of Education), https://support.mdassessments.com/resources/reporting/MCAP%20SP26%20SCI%20SIG_Educators_260318.pdf, linked from the Reporting page of the state's MCAP portal, https://support.mdassessments.com/reporting/, read 2026-10-13: results are reported for three disciplines (Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Life Science) and three groups of practices (Investigating, Sensemaking, Critiquing), and items are written to evidence statements based on the Next Generation Science Standards. Spring 2026 Science Test Administrator Manual, https://support.mdassessments.com/resources/training/MD1165750_MISA_TAM_WEBTAG.pdf, read 2026-10-13: the test is given in grades 5 and 8. MSTAR Transition (Maryland State Department of Education, September 2026), https://msde.prod.maryland.gov/media/26397, linked from Maryland Statewide Assessments, https://msde.maryland.gov/academics-0/maryland-statewide-assessments, read 2026-10-14: science in grades 5 and 8 stays under MCAP for the 2026-27 school year and moves to MSTAR in 2027-28. Each question names the middle school performance expectation it practices, and its fact is one the expectation, its clarification statement or its core idea states, read 2026-10-13 in Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (National Academies Press, 2013), Arranged by Disciplinary Core Ideas, https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/18290/chapter/2, or is worked out from the data in the question. No practice test, answer key or released item of the state was opened. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from an MCAP or MISA test, a practice test, an answer key or another practice test.
How it works
Unofficial practice for grade 8 MCAP science, the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA). All 42 questions were written from the Next Generation Science Standards, none from a state practice test. Not affiliated with the Maryland State Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What the grade 8 MCAP science test covers
Maryland's score report shows six categories, and each question here sits in two of them. The disciplines are Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science. The practices are Investigating (asking questions and running experiments), Sensemaking (finding patterns and relationships in data) and Critiquing (evaluating and arguing about explanations and models). Every category has 14 questions.
How the answers are checked
Maryland writes its science items to evidence statements based on the Next Generation Science Standards. Each answer here names its performance expectation, such as MS-PS2-2, and its practice group, and rests on what the standard states or on the numbers in the question.
Critiquing questions give a claim and some data. Decide what the data show first, then judge the claim.
Questions and answers
Is the MCAP science test the same as MISA?
Yes. The Maryland Integrated Science Assessment, MISA, is the science test of the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program. The state's manual calls it MCAP MISA 5 & 8, after the two grades that take it.
How long is the grade 8 MCAP science test?
In the Spring 2026 manual, four sections of 40 minutes each, 160 minutes in all, on computer or on paper. When a school runs sections back to back, the manual recommends a break between them.
How is the MCAP science test scored?
On a scale from 650 to 850 with four levels: Beginning, Developing, Proficient and Distinguished Learner. In grade 8, Proficient runs from 750 to 772 and Distinguished from 773 to 850.
Is MCAP science being replaced by MSTAR?
Not this school year. Maryland's September 2026 timeline keeps grades 5 and 8 science under MCAP for 2026-27 and moves it to MSTAR, the Maryland System of Testing Academic Readiness, in 2027-28. English and math in grades 3 to 8 moved first.
Where is Maryland's own MCAP science practice test?
On the state's MCAP portal, under Practice Tests, there is a grade 8 science test online and on paper. The test facts on this page link to the portal. No question here comes from that test.