New Jersey math, English language arts and science questions by grade, each answer explained.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the New Jersey Department of Education. Bank checked October 7, 2026.
The real tests: what New Jersey publishes
Tests by grade
English language arts in grades 3 to 9. Mathematics in grades 3 to 8, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II. Science in grades 5, 8 and 11.
English language arts
Adaptive. 32 items in grade 3, 34 in grades 4 and 5, 36 in grades 6 to 9, over four reading passage sets, with one writing item.
Mathematics
Adaptive. 41 items in grades 3 to 5, 46 in grades 6 and 7, 43 in grade 8 and in Algebra I.
Science
A fixed form called NJSLA-S, with multiple-choice, technology-enhanced and constructed-response items set in clusters of 2 to 5.
Testing time
ELA reading: two sessions of 75 minutes. ELA writing: 90 minutes. Mathematics: two sessions of 75 minutes. Science: four units of 45 minutes in grades 5 and 8.
Format
Computer-based: multiple choice, writing and interactive tasks such as drag-and-drop, mixed together.
A bar graph shows the fruit students chose: apples 12, pears 7 and grapes 9. How many more students chose apples than pears?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 3, domain 3.DL
A gym has 8 rows of chairs with 9 chairs in each row. How many chairs are there?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 3, domain 3.OA
A movie starts at 2:15 and ends at 3:40. How long is the movie?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 3, domain 3.M
Show all 35 questions (32 more)
Grade 3, continued
Omar had 50 marbles. He put 6 marbles in each of 7 bags. How many marbles were left over?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 3, domain 3.OA
Which comparison is true?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 3, domain 3.NF
Grade 4 5
A rope is 5 meters long. How long is it in centimeters?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 4, domain 4.M
What is 5/6 − 2/6?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 4, domain 4.NF
What is 7/10 + 5/100 written as a decimal?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 4, domain 4.NF
What is 407 × 6?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 4, domain 4.NBT
What is 67,548 rounded to the nearest thousand?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 4, domain 4.NBT
Grade 5 5
A recipe uses 2/3 cup of flour. How much flour is needed for half of the recipe?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 5, domain 5.NF
Point P is at (3, 7) on a coordinate grid. It moves 4 units right and 2 units down. Where is it now?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 5, domain 5.G
What is 3/4 − 1/3?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 5, domain 5.NF
What is 6.4 − 2.75?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 5, domain 5.NBT
What is 1,248 ÷ 24?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 5, domain 5.NBT
Grade 6 5
A car travels 150 miles in 3 hours. At the same rate, how far does it travel in 5 hours?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 6, domain 6.RP
What is the greatest common factor of 36 and 48?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 6, domain 6.NS
What is the median of 4, 8, 9, 15 and 20?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 6, domain 6.SP
What is the value of 3x² − 4 when x = 5?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 6, domain 6.EE
Which expression is equivalent to 4(2x + 3)?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 6, domain 6.EE
Grade 7 5
A meal costs $45. Sales tax is 6%. What is the total cost?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 7, domain 7.RP
A spinner has 8 equal sections, and 3 are green. About how many times should it land on green in 200 spins?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 7, domain 7.SP
Two angles form a straight line. One measures 112°. What does the other measure?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 7, domain 7.G
What is (−6)(−7) + (−10)?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 7, domain 7.NS
What value of x makes 5(x − 2) = 35 true?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 7, domain 7.EE
Grade 8 5
A cylinder has a radius of 3 cm and a height of 10 cm. Using 3.14 for pi, what is its volume?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 8, domain 8.G
A line passes through the points (0, 4) and (2, 10). What is its slope?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 8, domain 8.F
A right triangle has legs of 9 cm and 12 cm. How long is its hypotenuse?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 8, domain 8.G
What is the value of 2³ × 2⁴?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 8, domain 8.EE
What value of x makes 3x + 5 = x + 17 true?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), grade 8, domain 8.EE
Algebra I 5
A data set is 3, 4, 4, 5 and 24. Which measure is changed most by the value 24?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), high school, domain S.ID
A plant is 5 cm tall and grows 2 cm each week. Which function gives its height h after w weeks?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), high school, domain F.LE
If f(x) = 3x² − 2x + 4, what is f(−2)?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), high school, domain F.IF
What are the solutions of x² − 7x + 12 = 0?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), high school, domain A.REI
What is the solution of the system x + y = 10 and x − y = 4?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (2023), high school, domain A.REI
How this list was compiled: Outline: NJSLA-A Mathematics Blueprints (New Jersey Department of Education), https://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/adaptive/mathblueprints.shtml, read 2026-10-07. Each question names the domain it practices in the 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics, https://www.nj.gov/education/standards/math/2023/index.shtml, read 2026-10-07. Every answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked out twice. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices, passages and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from an NJSLA test, a state practice test, a released item or another practice test.
English language arts: all 18 questions
Reading literary texts 7
Read the passage. Dev's kite would not rise. He ran until his legs ached, but it only bumped along the grass. His little sister Asha watched from the fence. "The wind is behind the barn," she said. Dev almost laughed at her. Then he carried the kite past the barn, and it leaped into the sky. How does Asha change what happens in the story?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.IT.4.3
Read the passage. Dev's kite would not rise. He ran until his legs ached, but it only bumped along the grass. His little sister Asha watched from the fence. "The wind is behind the barn," she said. Dev almost laughed at her. Then he carried the kite past the barn, and it leaped into the sky. Where does the kite finally fly?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.CR.3.1
Read the passage. Dev's kite would not rise. He ran until his legs ached, but it only bumped along the grass. His little sister Asha watched from the fence. "The wind is behind the barn," she said. Dev almost laughed at her. Then he carried the kite past the barn, and it leaped into the sky. Which sentence best states the theme of the passage?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.CI.5.2
Show all 18 questions (15 more)
Reading literary texts, continued
Read the passage. The bakery was dark when Mara tied on the apron, which hung past her knees. Mr. Okafor handed her a tray without a word. By sunrise her arms were dusted white and three racks of rolls stood cooling. He tore one open, tasted it, and nodded once. Mara had never heard anything so loud. From what perspective is the passage told?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.PP.6.5
Read the passage. The bakery was dark when Mara tied on the apron, which hung past her knees. Mr. Okafor handed her a tray without a word. By sunrise her arms were dusted white and three racks of rolls stood cooling. He tore one open, tasted it, and nodded once. Mara had never heard anything so loud. How does the setting, a dark bakery before sunrise, shape the passage?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.IT.8.3
Read the passage. The bakery was dark when Mara tied on the apron, which hung past her knees. Mr. Okafor handed her a tray without a word. By sunrise her arms were dusted white and three racks of rolls stood cooling. He tore one open, tasted it, and nodded once. Mara had never heard anything so loud. What can a reader infer from the apron that "hung past her knees"?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.CR.6.1
Read the passage. The bakery was dark when Mara tied on the apron, which hung past her knees. Mr. Okafor handed her a tray without a word. By sunrise her arms were dusted white and three racks of rolls stood cooling. He tore one open, tasted it, and nodded once. Mara had never heard anything so loud. Which statement best expresses a theme of the passage?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RL.CI.6.2
Reading informational texts 7
Read the passage. The clock on Harbor Street has no electricity. Each Monday a keeper climbs forty steps and winds it with a crank. Heavy weights then sink slowly on their chains, and their pull turns the gears all week. If no one winds the clock, the weights reach the floor and the hands stop. According to the passage, why would the hands of the clock stop?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.IT.4.3
Read the passage. The clock on Harbor Street has no electricity. Each Monday a keeper climbs forty steps and winds it with a crank. Heavy weights then sink slowly on their chains, and their pull turns the gears all week. If no one winds the clock, the weights reach the floor and the hands stop. What is the main idea of the passage?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.CI.5.2
Read the passage. The clock on Harbor Street has no electricity. Each Monday a keeper climbs forty steps and winds it with a crank. Heavy weights then sink slowly on their chains, and their pull turns the gears all week. If no one winds the clock, the weights reach the floor and the hands stop. What makes the gears of the clock turn?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.CR.3.1
Read the passage. The clock on Harbor Street has no electricity. Each Monday a keeper climbs forty steps and winds it with a crank. Heavy weights then sink slowly on their chains, and their pull turns the gears all week. If no one winds the clock, the weights reach the floor and the hands stop. Which text structure does the last sentence of the passage use?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.TS.4.4
Read the passage. The Saturday market should stay on Main Street. Last year, shops near the market counted twice as many visitors on Saturdays as on Sundays. Some council members say the stalls block traffic, and they are right that one lane closes. But a closed lane for six hours is a small price for a full street. How does the author respond to the opposing view?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.PP.8.5
Read the passage. The Saturday market should stay on Main Street. Last year, shops near the market counted twice as many visitors on Saturdays as on Sundays. Some council members say the stalls block traffic, and they are right that one lane closes. But a closed lane for six hours is a small price for a full street. Which evidence does the author give to support the claim?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.AA.8.7
Read the passage. The Saturday market should stay on Main Street. Last year, shops near the market counted twice as many visitors on Saturdays as on Sundays. Some council members say the stalls block traffic, and they are right that one lane closes. But a closed lane for six hours is a small price for a full street. Which sentence states the author's claim?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), RI.AA.6.7
Language 4
Read the passage. Dev's kite would not rise. He ran until his legs ached, but it only bumped along the grass. His little sister Asha watched from the fence. "The wind is behind the barn," she said. Dev almost laughed at her. Then he carried the kite past the barn, and it leaped into the sky. What does the word "leaped" suggest about how the kite rose?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), L.VL.4.2
Read the passage. The bakery was dark when Mara tied on the apron, which hung past her knees. Mr. Okafor handed her a tray without a word. By sunrise her arms were dusted white and three racks of rolls stood cooling. He tore one open, tasted it, and nodded once. Mara had never heard anything so loud. What does the last sentence, "Mara had never heard anything so loud," mean?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), L.VI.8.4
Read the passage. The clock on Harbor Street has no electricity. Each Monday a keeper climbs forty steps and winds it with a crank. Heavy weights then sink slowly on their chains, and their pull turns the gears all week. If no one winds the clock, the weights reach the floor and the hands stop. What does "winds" mean in the passage?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), L.VL.3.2
Read the passage. The Saturday market should stay on Main Street. Last year, shops near the market counted twice as many visitors on Saturdays as on Sundays. Some council members say the stalls block traffic, and they are right that one lane closes. But a closed lane for six hours is a small price for a full street. What does "a small price" mean in the last sentence?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (2023), L.VI.6.4
How this list was compiled: Outline: NJSLA-A ELA Blueprints (New Jersey Department of Education), https://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/adaptive/elablueprints.shtml, read 2026-10-07. Each question names the standard it practices in the 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, https://www.nj.gov/education/standards/ela/2023/index.shtml, read 2026-10-07. Every answer is found in the short passage printed with the question. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices, passages and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from an NJSLA test, a state practice test, a released item or another practice test.
Science: all 18 questions
Grade 5 science 9
A class records hours of daylight in its town: 9 in December, 12 in March, 15 in June and 12 in September. Which pattern do the data show?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-ESS1-2
A lettuce plant grows from 5 grams to 150 grams with its roots in water and no soil at all. Which argument does this evidence support?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-LS1-1
A model has arrows from dead leaves to mushrooms, from mushrooms to soil, and from soil to a young tree. What do the arrows show?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-LS2-1
Show all 18 questions (15 more)
Grade 5 science, continued
A student mixes a white powder with a clear liquid. Bubbles of gas rise, and a solid forms that will not dissolve again. Which conclusion do the observations support?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-PS1-4
A student pumps air into a flat ball. The ball becomes firm, and a scale shows that it is slightly heavier than before. What does this show?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-PS1-1
Heavy rain washes soil from a hillside into a stream. Which two of Earth's systems are interacting?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-ESS2-1
In a model of a pond, a student removes all the decomposers. What does the model predict?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-LS2-1
Powder X is white, dissolves in water and is not pulled by a magnet. Powder Y is white and does not dissolve in water. An unknown white powder dissolves in water and is not pulled by a magnet. Based on these tests, the unknown powder is most likelyNew Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-PS1-3
The sun looks far brighter than the other stars in the sky. Which argument explains why?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), 5-ESS1-1
Grade 8 science 9
A plant grows a new plant from a piece of its own stem, with no second parent. How does the genetic information of the new plant compare with that of the parent?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-LS3-2
A river town has flooded in 4 of the last 10 springs, each time after the mountain snowpack was deeper than 150 cm, and never when it was shallower. This year the snowpack is 170 cm. How should the town use these data?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-ESS3-2
A student winds wire around a nail to make an electromagnet. With 10 coils it lifts 4 paper clips, with 20 coils it lifts 9, and with 30 coils it lifts 13. Which question do the data answer?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-PS2-3
A weather map shows a cold air mass moving toward a warm, humid air mass that sits over a town. What should the town expect?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-ESS2-5
Hot water is poured into three cups. After ten minutes the water has cooled by 4°C in the foam cup, 9°C in the paper cup and 15°C in the metal cup. Which cup best minimizes thermal energy transfer?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-PS3-3
In a model of an ecosystem, species A gets food from species B, and species A spreads the seeds of species B. Which pattern of interaction is this?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-LS2-2
In a model of the solar system, what keeps the planets moving in orbits around the sun?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-ESS1-2
Two clear liquids are mixed. A yellow solid forms, and its melting point and density differ from those of both liquids. What do the data indicate?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-PS1-2
Under a microscope, a student sees that onion skin, a leaf and a drop of pond water all contain small units with their own boundaries. Some pond organisms are a single unit. Which conclusion does this evidence support?New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (2026), MS-LS1-1
How this list was compiled: Outline: NJSLA-Science Overview Presentation, blueprint of targeted items (New Jersey Department of Education), https://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/adaptive/docs/NJSLA-S%20Overview%20Presentation.pdf, read 2026-10-07. Each question names the performance expectation it practices in the 2026 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science, https://www.nj.gov/education/standards/science/2026/, read 2026-10-07. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices, passages and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from an NJSLA test, a state practice test, a released item or another practice test.
How it works
Unofficial practice for the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA): math for grades 3 to 8 and Algebra I, English language arts, and grade 5 and 8 science. Our own sample questions. Not affiliated with the New Jersey Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What is on this page
Math has five questions for each grade from 3 to 8 and for Algebra I. English language arts has reading and vocabulary questions on four short passages, from grade 3 to grade 8 reading. Science, a separate test called NJSLA-S, has a grade 5 set and a grade 8 set. Geometry, Algebra II and grade 11 science are not here.
How the real test differs
The real English and math tests are computer adaptive: each answer steers the next question. They mix multiple choice with writing and interactive tasks such as drag-and-drop. Here every question is multiple choice, and its explanation names the New Jersey standard it practices.
The English language arts test includes one essay. An essay cannot be marked here, so practice that part on paper.
Questions and answers
Is there an NJSLA 2019 practice test?
A practice test from 2019 follows the test as it was then. Beginning in 2026 the English and math tests are the adaptive NJSLA-A, and this page follows the blueprints the state publishes for them now.
What grades take the NJSLA?
English language arts: grades 3 to 9. Mathematics: grades 3 to 8, then Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II by course. Science: grades 5, 8 and 11.
How long is the NJSLA?
The state lists two 75-minute sessions for ELA reading, one 90-minute session for ELA writing and two 75-minute sessions for mathematics. Science has four units: 45 minutes each in grades 5 and 8, 60 minutes each in grade 11.
How many questions are on the NJSLA?
English language arts has 32 items in grade 3, 34 in grades 4 and 5 and 36 in grades 6 to 9. Mathematics has 41 in grades 3 to 5, 46 in grades 6 and 7, and 43 in grade 8 and Algebra I.
Where are the official NJSLA practice tests?
On the New Jersey Assessments Portal, where a student can continue as a guest and choose a grade or course. The state says they are for learning the testing tools, not for studying. The button under the questions opens the portal.