• 44 questions

PSSA Science Grade 8 Practice Test

Grade 8 science in the four reporting categories of Pennsylvania's test design, with the standard named under every answer.

Which part of a cell is the boundary that decides what gets in and out of the cell?

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

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Exam mode: 42 questions, no time limit.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Bank checked October 9, 2026.

The real test: PSSA science, grade 8

Questions
42
Core items
42, worth 48 points: 39 autoscored items worth 1 point each and 3 open-ended items worth 3 points each.
Field-test items
9 autoscored items and 1 open-ended item are embedded in each form beside the core items.
Sections
Two. Each has 24 autoscored items and 2 open-ended items, with an estimated testing time of 44 minutes.
Reporting categories
Life Sciences and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability, Physical Sciences, Earth & Space Sciences, and Technology and Engineering: each 20% to 30% of the cor
Standards
The STEELS standards for grades 6 to 8: 102 in all, 38 of them in Technology and Engineering.
Results
Four performance levels: advanced, proficient, basic and below basic.

Checked October 9, 2026 against the PSSA Science Test Design (STEELS Aligned, 2025) and the PSSA page of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Rules change, so confirm with the agency itself before your test.

The department's PSSA page, with its item samplers

Next step More grade 8 science questionsGrade 8 science, another state

All 44 questions

Life Sciences and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability 11

  • A bee feeds on the nectar of a flower and carries its pollen to other flowers. Which kind of interaction is this? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.J
  • A long drought kills most of the grass in a field where rabbits feed. What most likely happens to the rabbit population? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.I
  • A mutation changes a gene on a chromosome. Which statement about its effect on the organism is correct? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.M
  • A new plant grows from a piece of the stem of one parent plant, with no seed. How does the genetic information of the new plant compare with the parent? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.N
  • A school sets traps to catch mice instead of spraying a pesticide. Which method of integrated pest management is this? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.4.6-8.F
  • A wetland is drained to build a parking lot. What can a disruption to one physical part of an ecosystem lead to? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.4.6-8.C
Show all 44 questions (38 more)

Life Sciences and Environmental Literacy & Sustainability, continued

  • Beetles in a population are either dark or light. They live on dark soil, where birds find and eat the light beetles more easily. Over many generations, what most likely happens? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.S
  • What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.K
  • Which list runs from the smallest level of organization in the body to the largest? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.C
  • Which materials do plants take in to make sugars during photosynthesis? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.F
  • Which part of a cell is the boundary that decides what gets in and out of the cell? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.1.6-8.B

Physical Sciences 11

  • A bell rings inside a jar. As the air is pumped out of the jar, the sound fades, but the bell can still be seen. Why? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.R
  • A box is pushed to the right with a force of 30 newtons and to the left with a force of 12 newtons. What is the sum of these forces on the box? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.H
  • A cart doubles its speed. How does its kinetic energy change? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.L
  • A molecule of carbon dioxide has the formula CO₂. How many atoms are in one molecule? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.A
  • A simple wave repeats its pattern. Which three properties describe that pattern? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.Q
  • A skater pushes on a wall with a force of 50 newtons. What force does the wall exert on the skater? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.G
  • A student investigates what affects the strength of an electromagnet. Which factor is a sensible one to change and measure? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.I
  • In a sealed container, 12 grams of carbon react completely with 32 grams of oxygen to form carbon dioxide. What is the mass of the carbon dioxide? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.E
  • In which state of matter are the molecules far apart except at the moments they collide? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.B
  • Iron reacts with oxygen and forms rust. Which statement is the best evidence that a chemical reaction took place? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.D
  • Which statement about gravitational forces is correct? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.2.6-8.J

Earth & Space Sciences 11

  • The cycling of Earth's materials, such as rock, is driven by energy from which two sources? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.F
  • How does the ocean influence weather and climate? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.I
  • In which direction do air masses flow? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.J
  • Matching fossils and rock types are found on continents that are now separated by an ocean. What is this evidence of? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.G
  • On their own, what kind of dates do rock strata and the fossil record provide? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.D
  • What causes the seasons on Earth? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.A
  • What drives water's movement around the globe and its changes of form? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.H
  • What happens during a lunar eclipse? NASA Science, "Eclipses"; STEELS standard 3.3.6-8.A
  • What holds the planets, their moons and the asteroids in orbit around the sun? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.B
  • Which human activity is a major cause of today's rise in the mean temperature of Earth's surface? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.O
  • Which natural hazard still occurs suddenly, with no notice that allows a reliable prediction? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.3.6-8.L

Technology and Engineering 11

  • A design brief says a model bridge may cost no more than $20 in materials. What is this limit called? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.V
  • A designer shapes the handle of a tool so that it fits the hand and is easy to use. Which part of design is the designer applying? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.T
  • A home water heater has a thermostat that turns the heater on and off by itself. What makes it a closed-loop system? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.HH
  • A phone maker chooses a larger battery so the phone runs longer, and accepts that the phone will be heavier. What is this an example of? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.H
  • A team tests a paper bridge, changes the design based on the results, and tests it again. Why do engineers work this way? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.M
  • Flush toilets improved health and hygiene. Which negative effect came with them at the same time? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.I
  • In a bakery's bread-making system, the flour, the water and the electricity are which part of the system? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.EE
  • In a technological system, what is feedback? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.EE
  • In tests, design A is the strongest and design B is the lightest. What can the team do to meet the success criteria better? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.N
  • Which of these is an open-loop system? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.GG
  • Why do engineers spell out a design problem's criteria and constraints as precisely as they can? Pennsylvania Department of Education, STEELS Foundation Boxes, standard 3.5.6-8.W

How this list was compiled: Outline: PSSA Science Test Design, STEELS Aligned, 2025 (designs for grades 5 and 8), Pennsylvania Department of Education, https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/education/documents/instruction/assessment-and-accountability/pssa/assessment-anchors/pssa-science-test-design_2025.pdf, linked from Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instruction/elementary-and-secondary-education/assessment-and-accountability/pennsylvania-system-of-school-assessment-pssa, read 2026-10-09. Each question names the grades 6-8 standard it practices in the department's STEELS Foundation Boxes, https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/education/documents/instruction/assessment-and-accountability/pssa/assessment-anchors/steels%20foundation%20boxes.pdf, linked from the same page and read 2026-10-09; each science fact is stated in the clarifying statement or the disciplinary core ideas printed with that standard. One question on eclipses rests on NASA Science, Eclipses, https://science.nasa.gov/moon/eclipses/, read 2026-10-09. No item sampler and no released item of the department was read. Answers that are a calculation were worked out twice from the numbers in the question. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a PSSA test, an item and scoring sampler, a released item or another practice test.

How it works

Unofficial practice for the PSSA science test that Pennsylvania gives in grade 8. Every question was written for this site from the STEELS standards for grades 6 to 8, and none is a released item. Not affiliated with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Read the full guide

What the grade 8 science PSSA covers

Pennsylvania's test design has four reporting categories, each 20 to 30 percent of the test: Life Sciences and Environmental Literacy and Sustainability, Physical Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, and Technology and Engineering. The fourth is the one to watch: criteria and constraints, trade-offs, feedback, and open-loop and closed-loop systems. The test measures the STEELS standards of grades 6, 7 and 8 together, so sixth and seventh grade science counts too.

How the answers are checked

Under each answer is the STEELS standard it practices. The fact behind it is stated in the core ideas or the clarifying statement that the department prints with that standard in its Foundation Boxes. One eclipse question rests on a NASA page.

  • Technology and Engineering holds 38 of the 102 standards. Learn its words: criterion, constraint, trade-off, input, output, feedback.

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the 8th grade science PSSA?

The core has 42 items worth 48 points: 39 autoscored items worth one point each and 3 open-ended items worth three points each. Each form also embeds 9 autoscored and 1 open-ended field-test items.

Where can I find PSSA 8th grade science practice tests?

On this page: 44 questions written for this site, 11 in each reporting category. The department publishes item and scoring samplers of its own, and the box under the questions links to its PSSA page.

Is there an 8th grade science PSSA study guide?

The closest thing the department publishes is the STEELS standards for grades 6 to 8, with its test design. Each question here names its standard, so a missed question points to what to review.

How long is the 8th grade science PSSA?

The test design has two sections. Each holds 24 autoscored items and 2 open-ended items, with an estimated testing time of 44 minutes for the section.

What are the PSSA science performance levels?

Advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. The percent on this page is practice and is not one of these levels.

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