Free Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) Practice Questions
Is your child preparing for the Smarter Balanced Assessment?
You've come to the right place. The SBAC tests are high-stakes assessments that measure your student's college and career readiness in English Language Arts and Mathematics. With millions of students across 22 states taking these tests annually, proper preparation is essential for success.
Sample Questions
Below you will find free sample questions, answers, and explanations for some of the major topics on the Smarter Balanced Assessments, including questions that may appear on the English Language Arts (ELA) test and the Mathematics test. If you are in these states- : CA, CT, DE, HI, ID, IN, ME, MI, MT, NV, NH, ND, OR, SD, VT, WA, WV, WI, IA, NC, WY, your child will be expected to sit this test.
SBAC ELA for 7th Grade
The following text is an example of a passage given at the 7th grade level of the ELA SBACs. Questions based on the text follow.
SBAC 7th Grade ELA Question 1
Whether King Arthur ever really existed or was created by poetic imagination is still debated by historians. The foundations for the legends of Arthur were laid by Geoffrey of Monmouth from Wales in his work History of the Kings of Britain, completed around 1138 CE. Geoffrey claimed to have obtained an ancient Celtic manuscript on which he based his work. History of the Kings of Britain became massively popular, with 215 copies still in existence today. In the several decades following its publication, it had kindled the imagination of novelists throughout Europe. Some of these writers added new elements to the canon, which later became inseparable parts of it. For instance, the Round Table was added to the tale in 1155 by French poet Maistre Wace. French writer Chretien de Troyes originated the chivalrous character of Lancelot and added five stories to the narrative, in which the knights rescued damsels in distress and fought against strange beasts. Another Frenchman, Robert de Boron, added the theme of the quest for the Holy Grail, the search for a lost treasure believed to cure all ailments.
In 1485, Sir Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte D'Arthur, an anthology of eight stories compiling the chronicles of King Arthur. Malory's version, which sets the events in the Middle Ages, is the best-known work of Arthurian literature. Interestingly, each author that wrote about King Arthur located him in his own time, so that the development of the saga reveals more about the eras in which the writers lived than Arthur's alleged time period. This relates to the popularity of Arthur's tale, which was first published around the Viking and Norman invasions of England. The region was subject to attacks and settlement by conquerors, similar to what it had undergone by the Saxons centuries earlier during King Arthur's reign. Time was ripe for tales of a great leader who could defeat invaders and protect his people.
So, what is true? Establishing the facts is virtually impossible. History of the Kings of Britain was written 600 years after the purported events. The Celtic source of Geoffrey's work has never been found. Studying old manuscripts, we encounter various spellings of names and locations, making it difficult to draw parallels. And so, both the hopeful historians and the skeptics can find support to their claims.
Question 1.
An appropriate title for this passage is:
TestPrep-Online Tutor's Tip:
"When choosing a title, always look for the "umbrella" that covers the entire passage, not just one part of it. Options A, B, and C focus on specific details, but option D captures the overarching theme that runs from beginning to end."
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SBAC 7th Grade ELA Question 2
The quest for the Holy Grail is mentioned as an example of:
TestPrep-Online Tutor's Tip:
"When I see "mentioned as an example of" in a question, I immediately scan backward in the passage to find the general statement that the example supports. It's like working backwards from a specific case to find the rule. In this passage, the Holy Grail comes after the sentence about writers adding "new elements," so that's your answer. This backwards-scanning trick works on almost every standardized test!"
Math for 4th Grade
The following question is an example of a 4th grade level math question from the CAT section of the SBAC test:
SBAC 4th Grade Math
Which number is both a factor of 90 and a multiple of 3?
TestPrep-Online Tutor's Tip:
"I teach my students to think of factors as "ingredients" that multiply together to make a number, and multiples as numbers you get when you "skip count" by your base number. For this problem, I'd have you write out the factors of 90 first: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 18, 30, 45, 90. Then circle the ones that are multiples of 3 (you can skip count by 3s or use the "divisible by 3" rule where digits add up to a multiple of 3). Only 30 appears in both lists!"
SBAC Math for 11th Grade
The following question is an example of a CAT question that may appear on an 11th grade level SBAC Mathematics test:
11th Grade Math
Consider the function:
f(x) = x2 – 3x – 10
Which of the numbers are zeros of the function?
TestPrep-Online Tutor's Tip:
"I always tell my algebra students: "When in doubt, plug it out!" If factoring feels intimidating, just substitute each answer choice into the original equation. The zeros will make the function equal exactly zero. Also, remember that most quadratic functions have exactly two zeros (unless it's a perfect square), so if this is a multiple-select question and you find one zero, keep looking for the second one. And here's a cool check: for any quadratic ax² + bx + c, the sum of the zeros equals -b/a. In our case, -2 + 5 = 3, and -(-3)/1 = 3. It matches, so we know we're right!"
What Are the SBAC Tests?
The SBAC tests are year-end exams that track how students are progressing toward their academic goals. The main objective of these tests is to prepare students for their future college and career paths and to gauge their readiness toward this goal. The SBAC tests are administered to grades 3–8, with additional testing in 11th grade for college application use. The SBAC assesses students' mastery of English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics using two methods: a performance task (PT) and a computer adaptive test (CAT). For more information about SBAC testing, and access to SBAC practice tests online, visit our SBAC Practice Test page.
TestPrep-Online Tutor's Tip:
"The biggest mistake I see: Students rush to find the right answer in SBAC math without realizing the test heavily weighs how they think, not just what they conclude. I've watched strong math students lose points because they couldn't explain their reasoning or skipped steps in multi-part problems.
My solution: Train your child to think out loud during math practice. For every problem, they should be able to explain: "First I did this because..., then I did this because..., and here's how I checked my answer." SBAC math rewards the thinking process as much as the final answer."
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SBAC ELA Test
The ELA test assesses student knowledge in alignment with the Common Core State Standards for language arts and literacy. Students' ability is tracked through four predetermined content claims. These evaluate whether students can (1) Read Analytically, (2) Write Effectively, (3) Listen Purposefully, and (4) Conduct Research. For more information about the SBAC ELA test, and for even more SBAC test practice, visit our SBAC ELA page.
SBAC ELA Writing Task
For most CAT questions on the ELA test, students are first presented with a stimulus text. They are then presented with a question or a series of questions that use the text as a foundation. The following question is an example of a CAT question that may appear on the SBAC ELA at the 3rd grade level:
This writing exercise focuses on paragraph organization and idea development. The task involves rewriting a given paragraph about homework, improving its structure, and expanding on the main points. This type of question assesses your ability to comprehend text, reorganize information logically, and add supporting details to strengthen an argument.
What follows:
- The original paragraph about homework
- The task instructions
- An example of a well-written answer
- Scoring criteria for the task
This exercise aims to enhance your skills in:
- Reading comprehension
- Logical organization of ideas
- Expanding on given concepts
- Supporting opinions with relevant details
- Writing cohesively for a specific purpose and audience
By working through this task, you'll practice important writing skills that are valuable across various academic disciplines and real-world communication scenarios.
Text:
Without homework, students would not take their studies seriously. Children do not enjoy homework. Although homework may take a few hours of free time, it is important that children complete it. They would rather be talking and playing with friends than sitting to work on more schoolwork. However, homework is important because it allows students to review material at home.
Task: Rewrite the paragraph by organizing it correctly and adding ideas that support the opinion that is given.
A well written answer looks as follows:
Children do not enjoy homework. Homework becomes a burden in their eyes because they want to just come home and escape from schoolwork. They would rather be talking and playing with friends than sitting to work on more schoolwork. However, homework is important because it allows students to review material at home. Homework also helps students who may have missed some material during school hours so that no one falls behind. Without homework, students would not take their studies seriously and students would probably stop paying attention to the teacher during class hours. Although homework may take a few hours of free time, it is important that children complete it so that they are staying on track and learning to their highest potential.
Scoring the Answers:
Well-written answers should include opinions about why children prefer not to do homework as well as why homework is important. Scores range between 0 and 3.
A paragraph scoring a high of 3 will include the following criteria:
Content demonstrates that the student has a proper grasp of the text
student adheres to the main request of the task and delivers relevant evidence to support the main ideas of the text
responses are well-organized and clearly address purpose, audience, and task
includes various types of sentence structures and writing conventions
SBAC Mathematics Test
Like the ELA test, the SBAC Mathematics test utilizes a CAT and a PT testing method. The CAT section of the test is comprised of questions using various multiple choice questions, or constructed response questions, while the performance task is given as a separate test section that requires students to solve a multi-step math problem. For more information about the SBAC Math test and all that it entails, and for even more SBAC test practice, visit our SBAC Math page.
SBAC FAQs
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test is a standardized assessment used in 22 states to measure student progress in English Language Arts and Mathematics. It's aligned with Common Core standards and designed to assess college and career readiness. Students take these tests annually in grades 3-8, with an additional assessment in 11th grade.
Unlike traditional multiple-choice tests, SBAC uses computer adaptive testing (CAT) that adjusts question difficulty based on student responses, plus performance tasks (PT) that require extended, real-world problem solving. This provides a more comprehensive picture of student abilities.
SBAC testing typically occurs in the spring (March-June), with the exact dates varying by state and district. The testing window is usually 8-12 weeks long, giving schools flexibility in scheduling.
The free samples give you a taste of our question quality and explanations. Family Membership provides unlimited access to hundreds of practice questions across all grades, detailed progress tracking, personalized recommendations, and exclusive test-taking strategies.
Absolutely! Our materials are organized by grade level, but many concepts build on each other. It's common for students to practice with slightly easier questions to build confidence or tackle harder ones for extra challenge.
