The six languages and one rule
The CPS HSAT is offered in six languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Polish, and Urdu. This reflects the linguistic reality of Chicago Public Schools, where tens of thousands of students live in homes where one of these languages is dominant.
There is one rule that overrides everything else in this guide: the test language is selected at registration and cannot be switched after the test has been administered. This is not a preference you adjust on test day. Once your child sits the exam in the chosen language, that is the version that is scored. Choose deliberately.
Math is language-light. Reading is not.
The two sections do not depend on language equally. The Math section is largely numerical and symbolic — arithmetic, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, data, and a layer of word problems. The amount of dense prose a student must decode is relatively small, so the language of the test matters less for a strong math student. A bilingual student who computes fluently will perform similarly in either language on most math items, with word problems being the only real exception.
The Reading section is the opposite. It is built entirely on reading comprehension of informational and literary passages — inferring, analyzing, evaluating, and generalizing in the test's language. Here, the language of the test is the test. A student reads, reasons about, and answers questions in whichever language they chose. There is no separate 'easier' content in a non-English version — the cognitive demand is the same, just expressed in a different language.
The practical consequence: for a balanced decision, ask which language your child reads most fluently and most quickly under time pressure, because Reading is where language choice has the largest score impact.
How bilingual families should actually decide
Start with reading speed and comprehension, not speaking ability. A child can be perfectly fluent in conversational Spanish, Polish, or Urdu at home yet read far faster and more precisely in English because that is the language of instruction at school. Selective Enrollment high schools teach in English, and most CPS students who have attended CPS since the early grades read academic text fastest in English.
Conversely, a recently arrived student, or one schooled primarily in another country, may read and reason far more accurately in their home language. For that student, taking Reading in the stronger language can be the difference between finishing the section and running out of time. The HSAT's 30-minute Reading window punishes slow decoding regardless of underlying intelligence.
A useful test: have your child do a timed reading passage in each candidate language and compare both accuracy and how many questions they finished. Whichever language lets them read accurately AND fast under the clock is the right choice. Do not pick the home language out of cultural loyalty if the child actually reads English faster — and do not default to English if the child is a far stronger reader in their home language.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1 — choosing the home language for comfort when the child reads English faster. Comfort in conversation is not the same as reading academic passages quickly under a 30-minute clock. Many bilingual CPS students lose points choosing a language they speak well but read slowly.
Mistake 2 — assuming the non-English versions are 'easier.' They are not. They are translations of the same assessment, measuring the same skills. There is no advantage to be gained by language choice except matching the language to the child's strongest reading.
Mistake 3 — treating it as reversible. It is not. Because the choice locks at registration and cannot be switched after administration, a wrong choice cannot be fixed on test day. Decide before you register, not in the testing room.
Mistake 4 — forgetting Math word problems. Even though Math is largely numerical, the word problems are still in the chosen language. If your child computes well but struggles to parse English word problems quickly, factor that into the decision alongside the Reading section.
Where to register the choice
The language is selected as part of HSAT registration through GoCPS — the same portal where the high school application is completed. For non-CPS families who register for a specific weekend test session, confirm the language selection on the registration confirmation. For CPS students testing in school, the counselor's intake or the GoCPS profile is where the language is set.
Verify the selection in writing before test day. Because it cannot be changed after the test is given, a clerical error — the default English selection left in place when the family intended another language — is worth catching early. Read the confirmation, and if the language field is wrong, correct it through GoCPS while the window is still open.
Bottom line
Six languages, one irreversible choice. Decide based on which language your child reads most accurately and most quickly under time pressure — that is where Reading, the language-heavy half of the test, will reward or punish the choice. Math cares far less about language, except for its word problems.
For most long-term CPS students, English is the right answer because it is the language they read fastest. For recently arrived or home-language-schooled students, the home language can be a meaningful advantage. Run a timed passage in each candidate language, pick the faster-and-accurate one, register it deliberately, and verify the confirmation. Then never think about it again.