3rd Grade STAAR Test Practice

The 3rd grade STAAR test is a pivotal milestone as students take their first standardized assessment. This initial experience with formal testing sets the foundation for future academic evaluations, making proper preparation essential.

The 3rd grade STAAR test covers basic math and reading comprehension. Our sample test questions will help your child prepare by working through challenging yet achievable examples.

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3rd Grade STAAR Practice Questions

The STAAR math practice test assesses arithmetic operations and real-world problem-solving. Let's try some sample math questions.

The STAAR math practice test assesses arithmetic operations and real-world problem-solving. Here’s an example question:

3rd Grade STAAR Math Practice Questions

3rd Grade Math: STAAR Practice Test Question 1

Daisy has a lot of rabbits. To feed her rabbits, Daisy decides to buy three packs of carrots. Each pack contains 10 carrots. She wants to give each rabbit six carrots.

Which equation represents how many rabbits Daisy owns?

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The correct answer is A.

This STAAR exam practice question emphasizes multiplication and division, two critical skills for this grade level.

To solve this problem, we need to figure out how many rabbits Daisy has. 

  • You first need to determine the total number of carrots.
  • Daisy bought three packs of carrots, each containing 10 carrots.
  • To calculate the number, multiply 10 by 3 or add 10 three times: 3 x 10 or 10 + 10 + 10 = 30.
  • The question says Daisy wanted to give each rabbit six carrots.

To find the total number of rabbits, you need to divide 30 by 6.

In other words, 3 x 10 / 6 is the correct answer.

Now that we've practiced multiplication and division, let's try a question that tests your ability to identify mathematical situations in real-world scenarios:

3rd Grade Math: STAAR Practice Test Question 2

Maria is talking about her weekend activities and earnings.

Which statement could accurately describe both her activities and her income?

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The correct answer is D.

The question asks for a statement that describes both Maria’s activity and income. Let’s analyze each option: 

  • A. Maria spends her weekends studying at the library – This doesn't mention her earnings, so it doesn't answer both aspects (activity and income). 
  • B. Maria buys groceries for her family every Saturday – Again, no mention of income or earnings. This option is about an activity, not earnings. 
  • C. Maria withdraws $30 from her ATM for weekend expenses – This describes an action involving money, but doesn’t indicate that she’s earning income from her activities. 
  • D. Maria bakes cakes for local events and earns $50 per cake – This option mentions both an activity (baking cakes) and her income (earning $50 per cake). It provides a full description of both her activity and earnings. 

So, the correct answer is D. Maria bakes cakes for local events and earns $50 per cake. 

Moving from real-world scenarios to more complex arithmetic, this next question combines addition and subtraction with larger numbers:

3rd Grade Math: STAAR Practice Test Question 3

The local market has 650 fruits.

  • 166 fruits are oranges.
  • 291 fruits are apples.
  • 108 fruits are pears.
  • The rest of the fruits are peaches.

How many of the local market's fruits are peaches?

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The correct answer is C. 85

To find how many peaches are in the market, we need to subtract the number of oranges, apples, and pears from the total number of fruits. 

  • Total fruits = 650 
  • Oranges = 166 
  • Apples = 291 
  • Pears = 108 

Find the number of fruits that are not peaches by adding up the number of apples, oranges, and pears (565). 

Then subtract that from the total number of fruits, 650 - 565=85

To calculate the answer, reduce the amount of each of the fruits from the original amount, one at a time:

650 – 166 = 484

484 – 291 = 193

193 – 108 = 85

An easier way to eliminate options is to add the hundreds of the given fruits (2+1+1 = 4) and deduct from the original number's hundreds digit (6 – 4 = 2). You can immediately eliminate options A and D. Next, add the ten digits (9 + 6 + 0 = 15), add to the previous 4 (which is now 40 in tens (40 + 15 = 55), and deduct again from the tens of the overall number (65) (65 – 555 = 10), You can now eliminate option B, and you remain with option C which is correct.

After working with numbers, let's explore geometry concepts. This next question tests your understanding of perimeter and equal sides:

3rd Grade Math: STAAR Practice Test Question 4

Each side of the figure is the same in its length. Half of the perimeter is 24 inches. What is the length of the one side of the figure in inches? 

staar practice test

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The correct answer is C.

The question tells us that each side of the figure is the same length, and that half of the perimeter (the distance all the way around) is 24 inches. So to find the length of one side, we need to figure out how to calculate that.

  • First, we know the figure is a hexagon, which means it has 6 sides. Since the perimeter is 24 inches, and that's half the total perimeter, the full perimeter must be 48 inches.
  • To find the length of one side, we take the full perimeter of 48 inches and divide it by the 6 sides. 48 inches divided by 6 sides is 8 inches per side.

So the correct answer is C. 8 inches.

The other answer choices don't work because:

  • A. 4 inches is too short, since we know each side is the same length and the full perimeter is 48 inches.
  • B. 6 inches is too short for the same reason.
  • D. 12 inches is too long, since we calculated each side is 8 inches.

STAAR Test Practice Tips for Math

  • Understand Word Problems: Read the problem carefully and underline key details (numbers, units). 
  • Practice Multiplication and Division: These are critical skills for this grade level. 
  • Use Visuals: If a problem is difficult, try drawing a picture or using objects to visualize the problem. 

Boost your student's math confidence with a free 3rd grade math test pdf available now.


3rd Grade STAAR RLA Questions

The STAAR Reading Language Arts (RLA) practice test challenges students to analyze various texts and answer comprehension questions. Try this example:

First, let's read an informational text about gardening that teaches us about a fun outdoor activity:

3rd Grade RLA: STAAR Practice Test Question 1

Read the text, then answer the following question:

1 Gardening is a wonderful activity that people of all ages can enjoy. It's not just for grown-ups; many kids find gardening fun and interesting too. In a garden, you can grow flowers, vegetables, or even fruits. Watching plants grow from tiny seeds into full-grown plants is exciting. When gardening, you can dig in the dirt, plant seeds, and water your plants to help them grow.

2 One of the best things about gardening is seeing the colorful flowers and tasting the fresh vegetables you've grown yourself. It's like having a little piece of nature right in your backyard. Gardens also attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, making your garden a lively place.

3 Gardening is good for you too. It gets you outside in the fresh air and sunshine, which is healthy. It also helps you learn about nature and where food comes from. Plus, taking care of plants teaches responsibility and patience because plants need time to grow.

4 You don't need a lot of space to start a garden. You can grow plants in a small area in your yard or even in pots on a balcony or windowsill. All you need are some seeds, soil, water, and sunlight. With a little care, you can watch your garden come to life.

What can you grow in a garden?

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The correct answer is C.

The passage tells us that in a garden, you can grow flowers, vegetables, or even fruits. It also mentions that gardening is a fun and interesting activity that people of all ages can enjoy.

Looking at the answer choices, the only one that mentions growing flowers, vegetables, or fruits is C. Flowers and vegetables. The other choices, like toys, cars, and computers, are not things you can actually grow in a garden.

So the correct answer is C. Flowers and vegetables.

The passage makes it clear that gardening involves growing plants, not the other options provided. Growing your own flowers, vegetables, and fruits is a key part of gardening that the passage highlights.

Now that we understand what can be grown in a garden, let's explore why gardening is beneficial:

3rd Grade RLA: STAAR Practice Test Question 2

Why is gardening good for you?

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The correct answer is B.

This STAAR reading practice test question emphasizes understanding main ideas and details from an informational text.

The passage states that gardening is good for you because it "gets you outside in the fresh air and sunshine (which is healthy) and helps you learn about nature and where food comes from."
Looking at the answer choices, the one that best matches this is B. It gets you outside and is educational.
The other answer choices don't align as well with the benefits of gardening mentioned in the passage:

  • A. It teaches you how to drive is unrelated to gardening.
  • C. It helps you cook better is not a key benefit discussed.
  • D. It makes you a faster runner is also unrelated.

So the correct answer is B. It gets you outside and is educational.

The passage clearly highlights that gardening gets you outdoors and helps you learn about nature and food, which makes choice B the best fit. Does this explanation make sense? Let me know if you have any other questions!

Understanding the practical aspects of gardening is also important. Let's see what materials are needed to start this activity:

3rd Grade RLA: STAAR Practice Test Question 3

Answer the following question:

What do you need to start a garden?

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The correct answer is B.

The text lists the essential items to start a garden, including seeds, soil, water, and sunlight. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Seeds, soil, water, and sunlight. 

Are you enjoying this reading comprehension practice? If so read our reading comprehension exercises for 3rd graders and unlock more tips for tackling reading comprehension tests. 

STAAR Test Reading Tip – Read the questions before the text:

Starting with the questions can help focus on what information is needed from the text. Often, students may even have a sense of the answer before reading the passage in detail. This strategy can be helpful in guiding their attention to the most relevant parts of the text. 

By using this approach, students can increase their efficiency and confidence when tackling reading comprehension sections. 

For More Practice Check Out Our 3rd Grade STAAR Test Prep Pack

2 full-length tests covering 

STAAR RLA and STAAR Math

4 Math quizzes and 3 Reading quizzes

Each quiz focused on a different sub-topic