Test time comes for us all — and with the right preparation, your students will be more than ready for their SOL exams. A Virginia SOL practice test provides a peek at the sort of technology-enhanced questions your students can expect on the real test, while also representing the content the SOL test assesses.
Giving your students practice leading up to test day can help you know how to better support students, and can help everyone feel more confident on the official testing day. It can help students get practice with the technology, the learning standards, and it gives teachers insight into what to expect come testing day. Here’s what you should know about both the SOL practice test and the actual SOL assessment.
What is SOL?
Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOL) tests are exams for students in grades 3 through 12 designed to assess whether or not students meet the minimum expectations for achievement and learning set out in the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Standards of Learning. Developed in collaboration with Virginia teachers, SOL tests are extensively tested and reviewed to make sure they are appropriate for each grade level.
The SOL test subjects are as follows:
- Reading (grades 3–8)
- Mathematics (grades 3–7)
- Pre-algebra (grade 8)
- Virginia studies (grade 5)
- Science (grades 5 and 8)
- Civics and economics (grade 6)
SOL’s end-of-course exams for high school students are:
- English 11 Reading
- English 11 Writing
- Algebra I
- Algebra II
- Geometry
- World History I
- World History II
- Virginia and U.S. History
- Earth Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
To address concerns regarding testing burden, VDOE eliminated five elementary and middle school tests in 2014 (without changing the teaching curriculum). VDOE also adopted a new science standard in 2018, which will be taught starting in the 2022-23 school year and tested beginning in spring 2024.
While some individual schools choose their own testing window for grade 3-8 students, most SOL testing takes place in the spring. All SOL tests are administered digitally, with exceptions only for students who have a documented need, typically related to a disability, for a paper test. Test questions are typically multiple choice, with some technology-enhanced items.
The online tests for grades 3-8 mathematics and grades 3-8 reading are computer-adaptive, which means the tests customize in real time for each student based on their responses to questions. If a student answers a question correctly, the next question will be more challenging; an incorrect answer means the next question will be easier.
SOL assessments identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in order to find paths for improvement. They also help determine the progress of schools, identify gaps between schools and groups of students, and provide direction for closing those gaps.
How to Use SOL Practice Tests to Prepare Your Students
To help Virginia educators prepare students for SOL testing, VDOE releases sample sets of SOL tests and practice items from the previous spring. These tests and items represent SOL test content, while also providing examples of online test questions and technology-enhanced questions.
The Virginia SOL practice tests provide a simple way to shoo away any testing butterflies and make sure your students are confident in their ability to navigate the virtual test.
Using the SOL practice test, you can equip your students for the online testing environment, as well as the content matter that will be assessed. You can have your students take the SOL practice test on the same device they’ll use for the SOL exam, so they develop familiarity with the technology (after all, drag-and-drop is a bit different on a tablet than on a laptop or desktop computer). You can watch their confidence grow as they navigate the online test and gain a clear idea of what to expect on exam day.
SOL Practice Tests Are Available in Edulastic
To make the Virginial SOL practice tests as easy to access and administer as possible, Edulastic has already uploaded the most recent SOL releases to the Edulastic Public Library. With a free account, you can provide students the ideal virtual environment to practice for SOL assessments.
Using the online SOL practice test in Edulastic, you can empower and prepare students with practice in a modern virtual testing environment that mimics the real exam. The online SOL practice test in Edulastic equips students with handy tech skills such as keyboarding, drag and drop, selection of items, and table filling.
Once you’ve set things up, your students can practice in an environment that mimics the look and feel of the SOL test. Not only will they sharpen their virtual test-taking skills, but they’ll also get an extra boost of confidence as they prep for their SOL assessments.
Already have an account? Log in to start giving students SOL prep.
VIRGINIA DOE Practice tests
Civics and Economics Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the Present Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
51 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the Present Released Test Spring 2013
60 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the Present Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World Geography Released Test Spring 2013
60 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Civics and Economics Released Test Item Set Spring 2013
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. (C.E.) Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World Geography Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World Geography Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. (C.E.) Released Test Spring 2013
60 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. (C.E.) Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
49 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 9 Chemistry Released Spring 2015
46 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Virginia and United States History Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 8 Science Released Spring 2015
48 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 5 Science Released Spring 2015
37 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Civics and Economics Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
32 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 9 Algebra II Released Spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 9 Geometry Released spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 9 Algebra II Released Spring 2015
38 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 9 Geometry Released Spring 2015
45 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 9 Algebra I Released spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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United States History: 1865 to the Present Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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United States History: 1865 to the Present Released Test Spring 2013
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Virginia and United States History Released Test Spring 2013
60 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
United States History: 1865 to the Present Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
32 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
United States History to 1865 Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 9 Algebra I Released spring 2015
43 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 8 Math Released Spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 7 Math Released spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Virginia and United States History Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
49 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Virginia Studies Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 6 Math Released Spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
United States History to 1865 Released Test Spring 2013
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
United States History to 1865 Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
33 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Virginia Studies Released Test Spring 2013
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 5 Math Released Spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 4 Math Released Spring 2014
50 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 3 Math Released Spring 2014
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 3 History Sample Items Summer 2011
7 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Virginia Studies Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
34 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
Assign
Grade 9 Writing Released spring 2015
31 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 8 Writing Released spring 2015
23 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 9 Reading Released spring 2015
54 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 3 History Released Test Spring 2013
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 8 Reading Released spring 2015
41 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 7 Reading Released spring 2015
45 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 3 History Released Test Item Set Spring 2014
34 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 6 Reading Released spring 2015
45 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 5 Reading Released spring 2015
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 4 Reading Released spring 2015
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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Grade 3 Reading Released spring 2015
40 questions
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VIRGINIA DOE
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