MCA Test Structure

Student Resources

The updated Student Readiness Tools (SRTs) for the 2023–24 school year are available on the Student Readiness Tools page of PearsonAccess Next.

The Student Readiness Tools were designed to help prepare students for the online or paper MCA they will be taking. The Online SRTs are available for students in each grade level to review video lessons and complete practice activities. In addition to the online student tools themselves, educators can access the following resources linked on the page above to support use of the SRTs:

• Introduction to the SRTs - Two page document outlining the purpose of the SRTs and available resources
• Guide for Educators
• Supplemental information - provides detailed information about all functionality
• Paper SRTs - available for students taking an MCA paper test. The paper SRTs help students learn to handle the paper test books and how to write their answers to different types of questions. Large print versions are also available.
• FAQ about MTAS Resources

No login information is needed for the online SRTs. Students select their grade level to review videos and practice activities to learn how to navigate within the test, use the tools, and answer question types.

The SRTs have replaced the items samplers and student tutorials as the resources used to familiarize students with the MCA they will be taking. 

For MTAS, sample Task Administration Manuals, Presentation Pages, and Response Option Cards are available to prepare both Test Administrators and students for test administration. Sample materials are also provided for the tasks being field tested for the upcoming Science and Reading Alternate MCA. SRTs for the new Alternate MCA will be available starting with science in 2024–25.

Mathematics MCA

Assessment Format
The Mathematics MCA-III is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). Each student begins the test with a test item of average difficulty. When the student answers the item, the response is immediately scored. If the response is incorrect, the CAT algorithm selects a slightly easier question for the student to answer next. If the response is correct, the CAT algorithm selects a slightly more difficult question for the student to answer next.

Item Types
The Mathematics MCA-III contains multiple choice and technology enhanced items. Technology-enhanced items may consist of the following types of responses: type-in (student will type numerical answers in a box), graphing (student will plot data to complete various mathematical displays), drag-and-drop (students will formulate, rather than select, a response using drag-and-drop response options) and hot-spot (students will select multiple correct responses or will mark locations on mathematical graphics and displays).

To learn more about the various item types, refer to the item types tutorial in the student resources section above. To learn more about the quantity of items, cognitive complexity levels, and proportions assessed at the strand level, refer to the table at the bottom of the MCA Content page, organized by grade-level.

In addition, the test includes embedded field test questions that do not contribute to a student’s score, but are used to evaluate effectiveness for inclusion in future MCA administrations. Educator Review Committees meet to review all data from field test items and determine eligibility for use on future assessments.

Reading MCA

Assessment Format
The Reading MCA-III is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). Each student begins the test with a passage set of average difficulty. A passage set is a passage and a series of predetermined test items associated with the passage. The student then answers the test items associated with the passage. The CAT algorithm scores the set as a whole and selects a slightly easier or more difficult passage set based on the student’s responses to the first set.

Item Types
A variety of item types are used on the Reading MCA-III, including multiple-choice (MC) items and technology-enhanced (TE) items. Technology-enhanced items may consist of, but are not limited to, the following types of responses: hot-spot (students select multiple correct responses) and drag-and-drop (students formulate, rather than select, a response using drag-and-drop response options).

To learn more about the various item types, refer to the item types tutorial in the student resources section above. To learn more about the quantity of items, cognitive complexity levels, and proportions assessed at the strand level, refer to the table at the bottom of the MCA Content page, organized by grade-level.

In addition, the test includes embedded field test questions that do not contribute to a student’s score, but are used to evaluate effectiveness for inclusion in future MCA administrations. Educator Review Committees meet to review all data from field test items and determine eligibility for use on future assessments.

Science MCA 

Science MCA-III (Current - 2024)

The Science MCA is an online fixed form test, which means the content of the test is pre-determined. There are several forms, or versions, of the test that use different scenarios and questions, but all are of equal difficulty. A fixed form test uses the same scenarios and items for all students. However, each student’s performance on the test will result in a unique score based on the difficulty level of the questions answered correctly.

In addition, the test includes embedded field test questions that do not contribute to a student’s score, but are used to evaluate effectiveness for inclusion in future MCA administrations. Educator Review Committees meet to review all data from field test items and determine eligibility for use on future assessments.

To learn more about the quantity of items and proportions assessed from each strand or standard, visit the Test Content page.

Science MCA-IV (Spring 2025)

The Science MCA-IV is an online phenomenon-based assessment aligned to the new science standards. The context for each phenomenon is focused around observable events occurring in the universe that can be explained or predicted with scientific reasoning (Achieve, Next Generation Science Storylines and STEM Teaching Tools).

Text, graphics, animations, or simulations are used to provide context for the student to engage in the phenomena. Various question types, including multiple choice, technology enhanced, and constructed response, are used to assess Minnesota’s multidimensional benchmarks. The Science MCA is a fixed form test, which means all students taking the same test version are administered the same questions. The operational test includes embedded field test questions that do not contribute to a student’s score.

The total number of points for the Grade 5, Grade 8, and High School Science MCA will be (45), (45), and (56) points.