Renaissance STAR 1st and 2nd Grade Practice Test in Reading & Math

Build Your Child’s Skills and Confidence Before the Actual Test with Lifelike STAR Practice Questions

Welcome to your ultimate practice resource for the Renaissance STAR Test for 1st and 2nd Grade!

This page includes all the up-to-date information and practice materials to support your child’s preparation and maximize their score potential.

Here’s what you’ll find:

Free STAR 1st & 2nd Grade Practice Test and PDF (Math and Reading): Get a quick sample test to help your child become familiar with STAR-style questions and show you where they might need extra help.
Complete Practice Package with 7 Full-length Simulations and 16 Practice Tests: Your child gets extensive practice across a wide variety of skills evaluated on the STAR test. Every question includes child-friendly explanations.
(This is the most comprehensive STAR practice found online.)

Let’s help your child get ready and score high on the test!

Created by Roman K., Test Prep Expert Since 2016, who has helped thousands of students achieve higher scores. As a parent myself, I understand your concerns. Feel free to email me at roman@giftedready.com. I'm here to help your child succeed!

What to Expect on the STAR 1st and 2nd Grade Test?

The STAR assessment for 1st and 2nd grade is a computer-adaptive test developed by Renaissance and used by schools to measure reading and math skills. The test adjusts the difficulty of each question based on the child’s previous answers, so every student receives a personalized set of questions.

The test usually takes about 15–20 minutes per subject. It’s taken on a computer or tablet, and focuses on foundational skills aligned with classroom instruction.

The scores are used by teachers to monitor progress, identify skill gaps, and support low- and high-achieving students.

Key Takeaways

Who takes it: Grade 1-2 students.
Structure: Includes two sections (subjects) that are scored separately – Reading and Math.
Format: Computer-adaptive. Multiple-choice/picture-based items adjust to your child’s performance.
Number of questions per subject: 34 items (the system may add a few if needed).
Time limits: Untimed overall, but each test question has a time limit of 4 to 8 minutes.

Try the practice questions below with your child to give them a feel for the question types and topics they will be tested on.

These questions are also available in PDF format, so you can download and print them.

STAR 1st and 2nd Grade Practice Test – Reading

In first and second grade, the STAR Reading Test evaluates your child on four specific domains:

Word Knowledge and Skills
Comprehension Strategies and Constructing Meaning
Analyzing Literary Text
Understanding Author’s Craft

Each of these domains is further divided into 30+ skill areas and more than 100 subskills.

Let’s try practice questions from each domain, taken from the complete practice package.

Note that the complete package covers most of these 100+ subskills, so your child gets a chance to practice and improve the most important reading skills.

STAR Reading Grade 1 and 2 Sample Question – Word Knowledge and Skills

The poster said the cat was timid. It said the cat might hide in small, quiet places and may not come when called.

What does timid mean?

Show Explanation

Correct Answer: Scared or shy

To figure out what timid means, we look at the clues in the sentence.

Context clues are hints in the sentence that help us figure out the meaning of a word we do not know.

We look at what the sentence says about the cat:

The cat might hide.
It hides in small, quiet places.
It may not come when called.

These clues tell us that the cat does not feel brave.
A cat that hides and does not want to come out is scared or shy.

So, the word timid means scared or shy.

STAR Reading Grade 1 and 2 Sample Question – Comprehension Strategies and Constructing Meaning

What is the main purpose of this poster?

Show Explanation

Correct Answer: To invite people to join a recycling event

When we talk about the purpose of a text, we mean why the author wrote it.

The purpose tells us what the text wants us to do, learn, or feel.

Here are some common purposes:

To inform – to give information or facts.
To entertain – to tell a story or make you enjoy reading.
To persuade – to make you do something or agree with an idea.

Now, look at the poster:

This poster is asking people to join an event that helps the environment.

It gives details like when, where, and what to bring, which means it’s trying to invite people to join a recycling event.

STAR Reading Grade 1 and 2 Sample Question – Analyzing Literary Text

Read the story.

Which event happened first in the story?

Show Explanation

Correct Answer: Liam and Zoe ride their bikes to the library.

To figure out which event happened first, we look at the order of the story:

The story begins with: “One Friday afternoon, Liam and his sister Zoe rode their bikes to the town library.” This is the very first thing that happens.
Later, Liam notices his backpack is missing.
Finally, they find their favorite books and sit down to read.

STAR Reading Grade 1 and 2 Sample Question – Understanding Author’s Craft

Read the passage.

“Sofia walked into the school gym for the morning assembly. She heard the principal clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. The students whispered quietly to each other, and the floor creaked under their shoes. Outside, the birds chirped loudly near the windows. Sofia covered her ears for a moment, but then listened carefully to the announcements.”

Select the sentence that does not describe a sound.