100+ Free MSA Grade 5 Science Practice Questions

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Key Facts: MSA Grade 5 Science Exam

OPI

State Agency

Montana Office of Public Instruction

Grade 5

Grade Level

OPI MontCAS Required Assessments

100 Practice Questions

Question Count

OpenExamPrep Bank

Montana Content Standards (2016) in Science / NGSS

Standards

OPI K-12 Content Standards

MSA Grade 5 Science is Montana's free statewide science assessment (OPI/Cambium), estimated 1.5–2 hours, four performance levels (Novice/Nearing Proficiency/Proficient/Advanced) on a Grade 5 cut-score scale, covering Physical, Life, Earth & Space, and Engineering domains across the NGSS grades 3–5 band.

Sample MSA Grade 5 Science Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your MSA Grade 5 Science exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A student seals ice cubes in a plastic bag and lets them melt on a classroom windowsill. Which claim is best supported by the particle model of matter?

A.The water particles disappear when the ice melts

B.Melting creates brand-new particles that did not exist as ice

C.The same water particles stay in the bag but move more freely as liquid

D.The particles freeze harder after the ice turns to liquid

Explanation: Melting is a change of state. Water particles remain the same kind of matter; they gain energy and move more freely as a liquid. In a sealed bag, matter is conserved.

2Which observation is a physical property that can help identify a metal sample without changing what the metal is made of?

A.It burns and leaves ash

B.It is shiny and is attracted to a magnet

C.It reacts with vinegar and forms bubbles of a new gas

D.It forms a new solid when mixed with another chemical

Explanation: Shininess and magnetism are physical properties that can be observed without turning the metal into a different substance. Chemical reactions change the material into new products.

3Students measure 100 mL of water, add 20 g of salt, and stir until the salt can no longer be seen. What most likely happened to the salt?

A.It vanished, so the total mass dropped by 20 g

B.It turned into air and left the cup

C.The water destroyed the salt atoms completely

D.It dissolved and mixed with the water as tiny particles

Explanation: Dissolving spreads salt particles throughout the water so crystals are no longer visible, but the salt is still present. Total mass is conserved if nothing leaves the system.

4A cart is at rest on a flat classroom floor. What must happen for the cart to start moving?

A.Friction must disappear so the cart can begin rolling on its own

B.An unbalanced force must act on the cart

C.Balanced forces on all sides must stay equal forever

D.The cart must become warmer without any push or pull

Explanation: An object at rest stays at rest unless an unbalanced force acts on it. A push or pull that is not canceled by other forces starts the cart moving.

5When a rubber band is stretched and then released so it snaps a paper wad across a desk, how is energy changing?

A.New energy is created from nothing when the rubber band snaps

B.Stored energy in the stretched rubber band transfers into motion of the paper wad

C.All energy is destroyed the moment the rubber band is released

D.The paper wad gains energy only if gravity disappears

Explanation: Stretching stores elastic energy in the rubber band. When released, that stored energy transfers into the kinetic energy of the moving paper wad. Energy is transferred, not created from nothing.

6A class weighs a sealed bag containing baking soda and vinegar in separate cups inside the bag. One cup tips over, the substances mix, and bubbles form. After the bubbling stops, the class reweighs the sealed bag. Which result best supports the idea that matter is conserved?

A.The bag weighs less because the gas escaped into the air

B.The bag weighs the same as before the reaction

C.The bag weighs more because a new substance was created

D.The bag weighs nothing because the matter turned into energy

Explanation: In a sealed bag, the gas produced is still trapped inside, so the total mass before and after the chemical reaction stays the same. Matter is conserved when nothing enters or leaves the system.

7A student drops a steel ball and a plastic ball of the same size from the same height at the same time. Ignoring air resistance, which best predicts what happens and why?

A.The steel ball lands first because heavier objects always fall much faster

B.Both balls land at about the same time because gravity pulls on them equally

C.The plastic ball lands first because it is lighter and easier to pull

D.Neither ball falls because they are the same size

Explanation: Gravity pulls both balls downward. When air resistance is ignored, they accelerate at the same rate and reach the ground at about the same time, regardless of mass.

8Two magnets are placed on a table. When a student slides them closer, they suddenly push apart. What can the student conclude about the magnets?

A.Like poles of the two magnets are facing each other and repelling

B.Opposite poles are facing each other and attracting

C.The magnets are broken and have no poles

D.Gravity is pushing the magnets apart

Explanation: Magnetic poles that are the same (like poles) push apart, or repel. Opposite poles pull together, or attract. Pushing apart shows like poles are facing.

9A student wants to compare how well three different solids conduct heat. Which investigation plan is the fairest test?

A.Heat each solid for a different amount of time and feel which is warmest

B.Use rods of the same size, heat one end of each the same way, and time how fast the other end warms

C.Test one solid in hot water and the others in cold water

D.Use different sized pieces and guess which feels hottest

Explanation: A fair test changes only the material being compared. Same-sized rods heated the same way at one end let the student compare how quickly heat travels to the other end, isolating the one variable that differs.

10A class records the mass of an ice cube and the cup it melts in. The table shows: ice + cup before = 45 g; liquid water + cup after = 45 g. Which claim does the data best support?

A.Some matter was created during melting

B.Some matter was destroyed during melting

C.Matter is conserved when ice melts into water

D.The scale is broken because the mass should have changed

Explanation: The mass stays the same before and after melting, which shows that matter is conserved. The water has the same total mass as the ice it came from; only its state changed.

About the MSA Grade 5 Science Exam

The Montana Science Assessment (MSA) — Grade 5 is Montana's statewide science assessment for grade 5, aligned to the Montana Content Standards (2016) in Science, which are built on the NGSS three dimensions for the grades 3–5 band. It measures understanding in Physical Science, Life Science, Earth & Space Science, and Engineering, Technology & Applications of Science using phenomena-based item clusters and stand-alone items delivered online by Cambium Assessment. Results report an overall science performance level. OpenExamPrep free MCQ practice is an English-language study aid aligned to the same standards—not official secure content or a full simulation of multi-part clusters and technology-enhanced tasks.

Assessment

Online statewide science assessment with phenomena-based item clusters, selected-response, and technology-enhanced tasks delivered by Cambium Assessment; this local bank contains 100 English four-option practice MCQs mapped to the Montana Content Standards (2016) in Science / NGSS grades 3–5 band.

Time Limit

Estimated testing time 1.5-2 hours

Passing Score

No pass/fail score; results use four MSA performance levels (Novice, Nearing Proficiency, Proficient, Advanced). Grade 5 Science cut scores: Novice below 477, Nearing Proficiency 477–505, Proficient 506–530, Advanced 531 and above.

Exam Fee

No fee to students (Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI))

MSA Grade 5 Science Exam Content Outline

30%

Physical Science

Matter & its interactions (structure & properties of matter, conservation of matter, particle models), energy (energy in chemical processes, energy transfer, light/sound/heat), and forces & interactions (effects of balanced/unbalanced forces, electric/magnetic interactions).

30%

Life Science

Matter & energy in organisms & ecosystems, interactions/interdependence & dynamics, inheritance & variation of traits, biological evolution (unity & diversity), and Earth's systems support life.

30%

Earth & Space Science

Earth's place in the universe (stars & the solar system), Earth's systems (weather, climate, water cycle, plate interactions, Earth materials & systems), and Earth & human activity (natural resources, natural hazards, impacts of human activity).

10%

Engineering, Technology & Applications of Science

Defining & delimiting engineering problems, developing possible solutions, and optimizing the design solution; connections among the three dimensions (SEPs, DCIs, CCCs) applied through phenomena-based scenarios.

How to Pass the MSA Grade 5 Science Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: No pass/fail score; results use four MSA performance levels (Novice, Nearing Proficiency, Proficient, Advanced). Grade 5 Science cut scores: Novice below 477, Nearing Proficiency 477–505, Proficient 506–530, Advanced 531 and above.
Assessment: Online statewide science assessment with phenomena-based item clusters, selected-response, and technology-enhanced tasks delivered by Cambium Assessment; this local bank contains 100 English four-option practice MCQs mapped to the Montana Content Standards (2016) in Science / NGSS grades 3–5 band.
Time limit: Estimated testing time 1.5-2 hours
Exam fee: No fee to students

Keys to Passing

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

MSA Grade 5 Science Study Tips from Top Performers

1Use official OPI MontCAS resources and Cambium practice tools so students learn the online assessment interface and item types.

2Review Montana Content Standards (NGSS) Performance Expectations for grades 3–5, not only grade 5 labels—the Grade 5 form samples the whole band.

3Practice explaining phenomena with evidence: claim–evidence–reasoning across Physical, Life, Earth/space, and Engineering contexts.

4Include questions that use graphs, tables, and fair-test design ideas; official items integrate Science & Engineering Practices.

5Mix matter, forces/energy, ecosystems, heredity, weather/Earth systems, and resource/environment topics for balanced discipline coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Montana Science Assessment Grade 5?

Who takes the MSA Grade 5?

All Grade 5 students enrolled in Montana public or accredited private schools take the MSA. Students with significant cognitive disabilities take the alternate assessment instead, which since the 2025-26 school year is Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Science rather than the retired Alternate Montana Science Assessment.

How long is the official test?

OPI estimates testing time of about 1.5 to 2 hours for the Grade 5 MSA; schools schedule it within the spring administration window.

How are results reported?

Results use four MSA performance levels—Novice, Nearing Proficiency, Proficient, and Advanced—rather than a pass/fail score. Grade 5 Science cut scores: Novice below 477, Nearing Proficiency 477–505, Proficient 506–530, Advanced 531 and above.