Are you wiser than an eighth grader? Try out this catechesis test.

This month, the National Catholic Register reported that a Catholic school’s decision to start each day with Mass has transformed the spiritual lives of both students and the larger parish community. This decision has also propelled the school to second place among the 30 diocesan schools that participated in the catechesis assessment test.

Inadequate catechesis, for both children and adults, has been one of the Church’s main problems in recent years.

Recent surveys make the issue of insufficiently catechized Catholics clear. For instance, a July survey by EWTN/Real Clear Opinion Research revealed that 38% of Catholic potential voters do not believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. The same survey also revealed that 35% of people never attend confession, a sacrament that is mandated by church law to take place at least once a year.

Only 20% of Catholics, on average, were found to embrace all of the Church’s doctrines.

Identifying and solving the problem of catechesis 

The Assessment of Religious Knowledge exam, sometimes known as the ARK test, is intended to help K–12 schools address their catechesis issue.

The ARK tool was created by the Sophia Institute, a Catholic non-profit devoted to supporting Catholic education and teachers, and it aids in determining how well religious education programs are working in parishes and classrooms throughout the nation.

This is accomplished by a survey that instructors, catechists, and students, divided by grade, complete. A total of six areas are covered by each test’s knowledge, belief, and action questions: Sacraments & Liturgy, The Creed & Salvation History, Morality, Prayer, Virtue, and Living Discipleship.

The platform enables school administrators and staff to see significant outcomes about the religious development of their students and faculty when the assessment is complete. Problem areas are included here so that educators may see any holes in their religious education curricula and begin to fill them.

The program “helps schools and parishes readily recognize accomplishments and opportunities for both students and staff, analyze individual knowledge improvement, and compare against national averages,” according to Rob Kenney, executive director of ARK, in a statement to CNA.

More than an assessment 

But it’s not just only about the children, Kenney explained: “We also recognize the importance of forming the teacher, so ARK helps guide professional development at an individual, school and parish, or even diocese level.”

ARK also offers teachers free, curated resources based on their school’s results to supplement teachers’ own learning and supply free resources for their class.

Kenney sees the ARK test as more than an assessment tool, but a part of a broader evangelization effort.

“All this ties into engaging in continuous improvement for religious education that will help all of us not only know more, but also have a greater love for our faith; and best of all, help direct us toward Heaven,” he said.

With the help of ARK, CNA put together a sample version of the assessment so that you can test your own knowledge. Take the quiz below. 

How well do you know your catechesis? Take the ARK test for 8th graders. 

What is conscience?

1. God’s voice in our hearts
2. Moral feelings which form to support cultural customs
3. The source of the moral law for every individual
4. The urge for self-preservation

Which is a reason a person should not receive Communion at Mass?

1. They have committed venial sins
2. They have unconfessed mortal sins
3. They have fasted for an hour beforehand
4. They felt distracted during the homily

Who knows when the Last Judgment will occur?

1. The pope
2. The angels
3. God the Father
4. None of these.

Which of the following people should receive Anointing of the Sick?

1. A person who has been sick with a sinus infection for over a month
2. An elderly person facing a grave illness
3. A college student who is feeling homesick
4. A person who has recovered from a life-threatening virus

St. Paul wrote an epistle to the churches in all the following places EXCEPT:

1. Ephesus
2. Thessalonica
3. Samaria
4. Rome

Which of the following is a capital sin?

1. Envy
2. Disobedience
3. Presumption
4. Curiosity

Which of the following is a sacrament of healing?

1. Penance
2. Baptism
3. Holy Orders
4. Eucharist

Who is called to chastity?

1. Priests and religious
2. Married people
3. Single people
4. All of these

Correct answers: Conscience 1; Communion 2; Last Judgement 3; Anointing of the Sick 2; Paul 3; capital sin 1; sacrament of healing 1; chastity 4.