The format of the laboratory practical for Earth Science was changed in 2008. Currently, it consists of three sections, each with a time limit of nine minutes. While administering the test, there are multiple stations for each section. Each station uses different data, but the same task. For example, each section 1 station may have different rocks and minerals, though the task will be the same.
* Section 1: Students must identify a mineral by testing various properties, using a provided flowchart. Students must also classify two rocks as igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, and give the reason why.
* Section 2: Students must find the epicenter of an earthquake. Using a provided map, one must triangulate the location of the epicenter using data from three seismograms.
* Section 3: Students must draw an ellipse and compare it to the orbit of a planet in our solar system.