TACHS / SHSAT Preparation:
Private tutoring can improve scores on the TACHS and SHSAT exams
High School Entrance Examinations for New York Students
New York area elementary school students have many options available to them when considering which high schools they wish to attend.
In addition to their local public high schools, New York City students can choose from the City's many specialized public high schools, as well as from the many high schools operated by the Roman Catholic Church. Competition for both the Catholic schools and the specialized public schools can be intense, and even students who score in the 90th percentile aren't necessarily guaranteed to be accepted.
Getting into a good high school is important to your academic future, so the importance of getting a high score on the TACHS or SHSAT can't be overstated. If you (or your child) are considering applying for any of these schools, it is in your interest to start preparing as early as possible.
I provide individual, private, one-on-one tutoring for both the TACHS and SHSAT examinations.
The TACHS Exam
The Roman Catholic Church operates many high schools in the New York City area. These schools require a special examination known as TACH (Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools) as part of the admissions process.
The TACHS exam tests students' knowledge in four areas:
- Reading. This exam tests the student's vocabulary and reading comprehension.
- Language Skills. This test assesses the student's command of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage, as well as his or her expression skills.
- Mathematics. The math test measures the the student's understanding of mathematical concepts such as number properties, measurement, probability, and statistics, as well as their estimation, and problem-solving / data interpretation skills.
- Ability. This examination assesses the student's general abstract reasoning ability.
Students who wish to attend any of the Catholic high schools operated by the New York Archdiocese or the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens must do well on the TACHS exam, so preparation beginning in the seventh grade (or during the summer between the seventh and eight grade) is highly recommended.
The SHSAT Exam
New York City operates many specialized high schools, some of which are among the finest in the world. The SHSAT (Specialized High School Admission Test) is a special examination required for admission to the following highly prestigious New York City public schools:
- Bronx High School of Science
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- Brooklyn Latin School
- High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College
- High School of American Studies at Lehman College
- Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
- Staten Island Technical High School
- Stuyvesant High School
The SHSAT consists of two sections:
- Verbal. This portion measures students' reading comprehension and logical reasoning abilities.
- Mathematics. The mathematics portion measures students' achievement in basic math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, basic coordinate graphing, logic, and solving word problems.
The SHSAT is extremely competitive, with more than 25,000 students taking the examination in a typical year. The schools also are highly selective: Even scoring in the 90th percentile doesn't guarantee that a student will be accepted into the most prestigious schools. Students who have an interest in attending any of the schools that require the SHSAT should start preparing during their seventh-grade year (or during the summer between seventh and eight grade).
Great colleges pay special attention to students from great high schools, so getting a good score on the TACHS or SHSAT is very important to your entire academic future. Please contact me for more information about how I can help you get a better grade on these tests.
Joanne DeVillacian is a professional tutor and Certified Technical Trainer providing in-home, private tutoring in the following communities:
Northeast Queens and Surrounding Areas: Bayside, Bellrose, Clearview, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Little Neck, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park, Ridgewood, Whitestone, and Woodside.
Western Nassau: Floral Park, Franklin Square, Garden City, Great Neck, Manhasset, Mineola, New Hyde Park, Port Washington, Roslyn, Sands Point, Williston Park, and their nearby communities.