Expert tips, strategies, and insights to help you succeed in academy entrance exams and beyond.
Explore Articles
Your 7th grader's spring STAAR score is their DeBakey admissions test — and most Houston families don't realize it until it's too late. This post explains exactly how STAAR math and reading scores feed into the HISD Magnet Matrix, what score your child needs to hit the 80-point eligibility threshold, and how to build a prep plan starting now.
The HSPT Quantitative Skills section is the part of the Mercy High School placement test most 8th graders underestimate — and it directly determines scholarship eligibility. This post breaks down exactly what the section tests, why it demands STEM critical thinking over memorized math, and how to prepare when your daughter only gets one shot at the exam.
The HSPT Quantitative Skills section trips up more Mercy Burlingame applicants than any other — and almost no prep resource covers it in depth. Here are score benchmarks, question-type breakdowns, and a timed practice strategy built around the STEM critical thinking skills your daughter needs before December.
Detroit 8th graders applying to MLK Senior High face a one-shot HSPT with a Science section and a scored 750-word persuasive essay — and most prep resources miss both. This guide covers exactly what the DPSCD HSPT tests, when your child takes it, and how to build a composite score strong enough to earn a seat at Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School.
The McKinley Tech writing sample is not graded on grammar — it judges your STEM passion, community commitment, and perseverance under pressure. This guide decodes the 300-point scoring rubric and gives you 5 practice prompts modeled on the real on-site format so your child walks in prepared.
Mark Twain IS 239 offers two rigorous talent programs — Computer/Math and Science — each with its own aptitude test format. This post compares both tests in detail, explains the dual-application strategy, and shows you exactly how to prepare for the redesigned STEAM-oriented exam.
Marist High School requires the HSPT — and the sections that demand HSPT STEM critical thinking skills are the ones that decide both admission and merit scholarship eligibility. This post breaks down exactly what the Quantitative Skills and Mathematics sections test, which percentile scores matter at Marist, and how targeted STEM Critical Thinking practice tests can move your 8th grader from the 75th to the 95th percentile before the December test date.
Getting into Latin School of Chicago starts with the ISEE Upper Level — but most prep guides skip the details that actually matter: what stanine scores the committee looks for, how the unscored essay fits holistic review, and why the one-score-per-season rule makes your first test your best test. This guide gives 8th graders and their parents a school-specific, section-by-section prep plan built around Latin's November application deadline.
Every parent of an 8th grader applying to Malden Catholic asks the same question: what HSPT score does my child actually need? This guide covers score benchmarks by program tier, the one-attempt Archdiocesan rule, and how to build a top-quartile Quantitative score before test day.
Getting into La Jolla Country Day School means mastering the ISEE — and two separate written components most families never see coming. This guide covers LJCDS-specific ISEE stanine benchmarks, a prep calendar tied to the February 1 deadline, and exactly how STEM critical thinking practice connects to the sections LJCDS weighs most.