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The Brooklyn Latin School admits students on one number: their SHSAT composite score. This guide explains exactly which critical thinking and logical reasoning skills drive that score — and how the new 2025–2026 digital format, including Tech-Enhanced Items, changes what your child needs to practice.
Getting into Tampa Preparatory School starts with knowing the SSAT — which level your child takes, what scores are competitive, and how the admissions timeline runs from October to February 1. This guide covers school code 7612, the SSAT writing sample, and how to prepare for Tampa Prep's holistic review in 2026.
The Bishop's School proctored writing sample travels directly to the admissions committee alongside your ISEE scores — yet almost no prep resource tells you how to prepare for it. This post explains exactly what the essay is, how it's evaluated, and how to practice for it before your November or January test date.
The ISEE essay is unscored — but Strake Jesuit admissions readers see every word your son writes. This post explains what Houston private school admissions teams actually look for in the 30-minute writing sample, how Jesuit values shape that review, and how timed essay practice can turn those unscored minutes into your strongest admissions asset.
The HSPT STEM Critical Thinking section is the most overlooked part of Tampa Catholic High School's admissions test — and it directly affects honors course placement. This guide explains exactly what the section tests, what scores matter, and how 8th graders in the Tampa Bay area can prepare before the one-shot November test date.
Most ISEE prep guides call the essay unscored and move on — but St. Thomas High School's Admissions Committee reads every word of it. This post explains what St. Thomas really looks for in the ISEE Upper Level essay, how stanine scores affect merit scholarships, and how to prepare your son for one of Houston's most competitive Catholic all-boys admissions processes.
Getting into Staten Island Technical High School means hitting a 527+ SHSAT composite score — and in 2026, doing it on a brand-new computer-adaptive test. This guide covers the exact SITHS cutoffs, the updated digital format, and the STEM critical thinking skills that separate admitted students from the rest.
St. Mary's Academy's Academic Excellence Award requires a 90th-percentile HSPT score — and your daughter only gets one shot at the exam. This guide covers the exact score threshold, the sections that move the needle most, and a month-by-month prep plan built around SMA's January test date and December deadline.
St. Pius X High School admissions requires the ISEE Upper Level, two written components, and a January 15 application deadline. This guide covers every requirement for the 2026–2027 cycle — from target stanine scores to the portal essay prompt — so your 8th grader walks in prepared.
The St. Joseph Notre Dame High School HSPT is a one-shot test administered every January by the Diocese of Oakland — and your child's score affects admission, course placement, and scholarship eligibility all at once. This guide covers what SJND actually reviews, which sections matter most, and how to build the quantitative reasoning skills that move 8th graders from average to honors placement.