Preparing for high-school entrance exams

High-school entrance exam prep for students in grades 6-8:

ISEE, SSAT, HSPT, NWEA MAP, CPS selective-enrollment test

Students who are thinking of applying to high schools that have competitive admission processes should start preparing in 6th grade, if possible.

In the admission process for Chicago's selective-enrollment high schools, 7th-grade test scores (NWEA MAP) and grades account for two-thirds of each student's point total. For students applying to other schools, it is still ideal to start preparing as early as 6th grade because fundamental skills (reading, math, vocabulary, grammar) cannot be strengthened meaningfully in a very short period of time. High-school entrance exams, like college-entrance exams, are first and foremost about substantive skills and meaningful habits (e.g., underlining and scratchwork); there are no "tricks" or "gimmicks," just some common-sense approaches to take with regard to time management and educated guesses.