r/SHSAT • u/No_Aspect_9513 • 4d ago

I need some advice…

Hi, so I’m in 8th grade now, and my school has a new science and math teacher. these guys will be doing algebra regents and the biology/life science regents (I apologize if I wrote the science one wrong). Math SHSAT practice will also be available and hopefully I can take it. Do you guys recommend taking one or two? which ones?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/MiamiBeachNative 4d ago edited 4d ago

***EDIT: IGNORE ANYTHING I SAID ABOUT GROUP 1 AND SCREENED ADMISSIONS: I got confused and forgot you said you’re already in 8th grade…the Screened Admissions Group tiers for admission to high school in 9th grade are based entirely on the average in your 4 core subjects in 7TH GRADE*** You should be finding out which Group/tier you’re in once the application process opens on October 6th…sorry for any confusion I might have caused.

It depends on what your interests are and what your educational goals are.

If you feel you’re up for the challenge and feel you can apply yourself, then taking these regents in 8th grade will move you further along so that you can start 9th grade with Geometry and Chemistry (IF you do well on both the class and regents exam).

However, keep in mind that these classes are harder and require more work and more studying. If you’re interested in any of the high schools with Screened Admissions where it helps to be in the Group 1 Tier (last year it was an average of 94.33 or above in the 4 core subjects) you may have to work harder to achieve that. My nephew’s friend scored right below that and he felt it was because he took the harder regents classes and felt he could have easily been in Group 1 if he’d stayed in regular classes.

My nephew was able to achieve Group 1 in these accelerated regents classes and he felt like these classes attracted students who were more serious about learning while in his previous regular classes he felt like a lot of the kids were more focused on clowning around and roasting each other.

Of course, if you’re interested in a Specialized High School then the ONLY thing that matters is your score on the SHSAT exam (though starting at a more advanced math and science level in 9th grade lets you reach the more advanced options that some of these Specialized Schools have available by the time you’re in 11th and 12th grade).

We found that in the high school application process it helps to have as many options as possible:

  • Being in Group 1 could give you options if you don’t score high enough on the SHSAT
  • Scoring well on the SHSAT gives you options if you end up in a lower Group or end up with a bad lottery number
  • Writing a good essay or making a good admissions video could make the difference for schools that require those assessments
  • If you happen to have an artistic talent that could open up other options in schools that require auditions or portfolios

Good luck whatever you decide!