Roughly, there are four hurdles to tackle to get into TJ.

  1. The multiple-choice TJ exam given in December
  2. Teacher recommendations/Science and math course work/grades .
  3. The Student Information Sheet (SIS)
  4. The timed essay written on the same day as the SIS in January.

Consult TJ admissions for a clear idea of the weighting of these components. Read  TJ’s website thoroughly.  See what courses are offered and what clubs exist.

Read and reread TJ’s Mission Statement below (from its website). Discuss it with your parents and friends.  

The mission of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is to provide students a challenging learning environment focused on math, science, and technology, to inspire joy at the prospect of discovery, and to foster a culture of innovation based on ethical behavior and the shared interests of humanity.

Beliefs

At Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, we believe:

Critical thinking and problem solving skills are vital in addressing the complex societal and ethical issues of our time.

Students learn best in a community where academic disciplines are integrated, fostering an appreciation of how they interact and form a whole.

Global interdependence compels us to understand the languages, systems and diverse cultures of people throughout the world.

Literature, music and the arts are essential, timeless aspects of human existence.

The methods of science provide discipline to our search for structure in the world.

Research stems from a combination of fundamental knowledge, individual creativity and curiosity.

Effective communication is often the only difference between a good idea and a successful initiative.

Collaborative learning, athletics, and extracurricular activities develop leadership and interpersonal skills.

Responsibility and integrity are core principles in the pursuit of excellence.

Learning never ends.

What you can do on your own

There are many useful resources for improving your skills. Depending on how close you are to your goal you will need to adjust the amount of study to secure a good score.

MATH: I list this first because if you do nothing else, get your mental math skills honed. Your chance of making the second cut improves with a higher score. Sign up on the www.collegeboard.com website for its SAT question-of-the-day. Check out Khan Academy’s test preparation offerings.  Always look for the “one-minute solution” and do lots of timed practice.A good magazine to improve logic skills is Dell Logic Lover’s Logic Problems.  See below for additional book titles.

ESSAYS: If you aren’t getting “A”s on your essays start writing more. Have your parents or friends read your writing. Is it interesting? The more specific your writing, the more interesting it is to the reader. Do you repeat yourself? Are your sentences clear or muddled? Write letters/emails to your relatives (grandmothers are particularly happy to hear from their grandkids!) Avoid abbreviations becuz be4 u no it only kidz will understand u. Check your spelling and proof-read your essay by reading it aloud to yourself.  Practice your typing skills.

VERBAL: TJ is now placing more emphasis on the verbal than before.  The single most valuable activity to improve your reading skills is to read 1-2 hours a day as your schedule permits. Read widely: Popular Mechanic, National Geographic, Science News, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, Muse, Smithsonian, news magazines, novels (anything written before 1960 will have a richer vocabulary), and biographies. Keep in mind that one of the two essays will be on some ethics and science issue so knowing a little bit about a lot of subjects might really pay off. Also, the more you explore now the easier it will be to decide what you want to study later in life.

Student Information Sheet: If you can, participate in summer camps or after school programs for STEM. The more you study STEM outside of school (even reading books/magazines from the library or articles on the internet) the more you show your dedication to the sorts of subjects you might study at TJ.  You don’t have to be involved through with STEM through an organization.  One of my favorite students decided he was going to do oyster farming.  He talked to fisherman, designed his own cages, and learned how to care for them (it is way more involved than you would think).  He did this all on his own.

RESOURCES:

I wish I could say there was one absolutely terrific book but I can’t. Most seem to have typos (this drives me crazy). As long as you keep that in mind and don’t linger on a nonsensical problem, they all provide good practice.   Also keep in mind that these books allot more time than the actual TJ test does. NY SHSAT gives 75 minutes per section instead of 60 minutes per section so adjust (shorten) time accordingly. All these books can be obtained through www.amazon.com

The Princeton Review Math Smart Getting a grip on basic math 2nd Edition. This is a useful review book as is Advanced Math Smart.

Barron’s New York City SHSAT: Specialized High School Admissions Test (Barron’s How to Prepare for the New York City SHSAT) –

PrepMate Practice Tests for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). The math is ok but harder than the TJ math. The writers   designed it with the “one-minute solution” in mind. Watch out for typos and don’t lose sleep over the verbal.   http://www.prepmate.com/ShowPage.asp?pid=TJHSST

Cracking the New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, Second Edition (State Test Preparation Guides) by Princeton Review (Paperback – July 8, 2003 )

Kaplan New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test by Kaplan (Paperback – Aug. 5, 2008)

SHSAT: POWER PRACTICE by Learning Express, LLC. 20011 ISBN: 978-1-57685-776-2 www.learnatest.com Again, watch out for typos – especially in the answer keys.

The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition by The College Board (Paperback – July 21, 2009.) They fixed the typos in the latest reprint of this edition.   If you can consistently score 600 or higher on the math without a calculator you are in good shape.             

The Elements of Style (Original Edition) by William Strunk (Paperback – Sept. 17, 2008). This is a must for every home library.

NEW RECOMMENDATION: MATH STUDY GUIDE for the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests, 2012 edition created by Richard F. Corn. “Covers pre-algebra through pre-calculus. ISBN 978-1-936214-62-4 Actually I would like you to tell me what you think of this book. I’ve only recently purchased it and it looks to be a promising review of math but I have only had time to read a few pages.

To contact Kate (Dalby) vanSchaick write kvs@katedalby.com or call 703-203-5796.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FALL TJ PREP CLASS SCHEDULE

 

 

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