Hunter

Hunter College High School is an American secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York City, New York. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York, and by the New York City Department of Education. There is no tuition fee and it is publicly funded. 

HUNTER College High School & Exam?

If you have a sixth grade child in NYC, chances are that you’ve heard about Hunter College High School (HCHS), more commonly referred to as Hunter. Situated on the Upper East Side, Hunter is a free K-12th grade school administered by a division of the City University of New York (CUNY), rather than the NYC DOE. HCHS is known for educating intellectually gifted students from diverse backgrounds, and for having a rich and accelerated curriculum. It is one of NYC’s most competitive public schools, with an acceptance rate of about six or seven percent, depending on the amount of applicants.  The only entry point to the high school for students is in 7th grade. About 2500 sixth grade students take the Hunter College High School Entrance Exam, hoping for a spot in this highly-ranked, selective school. And approximately 185 children –on the basis of the exam–are admitted as seventh grade students in the fall. About 35-45 students enter from Hunter College Elementary School (HCES).  

The Hunter College High School Entrance Exam is a three-hour test, with an essay section, multiple choice math section, and multiple choice critical reading/verbal skills section. The essay section is a full half-hour segment where students must respond to a specified prompt, and then craft a well-written, proofread writing sample. The test requires students to have above-average vocabulary and writing skills, high-level quantitative reasoning abilities, and the fortitude to make it through a three-hour test.

 

Who can take the Hunter College High School Entrance Exam?

In order to be eligible to take the Hunter College High School Entrance Exam,, students must score exceptionally well on their 5th grade New York State standardized verbal and math tests. (The cut off scores on NYS tests for eligibility to take the Hunter exam in 2013 were 690 in ELA and 733 in Math, though please note that the qualifying score changes each year). Only students who are NYC residents can take the exam.

Students from independent schools need to score in the 90th national percentile of tests given at their schools. If a student was sick on the test date or does not have the requisite score because his or her school does not require annual exams, HCHS will organize a qualifying test — if the student’s principal submits a letter of recommendation to HCHS that explains why the student is academically qualified.

 

What is on the Hunter College High School Admissions Exam?

The Hunter College High School Entrance Exam, that eligible students take in order to be considered for admission to HCHS, can be a stressful ordeal. It is a three-hour test, with an essay section, multiple choice math section, and multiple choice critical reading/verbal skills section. The essay section is a full half-hour segment where students must respond to a specified prompt, and then craft a well-written, proofread writing sample. The test requires students to have above-average vocabulary and writing skills, high-level quantitative reasoning abilities, and the fortitude to make it through a three-hour test. That’s nearly as long as taking the SAT! Because of the length and difficult content of the exam, it is a challenging assignment for sixth grade students, but if you help your child prepare, it can make the test easier, and at the very least, your child will feel ready for a long test.

 

How is the Hunter College High School Exam Scored?

Once a student has taken the test, a long waiting process begins while the administrators determine which students to accept. To make this determination, the graders establish a cutoff score for the math and verbal sections. After this score is chosen—it changes every year—only students who obtained at least that high a score on the math and verbal sections will be considered. Once the pool of students is narrowed down to those who achieved at least the cutoff score, the graders read each student’s essay. They choose the students whose essays are scored the highest, so students who attend Hunter need to excel in three areas: math, writing, and reading.

Where Do I Register for the Hunter College High School Exam?

On Which Date Does the Hunter College High School Exam take place?

 

The exam is held the second Friday of January every year. The exams were given at
1. HCHS at 94th St. between Park and Madison Avenues
2. Hunter College – West Building at 68th St. and Lexington Avenue
3. Hunter College – North Building at 69th St. between Park and Lexington Avenues

How to Prepare for the Hunter College High School Exam?

Hunter does not publish its past entrance exams or share any exam questions, but the school provides a sample test. Taking this test is one of the best ways for your child to prepare, as the sample test will include the same sections as the actual tests, and you and your child can work together to pinpoint areas where your child needs to brush up on certain topics.

You should make sure that your child is comfortable with critical reading, has a large vocabulary, and has strong quantitative reasoning skills. While there are no specific test prep books or companies endorsed byHCHS, any review that your child can do that contains math drills, critical reading problems, and logic problems will help your child prepare.

It is also essential that your child become comfortable with writing essays in response to prompts. Since the essay section is how graders determine which students who scored above the cutoff score will attend HCHS, your student’s essay may ultimately be the deciding factor in whether he or she receives an acceptance letter or not. The only way to prepare for this section is to make sure that your child writes practice essays in response to prompts, then revises them to see where the writing can be improved. Focus on writing if you only have time for review one topic with your child; on the Hunter College High School Entrance Exam, a strong essay is the way for a student to stand out.

 

Who can take the Hunter entrance exam?

The only entry point to Hunter High School is the seventh grade. Thus, the exam is designed for New York City’s intellectually gifted 6th grade students, as determined by performance in standardized assessments, who are performing at at two to three and one half years above sixth grade level.

When is the Hunter College admission test offered?
The Hunter exam is offered once in January of each year to students residing within the five Boroughs of NYC who meet the specific criteria in reading and mathematics. There are no make-ups or retests.

How does a student register for the Hunter Examination?
School Principals are asked to identify students who performed at high levels on the fifth grade standardized tests (greater than 90th percentile in Total Reading and Math). Admission cards for the entrance exam are sent to those eligible candidates.

What is the Hunter School High School Admission Test Structure?
It is a three hour exam consisting of about 100 multiple choice questions and one essay.

  1. Verbal Section (50% weight)
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Vocabulary
    • Sentence Completion
    • Grammar
  2. Math Section (50% weight): Basic skills to solve problems
  3. Assigned Topic Essay (30 minutes) – “high quality and content required”

 

How does the entrance exam determine admission to the Hunter High School Gifted program?
A “cut-off” score in the multiple-choice portion of the exam is determined. Essays from students that met the cut-off score are read. The top scorers on the objective exam who also wrote a high quality essay are offered admission. Additionally, the next 30 students, by score and essay quality, who are economically disadvantaged, are offered admission.

누가 시험을 있나요? 5학년 NY Statewide 시험 2013 기준 690ELA, 733MATH,혹은 교장추천

  1. 어떤과목을 보나? 3시간동안 영어/수학/에세이(30)
  2. 어떻게 선발하나? 영어/수학 cut-off점수로 일차선발후 에세이 심사로 결정
  3. 얼마나 선발하나? 헌터초등에서 올라오는 50명을 제외한 170-190(변동됨)

 

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