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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is actually better as time spent studying for Hunter is also time spent studying for ISEE so is a better use of time as it is more of a transferable skill in the highly likely case your kid doesn't get into Hunter. So if you are considering private it is great. My kid took ISEE and SHSAT and they are different but there is a fair amount of overlap so it is also somewhat helpful for that.[/quote]

This is true, but while the tests are similar, Hunter is taken in January of 6th grade while the SHSAT and (high school intake year) ISEE are fall of 8th grade, so I don't know how much prep they'll remember 2 years later - if anything it feels more like an argument for making a big test prep push for private school in 5th grade because that's a lot closer (and of course if they screw up their spring standardized tests in 5th grade they won't even get to take the Hunter test).[/quote]

Good point.

When my kid took the Hunter test the amount of stress I felt in the air while waiting in the line was off the charts. We weren't particularly interested so had him do a few hours of basic review to familiarize himself with the test but that was it. Other families had clearly devoted countless hours and resources to it and were acting like it was the be all and end all. It was very sad and depressing. Of the kids I know who got in there for HS, most were just naturally very bright kids who did a bit of prep but not much.[/quote]

My kid got into Hunter HS with almost no prep. We downloaded the sample test from the website and went over the answers, and I gave him a few very general writing tips (mostly to have fun with the essay!). But I wouldn't say he did a lot better there than some of his uber-prepped friends. (He was a very good student and went to Cornell, but wasn't a superstar at the Harvard level). I do think a lot of parents see Hunter test prep as a gateway to SHSAT prep later on (some kids prep for 18 months for the SHSAT).

I'm not sure why they're changing the test. Seems like a change for the worse TBH. I will say it is classic Hunter to make a big administrative change suddenly, with little thought for the consequences. Of all the public schools my kid attended in NYC, Hunter was not the best run (not the worst, but for all the hoopla, not the best).[/quote]

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