From what I can remember, you have to score a minimum of 30 on the math portion of the test. Once you get in the semi-finalist round, then the essays the student wrote when they took the test, teacher recommendations plays a big part. The essays are the ones the student had to write after they were done with the math/english portion of the test in December.

You may also want to post your question on the FCAG Yahoo group as there are many parents of current TJ students on the list.

FCAG's Yahoo discussion group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FCAG

I don't know the answers to your questions off the top of my head, but there is a lot of information on the TJ website under "Prospective Students."
Here's a link to info on admissions for current 8th graders who are applying to enter in Fall 2012:

http://www.tjhsst.edu/abouttj/admissions/dec_freshman_winter.html

Anybody know what percentile you have to achieve on the TJ test to get past the first round? And from there, is it all about the essay, or do they whittle it down based on the remaining test scores?

Thanks.