Hunter College High School Admission now open for 2020

[GregsTutoringNYC]

Vetting information for entry into Hunter College High School (HCHS) is now open for the 2020-2021 school year. The NY State ELA score needs to be 627 and above, and the NY State Math score needs to be 628 and above. BOTH need to be the case, not just one or the other. Check out their website for more details/requirements.

There is a livestream I did recently on my YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQE...rYueiTg/videos ) regarding Hunter registration and testing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXpQ6D-5dwk

I will do another today with additional information.

Registration and other aspects can often be confusing and/or frustrating, therefore, any questions or concerns, feel free to ask.

NOTE: Hunter Science High School, a good school in its own right, is not the same school as HCHS.

[GregsTutoringNYC]

Some current livestreams with HCHS overview information:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXpQ6D-5dwk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrIvodmSJG0 (including date/timeline info)

Past livestreams with details that are still current include:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCtSxHpYgE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz_ShVHd_ko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h1qaDBNxFU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwaAN0upC60

I also have a number of videos in the channel pertaining to the test itself (example questions, etc.) which can be found searching through the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQE...rYueiTg/videos

[nycparent]

Do you have data on what's the rough cutoff for multiple choices to make to essay round?
HCHS websites says top 500 kids, and that's out of 82 multiple choice questions. Thanks

[GregsTutoringNYC]

It's currently out of 80.

I partially/indirectly address this in the two videos.

There's two issues that bubble up:
1) Hunter does not release much information, even when asked. Therefore much of this becomes a mysterious black box and he said/she said stuff.
2) The cutoff changes from year to year.

So we're left to speculate. That said, as I've been involved with this test for so long, actual data from the field from past years seems to indicate about 65%.

The problem with that in addition to speculation and being empirical, is that other data in the field I get says that it's more like 85%, also with the same problems.

We also are not told information about the statistical models they follow, curves, weights, etc. So it's gain an inch, loose a foot. Even the website description is vague when you really read it deeply.

Lastly, last year they did not provide any cutoff data, even explicitly said they weren't and gave a justification.

This kind of means there is no good answer to this question and it's getting less good as time goes on.

At the end of the day, it's get as many right as possible. Which is always a good strategy with this kind of thing all other things aside.

[QueensMom]

Whats the stats around .. The number of application, versus numbers that get thru first round ; #s that get to the essay "round" and #s final offered to actual real open seats? If not from last year but from last few years average? Does everyone in their elementary get a guaranteed seat in HS? Do they need to test as well?

[GregsTutoringNYC]

There's some 65K kids or so (doing this from memory) as candidates in Grade 6. Of those who meet HCHS state cutoff (or equivalent) scores about 3K will take the test in modern times.

Of the 3K, 2500 won't meet the cutoff as the top 500 scorers on the ELA and Math sections are considered.

Of the 500, about 175 will be have offers made. There is also a waitlist of about 25 kids.

There was a time when being in Hunter Elementary meant you were admitted to Hunter HS too, but now they only matriculate about 50 of those kids (who do not need to take the HS entrance test), yielding an entering student body around 225.

UPDATE: I should note that the elementary school only has about 50 students per grade, so for all intents and purposes almost all those kids are moving up. And FWIW, note they'd all be Manhattan residents.

[QueensMom]

Thanks a bunch, Greg.

Do you know if the state test scores are factored in after the cutoff? I mean, once the 3K kids are selected, Do they use it again, with their own test scores, to filter down to 500? And again in the next step, do they use past filter data to reduce 500 to 175.

( I know they are very secretive about it. Wondering if those steps were ever visible in the past. )

[GregsTutoringNYC]

I've never heard of it being used except as an application requirement. I really think all the State Test vet does is keep the number of kids taking their test physically manageable. That said, as their test is so much harder than the state test that's probably reasonable of them. Their test is so different (and difficult) that using the state test for any other use, even if a student got 100% on the state test, kinda would not make sense.

[QueensMom]

Thanks, Greg. That makes a lot of sense. What about the next step? Do the Hunter ELA and Math test scores continue to play while the essay part final selection is done. Or Essay independently decides the Final 175 out of 500.

[GregsTutoringNYC]

I think this is where things get fuzzy even if just .001 fuzzy. However, that said, everything seems to indicate that once the ~500 are established that the ELA and Math scores don't count and it only comes down to the writing for the ~175. This is consistent given essay writing is fairly integral to coursework there.