High School Entrance Exam Tutoring: SHSAT, HSPT, and TACHS
High school entrance exams come in a lot of varieties, and which one applies depends entirely on the schools your student is targeting. Each test has its own format, content, and timing, and each rewards students who have spent time learning how it works before they sit down to take it.
These aren't like the tests students take in school. A middle school history exam isn't designed to trick students. These are. They have deliberately obfuscated wording and questions to slow students down. Familiarity with the format matters as much as knowing the content.
Wagner Prep provides one-on-one tutoring for families targeting New York City's specialized high schools and its competitive Catholic and parochial schools.
SHSAT Tutoring for NYC Specialized High Schools
The SHSAT is the entrance exam for eight of New York City's nine specialized high schools, including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech. For most of these schools, it's the sole factor used for admission.
The SHSAT is shifting to a digital, adaptive format in 2026. Most public school 8th graders test during the school day, typically in late October, while private, parochial, and charter school students test on a weekend administration, typically in mid-November. The DOE hasn't announced exact 2026 dates yet.
HSPT and TACHS Tutoring for Catholic & Parochial Schools
Most competitive Catholic and parochial high schools require the TACHS or HSPT. In some cases these exams are used to award merit aid and scholarships. Depending on a student's current school and goals, a student may need to take one or both.
The TACHS is a digital, remote, webcam-proctored test. Students test on a date set by their school's diocese: November 6, 2026 for the Archdiocese of New York, and November 7, 2026 for the Diocese of Brooklyn/Queens and Rockville Centre. The HSPT remains a traditional, in-person paper test, with each host school setting its own date, typically in mid to late November.
Working with Wagner Prep
Our tutors work one-on-one with students either virtually or in person, and every tutor collaborates closely with Marley, our Head of Instruction, to make sure each plan stays strategic and consistent. Most students meet with their tutor twice a week for one-hour sessions.
We follow the same "I do, we do, you do" model across all of our tutoring. Students first see a strategy modeled, then practice it with guidance, and finally apply it independently. Teaching both content and strategy for the test is important, as well as pacing.
Tutors assign homework between sessions and adjust the plan as they go based on what a student actually needs, not a fixed sequence where everyone follows the same path. Periodically, students take practice tests under test day-like conditions to monitor their progress, and you'll receive notes after each session so you always know where things stand.
When should we get started?
For most students, high school entrance exams are the first standardized tests that carry weight for their future, so it's natural for that to feel like a bigger deal than a normal school test. Students aiming for a specific school often start preparing a year or more in advance. For most families, about six months out is an effective starting point.
We know every family is working around their own schedule and competing demands, and that timeline isn't always realistic. We always recommend some level of preparation before test day, even if it's just a handful of sessions. Because our tutoring is one-on-one, we can meet your student wherever they're starting from and give you a clear, honest sense of what's achievable in the time you have.