To help ensure that eighth graders across NYC who want to attend a Specialized High School have a chance to succeed, Kaplan will hold a series of free SHSAT practice events across all five boroughs.

The DREAM program that offers free SHSAT prep for low-income and underrepresented students in seventh and eighth grade is set to begin in three months.

The SHSAT is undoubtedly a difficult exam, even more so as a ninth-grader, but as long as students are motivated and willing to put in a strong effort, it is possible to ace the exam and gain ...

The group says it wants the city to expand gifted and talented programs in middle and grade schools, and offer free test prep for all students.

When I worked in SHSAT test prep, kids of diverse races and socioeconomic backgrounds sought help to get ready for this three-hour test, whose results can have years of impact.

Instead of abolishing the SHSAT, she said, the school system should offer or subsidize tutoring and test prep for all students who need extra help to pass the exam.

The SHSAT, however, does not measure work ethic or intelligence, but a student’s ability to answer over 100 tedious multiple choice questions in under three hours.