Areas of Expertise
SHSAT
Specialized High School Admissions Test: NYC's flagship high schools provide an elite secondary education at no tuition cost. Admission is based solely on a 3-hour exam, administered at the end of October. We are experts at helping students excel at this highly competitive test. In the past, our students have gained admission at Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and the High School of American Studies at Lehman College. We are up to do date on all of the recent changes rolling out in the 2017 and 2018 administrations of this test.
ACT
American College Testing: Long considered an alternative to the SAT, the ACT is now accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the United States. In fact, in 2012 the number of students taking the ACT was greater than the number of students taking the SAT. The two tests are now quite similar in structure and content, and are looked at equally by the colleges. We at Clayton Prep know the ins and outs of the ACT, and can help maximize a student's score. Our students now attend prestigious institutions such as Brown, Cambridge, Northwestern and Amherst.
ISEE
Independent School Entrance Exam: Administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) this test is often required for admission to day schools. It tests students in three broad areas: Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics, and is somewhat similar in structure to the CTP exams (also administered by the ERB) that many students will have taken yearly at their independent schools. Schools our students have gained admission to include Berkely Carrol, Horace Mann, and Poly Prep.
SAT
Standard Admissions Test: This "classic" standardized test has gone through two major re-writes over the past 10 years. Its most recent version, rolled out in March 2016, renders it similar in structure and content to the ACT. Once again scored out of a possible 1600 points, it continues to test the ability of students to focus their attention on close reading of questions and passages. Likewise, it continues to reward students who put in the proper amount of practice and preparation. That is where we come in. We are fully up to date on the most recent changes to the test and have the best materials on hand to help master it.
ssat
Secondary School Admissions Test: While this exam was traditionally taken by students applying to boarding schools, it has become accepted in place of the ISEE at many day schools as well. (Check with your school's admissions office). It differs from the ISEE mainly in having a slightly more difficult verbal section and a slightly easier math section. We are experts on the SSAT and our students consistently excel on this test.