Find out all the details on the Thomas Jefferson High School entrance exam in this post. The Thomas Jefferson high school for science and technology (TJHSST) under Fairfax county is a stem-focused high school for the gifted.
The school is currently the number 1 high school in the entire United States due to its stellar achievements in academia. Thomas Jefferson high school for science and technology has about 1,809 students enrolled in the school.
Getting into the TJHSST isn’t quite an easy task, the high school has quite a competitive admission process involving a student application, an entrance exam, an essay, a “student information sheet” and letters of recommendation.
In this article, I have made the effort to elaborate further on the Thomas Jefferson High School entrance exam part of the admission process. This article covers all the tiny details you must know about taking the TJHSST admission entrance exams.
Without further delay, let me walk you through all you must know about the Thomas Jefferson high school entrance exam.
Details of Thomas Jefferson High School Entrance Exam
The Thomas Jefferson high school entrance exam or admission test has been a significant issue of litigation for a couple of years now. Somewhere, the TJHSST board decided to eliminate the admission test for new applicants.
The reason is an attempt to balance the diversity of the students who were predominantly Asian Americans. The move was also to cater to historically underrepresented groups (economically disadvantaged students).
But it has been met with fierce resistance from Asian American parents who feel the elimination of the entrance exams has been disadvantageous to their children looking to get into the Thomas Jefferson high school for science and technology.
A Judge recently ruled that the admission test be restored and it is still up to the school to appeal the decision. We will keep you updated on the development as the case develops.
The admission test before the elimination consisted of three components: math, science, and language. Prospective students register for the TJ admissions test in October. The only requirement to apply for an eighth grader is a residency and that the student is either enrolled or has completed Algebra I.
In December, all applicants take a multiple-choice test. Students have two hours to complete the test, and the sections are not timed separately.
Applicants are ranked according to a combination of their overall score on the multiple TJ admissions test and their middle school GPA on a sliding scale; the higher the GPA, the lower the minimally required test score is.
Only grades in math, science, English, and history in the 7th and the first quarter of 8th grade are used to calculate the GPA.
To pass the Thomas Jefferson High School entrance exam, students must have;
- A minimum test score of 65 out of 100;
- A minimum math score of 30 out of 50; and
- A minimum GPA of 3.0
The TJ Admissions test is similar in structure to the SAT or PSAT with both math and verbal sections in multiple-choice format. Each test is worth 50 points. That’s all on the Thomas Jefferson high school entrance exam.