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Test Preparation for the TJ Admissions Test

The best preparation for the TJ Admissions Test is having taken challenging courses in elementary and middle school, reading a great deal, and doing math problems beyond those required in class. A good night's sleep the night before the test and a good breakfast on test day also are important.

There is a test handbook, The Student Handbook for the Admissions Test for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which you also can use to learn more about the admissions test. This handbook is a 56-page manual providing a description of the standardized test, details about the test items, strategies for answering each item type, general test-taking hints, and a complete sample test with answers and explanations for the answers. The Student Handbook for the Admissions Test is available for you to read online and print. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to read the file. Each public middle school also has a limited number of copies of the handbook for students without computer access.

The Fairfax County Public Schools Student Handbook for the Admissions Test for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology© NCS Pearson, Inc., 5601 Green Valley Drive, Bloomington, MN 55437, is posted on this Internet site with the permission of Pearson Assessments, a business of NCS Pearson, formerly AGS Publishing. All rights reserved. www.pearsonassessments.com

Please note that the handbook is not available at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology or at the Admissions Office.

Fairfax County and some of the participating school divisions offer TJ test preparation classes in the summer and fall. The fall 2007 Fairfax County TJ test preparation classes will be listed in the Adult and Community Education, ACE Classes (mailed to all Fairfax County residents in August). Information also will be available on the Fairfax County Public School's website: FCPS ACE, TJ Test Prep.

FAQ's About the Admissions Test

Test Content
Q: What kind of a test is the admissions test?
A: It is a math and verbal reasoning test, measuring not what a student knows but how well he/she can use knowledge gained over the previous 7 years of schooling.

Q: How many items are on the test?
A: There are 120 items on the test 70 verbal and 50 math.

Q: What kinds of items are asked on the test?
A: The verbal items include word meanings, logical reasoning, analogies, and reading comprehension. The math items include word and computational problems and quantitative comparisons. The math items include some algebra and geometry questions related to material covered in fifth through seventh grade mathematics.

Q: Who has developed and provided the test?
A: American Guidance Service, Inc. (AGS), now a division of Pearson Education, Inc., has custom made the test for Fairfax County Public Schools. AGS provides similar tests for other magnet schools in the country.

Test Preparation
Q: How can you prepare on your own for the test?
A: Begin by reviewing a copy of The Student Handbook for the Admissions Test for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which is available for students who want more information and practice for the test. You can download a copy of the handbook as indicated in the "Test Preparation" section above. If you want extra practice questions, there are several additional resources that might be helpful. Various commercial publishers, including but not limited to Barron's and Princeton Review, have published study aids for tests that are similar to the TJ Admissions Test (such as the SSAT, the Secondary School Admissions Test, and the SSHSAT, the New York City Specialized Science High Schools Admissions Test). These test preparation books usually start with a title such as "How to Prepare for," and sometimes are available at local bookstores and otherwise are easily ordered from online booksellers. Many students have found these books to be helpful and several of them have been used in test preparation classes. If you use any of these test guides, compare them carefully to the handbook regarding the TJ Admissions Test, because the contents of these tests vary.

Q: What else can you do to prepare for the test?
A: There are several other things you can do on your own to prepare for the admissions test, including the following: (1) Read, Read, Read: Read for vocabulary and for comprehension. Look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary and work on building your vocabulary skills. Have your parents or an older sibling help you with reading comprehension by reading the same newspaper or magazine articles and discussing them with you; (2) Get Extra Math Practice: Do the extra credit problems, or the unassigned problems, for math homework. Get in the practice of working without a calculator (you cannot use one on test day); (3) Write Daily: Work on your essay writing skills. All applicants must write two essays on test day (see below for more information on the essays) and extra writing practice can be useful. Even if you only write for five minutes a day, a daily focus on writing will help combat "writer's block" on test day.

Essays
Q: What types of essays are students asked to write?
A: Students write two essays at the time of testing in December. One essay focuses on real-world problem solving, often with an ethical component. The other essay requires self-assessment or self-reflection by the applicant.

Q: What might an essay question ask?
A: An example of the question that focuses on real-world problem solving, possibly with an ethical component, is the following: "As a member of a U.S. research team seeking to develop a vaccine for a common form of cancer, you have the option of working with a lab in another country that is doing the same research and is interested in collaboration. Do you choose to work as a single U.S. research team (which may take longer to produce results but bring prestige to your team) or to work with the other country's team (which may bring earlier but shared success)? Include your reasons and ramifications of your choice."

An example of the question that focuses on self-assessment or self-reflection is the following: "Please discuss in detail an activity in science, mathematics, or technology in which you have been involved in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade that has had a significant impact on your interest in science, mathematics, or technology."

Q: How much time and space is allowed for the essays?
A: Students have one hour to write two essays. Each essay is written on a special one-page form provided to the applicant. Applicants must write their essays in the lined box provided on the form.

Q: How are essays evaluated?
A: Each semifinalist's essays are read and scored by two trained readers. The essays are scored according to specific rubrics designed for each essay, and students receive a score between 0 and 5. An essay with a score of 5 is an outstanding essay, while an essay with a score of 0 is non-responsive, irrelevant to the topic, incomplete, and/or illegible.

Q: When are essays evaluated?
A: Essays are evaluated by trained readers/educators after the semifinalist pool is determined in early February 2008. The readers read and score only the essays of semifinalists.

Test Day Questions
Q: What if an applicant is sick on the day of the test?
A: Do not attend on the test day, December 1, 2007, if you are ill. There will be a makeup day later that week on a school day. If a student misses the test day because of illness, the applicant's parent must call the Admissions Office (703-658-5823) the Monday following test day (December 3, 2007) to explain the absence and to arrange for the student to take the test on the makeup day.

Q: What if it is snowing on test day?
A: Listen to your radio or tune to TV Cable Channel 21 (the FCPS Red Apple channel) beginning at 6:00 a.m., or call the Fairfax County Public Schools Hotline at 1-800-839-3277, for any announcements regarding the TJ Admissions Test. If there is a heavy snowstorm, the admissions test may be postponed. If school buildings are open, however, the test will proceed. Check the sources listed above first before heading out to the test site.

Q: What if the test is postponed because of the weather?
A: If the test is postponed, it will be held on Saturday, December 8, 2007, at the same time and at the same locations scheduled for December 1, 2007. No additional notification is sent regarding the snow date.

Q: What should I bring to the test?
A: You should bring the testing newsletter you received in the mail the week before the test, three #2 pencils with erasers, and two ballpoint pens (blue or black ink only). You also may bring an extra eraser, a watch (with NO alarm, calculator, or memory features), Kleenex, sweater or sweatshirt, and a small snack (to be consumed during the break only). Do not bring anything else with you.

Q: Can I bring a calculator?
A: No. Calculators are not allowed during the admissions test. Possession of a calculator during testing can result in an applicant's disqualification from the admissions process.

Q: Can I bring a cell phone with me?
A: Cell phones are not allowed at test sites. Applicants may not leave the test site earlier than the 1:00 p.m. dismissal time, and parents can easily make arrangements for transportation home prior to the test. If you bring a cell phone with you, the phone will be collected from you before testing begins and you may pick it up after students are dismissed. Possession of a cell phone during testing can result in an applicant's disqualification from the admissions process.

Q: Is the test offered at other times during the year?
A: The TJ test is administered only in December (on December 1, 2007 or on the date the week following for students requesting testing accommodations or alternate-date testing) for winter-round applicants and in July (on July 8, 2008) for summer-round applicants only.

Q: Do applicants to the sophomore and junior classes take the TJ admissions test?
A: No. The required testing for applicants to the sophomore and junior classes is the PSAT or the SAT. See the information below regarding that testing.