Synopsis
Peterson's Master the Catholic High School Entrance Exams is the comprehensive test-prep book for scoring high on Catholic high school entrance exams. The book includes 6 full-length tests (two each for the HSPT, COOP and TACHS) with detailed answer explanations, and includes valuable information on test, format, type of questions, and how tests are scored. With expert tips that guide students through verbal and quantitative exercises.
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Master The Catholic High School Entrance Exams - 2011
Prepare for the TACHS, COOP, and HSPTBy Peterson'sPeterson's
Copyright © 2010 Peterson'sAll right reserved.
ISBN: 9780768928587
PART I
TACKLING THE EXAMS
- CHAPTER 1 All About the New York City Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS)
- CHAPTER 2 All About the Cooperative Entrance Exam (COOP)
- CHAPTER 3 All About the High School Placement Test (HSPT)
- CHAPTER 4 All About the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
- CHAPTER 5 All About the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE)
- CHAPTER 6 Test-Taking Techniques
chapter 1
All About the New York City Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS)
OVERVIEW
• The TACHS exam format
• About the TACHS questions
• Summing it up
OVERVIEW
The Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS) is the entrance examination for eighth-grade students wishing to attend a Catholic high school in New York City beginning in the ninth grade. If you are currently in the eighth grade or will be in the eighth grade and are planning to attend a Catholic high school in the ninth grade, this is the exam you will take as part of your admissions process. You may take the exam only once. If you are planning to attend a New York City Catholic high school as a tenth-, eleventh-or twelfth-grader, you will not need to take the TACHS. Instead, you will need to apply directly to the high school you wish to attend.
The TACHS tests basic knowledge in the areas of reading, language arts, math, and general reasoning ability. The specific details of each of these sections will be discussed later. The TACHS is an instrument used to help high schools make decisions about admissions and placement of eighth-graders into the high school setting as ninth-graders. Therefore, the exam is not designed to trick applicants or present any extremely difficult challenges for applicants. Rather, the TACHS tests knowledge and skills that have been determined to be standard for eighth-grade students. Knowing this ahead of time should help you relax and do your best on the exam.
Results from the exam will be sent to up to three Catholic high schools of your choice. If you are currently enrolled in a Catholic elementary school, your school will also receive the results of your exam. If you are not currently enrolled in a Catholic school, results of the exam will be sent to your home.
You can register for the exam via the Internet or by phone or paper registration. Be sure to complete and submit the Eligibility Form for Students Needing Extended Testing Time, if applicable. Upon registration, you will receive an Admit Card that will confirm your test site.
You must bring this Admit Card with you on the day of the test. Complete registration information, including important dates, registration procedures, registration fees, and testing locations can be found online at www.tachsinfo.com.
THE TACHS EXAM FORMAT
The multiple-choice answer format is used throughout the TACHS exam. Most answer choices are given in sets of four, and the sets are grouped as (A), (B), (C), (D) or as (J), (K), (L), (M). For example, the first question might use (A), (B), (C), (D) as the answer choices, and the next question might use (J), (K), (L), (M). Answer choices in the Spelling section are given in groups of five, and the sets are grouped as (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) or as (J), (K), (L), (M), (N). This design should help you keep your place as you flip back and forth between the test booklet and the answer sheet.
ABOUT THE TACHS QUESTIONS
Let’s take a look at each one of the sections of the exam, so you have a good idea about what to expect when you take the exam.
Reading
The Reading section of the TACHS contains two parts. Part 1 of the Reading section deals with vocabulary. Here you will be presented with vocabulary words within the context of short phrases. You will be asked to select from a group of possible answers the word that means the same or nearly the same as the underlined vocabulary word in the short phrase. Vocabulary words that appear on the exam may be nouns, verbs, and modifiers. Approximately the same number of each will appear on the exam.
Q: To roam the plains
(A) follow
(B) wander
(C) disguise
(D) destroy
A:The correct answer is (B). Wander means nearly the same as roam.
Part 2 of the Reading section measures ability in reading comprehension, or how well you understand what you read. In Part 2, you will be presented with a number of reading passages of varying length. Some passages may be only a few lines while others may be up to a page in length. Reading passages will vary in content. Some passages may be fiction and may include fables, stories, and excerpts from previously published works. Other passages will be nonfiction and may include such topics as social studies and science. The exam will test your ability to comprehend what you read and will not test your understanding of science and social studies, for example. For the most part, you will be asked to make inferences or generalizations about what you read. You may be asked to identify the meaning of a word or phrase in context, to identify the main idea of the passage, and to determine what might come next in the story or to “read between the lines.”
Q: Paul Grisham, as a young boy, sold newspapers on the street corner to help his family. He went to work before sunrise, worked until it was time for school, and then returned home after school. Paul walked everywhere he went, regardless of the weather. The work ethic he developed as a youngster contributed to his eventual financial success as an adult.
Based on the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Paul’s family when he was a child?
(A) Paul’s family had very little money.
(B) Paul’s family was very wealthy.
(C) Paul’s family lived in the country.
(D) Paul’s family was very large.
A: The correct answer is (A).
Language
The Language section of the TACHS tests different skills and abilities in the language arts. This section covers spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage, and expression.
The first portion of the TACHS Language section tests your knowledge of spelling. You will be presented with four words, one of which may be spelled incorrectly. You will also be presented with a fifth choice, “No mistakes,” in case all four words are correct. This actually tests your knowledge of four words at a time. Spelling errors you may see on the test include common mistakes in adding unnecessary letters, omitting letters, or reversing letters.
Q: (A) demolition
(B) cordial
(C) ocasional
(D) pleasant
(E) (No mistakes)
A: The correct answer is (C). The correct spelling is occasional.
The second portion of the Language section tests your skill and ability in capitalization. You will be given several lines including words that are capitalized and words that are not. You will be asked to find mistakes in capitalization. You will also be presented with a fourth choice, “No mistakes,” in the event that there are no capitalization errors. Capitalization errors include capitalizing when unnecessary and not capitalizing when necessary for such things as names, holidays, organizations, and titles.
Q: (A) The services for easter
(B) will be held at St. John’s
(C) located at 123 Main Street.
(D) (No mistakes)
A: The correct answer is (A). Easter should be capitalized.
The third portion of the Language section tests your skill and ability in punctuation. You will be given several lines of writing in which you are to identify punctuation errors. You will be given a fourth choice, “No mistakes,” in the event that there are no punctuation errors. You may find errors in punctuation dealing with commas, semicolons, periods, and apostrophes.
Q: (A) The city council met last night
(B) and decided to lower taxes.
(C) in the Brooksmith neighborhood.
(D) (No mistakes)
A: The correct answer is (B). There should be no period at the end of choice (B).
The fourth portion of the Language section measures your ability in usage. You will be presented with several lines of text. You will need to find errors in the underlined parts of the text. These errors may include misuse of verbs, nouns, pronouns, and modifiers. You will also be given a fourth choice, “No change,” in the event that there are no mistakes. You will see examples of these types of questions in Part IV.
The fifth portion of the Language section tests your ability in expression. You will be given several lines of text or a paragraph with questions following it. You will be looking for errors in expression, organization, and clarity.
Q: (1) Jerry and Javon usually don’t like to ride roller coasters. (2) Since, they might make an exception if they get to spend spring break at Disney World.
(A) Because
(B) However
(C) On account of
(D) (No change)
A: The correct answer is (B).
Math
The Math section of TACHS measures your ability to solve math problems in a variety of ways. For each math question, you will be given answer choices from which to choose. The first portion tests your knowledge of math concepts such as fractions, factors, multiples, multiplication, division, and decimals.
Q: The fraction Art_P9by10.jpg can also be expressed as which of the following decimals?
(A) 0.9
(B) 0.09
(C) 0.009
(D) 9.0
A: The correct answer is (A).
The second portion of this section tests your ability to solve word problems using the basic math concepts mentioned above.
Q: Gail has Art_P2by3.jpg as many French fries as Mindy. Mindy has 12 French fries. How many French fries does Gail have?
(A) 8
(B) 9
(C) 10
(D) Not given
A: The correct answer is (A).
The third portion of this section measures your ability to estimate, or do the math in your head, without using a pencil and paper.
Q: The closest estimate of 3.9 × 4.1 is _____.
(A) 9
(B) 12
(C) 16
(D) 20
A: The correct answer is (C).
The fourth portion of this section measures your ability to interpret data, or to work with charts and graphs.
Q: The chart above shows the annual production of DVDs in various countries as measured in millions. Based on the information in the chart, about how many DVDs does Japan produce each year?
(A) 70
(B) 70,000,000
(C) 60
(D) 60,000,000
A: The correct answer is (B).
Ability
The Ability section of the exam tests your abstract reasoning ability. You will be presented with visual tasks that require you to generalize from one item or series of items to another. These are reasoning skills that are going to be tested, not academic abilities, so don’t worry if this sounds unlike anything you’ve been taught in school. Identifying patterns and looking ahead for the logical outcome of series of changes to shapes is all that will be required of you in this section.
Q: Art_P009.jpg
A: The correct answer is (B).
SUMMING IT UP
• The Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS) is for eighth-grade students wishing to attend a Catholic high school in New York City beginning in the ninth grade.
• The TACHS tests basic knowledge in the areas of reading, language arts, math, and general reasoning ability.
• The TACHS uses a multiple-choice answer format, and the testing time is approximately 2 hours.
• Complete registration information, including important dates, registration procedures, registration fees, and testing locations can be found online at www.tachsinfo.com.
Continues...
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