Queens, NY – Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reached out to Dr. Ivan Khan, CEO & President of Khan’s Tutorial about the new changes made to the SHSAT, the entrance exam for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, & Brooklyn Tech and the new Specialized High Schools. While it was recently announced that the scrambled paragraph and logical reasoning sections would be omitted from the exam, the Department of Education has made several additional changes:
1. The Verbal section of the SHSAT will now have 20 questions where students will have to grammatically revise sentences.
2. The Math section of the SHSAT will have 5 questions where students will have to write in their own answers instead of the usual multiple choice.
3. The exam will have 114 questions (previously 95 questions) and students will have 180 minutes (previously 150 minutes) to complete the test.
4. Multiple choice questions will now have 4 answer choices (previously 5 answer choices).
When Wall Street Journal reporter Leslie Brody reached out to Khan’s Tutorial, Dr. Ivan Khan was optimistic about the math section stating, “That’s a fantastic change that will help even the playing field. It’s less about relying on the process of elimination and proves the student’s ability.”
In order to keep up with the Department of Education’s changes Khan’s Tutorial’s SHSAT team has been working to update their curriculum, KT Original Diagnostic Exams, and better prepare their students for the unfamiliar content. Dr. Ivan Khan recently led a training session for all new KT SHSAT Instructors with plans and strategies for tackling the new sections. Additionally, all current Khan’s Tutorial Instructors, Managers, and Directors will be trained to answer questions from families regarding the new exam. Finally, KT leaders will be discussing the changes with parents during parent-teacher conferences.
With 10 locations in the outer boroughs of New York City, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and in the Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Astoria, Ozone Park, and Floral Park neighborhoods of Queens, Khan’s Tutorial primarily serves in assisting families in low-income, new immigrant neighborhoods. Over 2,217 students have gained admission to New York City’s Specialized High Schools through Khan’s Tutorial since its inception in 1994.