Testing

List of 2 items.

• ROUND 1

  Round 1 (R1) is the first of two rounds of assessment within the HCES admissions process. In R1, the parent/guardian brings the child to the office of an HCCS-approved tester so that an assessment of intellectual reasoning and cognitive abilities can be administered to the child. The fee for this test is $375.00, payable to the tester. (Financial assistance for Round 1 testing is available. Please visit the "Reduced Fee" section of this website or contact the office at admissions@hunterschools.org, or at 212-860-1401.)

  
  After the child’s application is submitted, Round 1 will proceed as follows:

  1. An email will be sent to the family with the following:
     1. All information, policies AND deadline dates pertaining to the Round 1 appointment;
     2. A list of HCCS-approved testers. Parents may NOT contact multiple testers to check availability. *  
     3. A Confidentiality Consent Form – to be completed and submitted to the tester prior to the R1 testing appointment. Parents/guardians must affirm that their child has neither been tested with, nor been exposed to, materials from any measure of intellectual or cognitive ability in the last year+. Otherwise, parents/guardians must discuss prior exposure with the Director of Admissions prior to making an appointment.
     4. The fee of $375.00 (check, money order, or electronic method) made payable to the tester and submitted prior to the R1 appointment, in a manner specified by the tester. (Financial assistance is available to those who qualify.)
     5. An understanding by the parents/guardians that the R1 score report and feedback on performance will be sent directly to the HCES Admissions Office and will not be shared with the family or any third party.

   

  *Due to our limited number of testers and their scheduling constraints, families may contact only one to check availability. Unless given permission to do so by a tester or the admissions staff, contacting more than one tester will jeopardize a child’s chance to continue with Round 1.

  
  
  

  Parents are not permitted in the room with their child during the test administration. Though testing time varies, the session generally lasts 30-60 minutes. 

  
  Testing is available only in English; translation services are not available. Children must have adequate, fundamental skills in English to progress through the test, and, ultimately, to benefit from the ES program. (Parents of multilingual children may contact the Admissions Office with questions.)

  
  Contact the Admissions Office via email to inquire about testing accommodations for children with physical difficulties, or documented disabilities, such as color blindness or hearing impairment.

   

  In early December, HCCS Admissions will determine advancement to Round 2 and notify all families (via email) of whether or not their child is advancing to the next round.

  
  

  +A NOTE ABOUT “PREPPING” FOR THE TEST:

  HCCS strongly discourages exposing children to ANY test in order to prepare for the Hunter admissions process. "Teaching" these tests in advance invalidates the outcome. Tests include, but are not limited to the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales, Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children. HCCS Testers will inform the Director of Admissions if they believe a child has had experience with or exposure to any test items or activities. HCCS reserves the right to disqualify any child from the admissions process if there is evidence that Round 1 is not the child’s first experience with any of the aforementioned tests. In the case of disqualification for prior exposure, the testing fee is not refunded.

• ROUND 2

  Round 2 (R2) is the second of the assessment rounds within the HCES admissions process. Details about the Round 2 session will be shared only with those advancing to Round 2. There is no fee for the Round 2 phase.

   

  In 2024, Round 2 sessions will occur between Monday, December 4 and Friday, December 15. Candidates advancing to R2 will be invited to an assessment session on one day during that period.

   

  Candidates advancing to Round 2 will be asked to submit additional information:

  1. the Parents’/Guardians’ Observation Form
  2. the Preschool Teacher Observation Form,
  3. Proof of NYC residency, demonstrated ONLY with a 2022 IT-201 NY State tax return. Contact HCCS Admissions with questions.

   

  Admissions decisions will not be made without these four submissions.

  
  Following Round 2, candidates will be reviewed by the HCES Selection Committee and it will submit its recommendations to the Director of Admissions. Based on that feedback, admission offers will be extended to 50 candidates. A small number of candidates will receive waitlist offers.  

   

  NOTE: The Selection Committee makes decisions without knowledge of the child’s name, address, or family information. No preference is given to “legacies,” siblings of alumni, or siblings of current HCES or HCHS students. 

  
  All families who have advanced to Round 2 will be notified of decisions via email in early February 2023. Typically, any offer of admission or offer for a place on the wait list, must be accepted or declined within one week.

  
  The HCES wait list comprises children from the Round 2 finalist pool. Students not advancing to Round 2 will not be considered for wait list placement.