Exam schools

What are the specialized high schools? More than 25,000 students take the specialized science high school entrance exam (SSHAT) to vie for 5,000 seats at the specialized high schools, also called the exam schools. The exam is given early on a Saturday morning in October. (There are nine specialized high schools; eight use the entrance exam. The ninth specialized high school isLaGuardia High School for Music and Art and Performing Arts, and entrance is by audition.) The exam schools are:

• Stuyvesant
• High School for Math Science and Engineering at City College
• Bronx Science
• Brooklyn Tech
• Brooklyn Latin
• High School of American Studies at Lehman College
• Queens High School of Science at York College
• [Staten Island Technical School
  

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Some kids study for years to take this exam. The city offers a free test prep class for eligible students, called the DREAM Specialized High School Institute, which begins in sixth grade.