During the fall of 2012, eighth-grade students in the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York will be taking the Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS). The TACHS will test current eighth-grade students who are interested in attending a Catholic high school beginning September, 2013.

In order to be admitted into one of the 20 Catholic high schools in the Brooklyn Diocese, eighth graders should take the TACHS on Saturday, Nov. 10. The cost of the exam is $52.

During the test, students indicate three schools to which they would like their results submitted. Once the tests are scored, the results are sent with students’ elementary school records to the high schools of their choice. Acceptance letters will begin arriving at students’ homes in January.

The TACHS measures academic achievement in reading, language arts and mathematics, along with general reasoning skills. The exam is a norm-referenced standardized test. Scores are based on a national sample that compares the students’ scores to the scores of other eighth graders measured at the same time of year that the TACHS is administered. In addition, scores are compared to the scores of all students tested on the TACHS exam this fall.

Students interested in taking the TACHS should obtain a copy of the 2012 TACHS Student Handbook, which will be available in early September at Catholic elementary and high schools as well as public schools with eighth-grade classes. This handbook contains details about the exam, including an event calendar, registration information, high school open house and fair information, a form for students to request extended testing time and sample test questions.

A great way to prepare for the exam is to answer the practice questions in the handbook. Making sure the student has a full night’s rest before the test and arrives at the test site on time will also help a student do his or her best on the exam.

For more detailed information, visit www.tachsinfo.com.