What’s Changed for the January 2026 Hunter Exam

1. The Math section is different. Hunter is testing out the licensed ISEE Middle Level math components to replace the in-house Hunter math items. This means that the math component will change from Hunter’s original math problems to ISEE-type reasoning and achievement problems. However, the English components will continue to be created by Hunter faculty. This calls for preparation to take into account both Hunter reading/writing and ISEE Middle Level math.

2. The near-miss pathway of the Academic Insights Profile (AIP) for 2025 onwards is still in effect; however, it is the only exception to the qualifying scores. Students who do not make the cut-off range in the AIP, even by one mark on one subtest, have no chance of retaking.

3. Applications are now submitted through Hunter’s online application portal. The current instructions can be found on hunterschools.org rather than prior years’ processes.

4. Cutoff scores for the January 2027 test will be made available by Hunter in the fall of 2026. At Kweller Prep, we monitor these developments and notify parents immediately once the scores are made known. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified!

Hunter College High School Admission Test FAQs

Q1: What Is The Hunter College High School Admissions Test?

The HCHS Admissions test is an English & Math exam with an essay that is administered to 6th grade students only for admission to Hunter High School from grades 7-12.

Q2: Where Is The Hunter College High School Test Held?

The exam is conducted at Hunter College High School located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as at Hunter College. The full address for the high school is 71 East 94th Street, New York, NY 10128. Overall, the exam is held in three different locations:

• HCHS — 94th St. between Park and Madison Avenues

• Hunter College — West Building at 68th St. and Lexington Avenue

• Hunter College — North Building at 69th St. between Park and Lexington Avenue

Note: Your child’s assigned test location appears on the admission ticket — always follow the ticket!

Q3: How Many Times Can My Child Take The Hunter College High School Exam?

There is only one time you can be accepted into Hunter College High School through an admissions test. There is only one time, and you will ONLY be accepted as a seventh-grader. “This exam is administered once a year with no make-up or rescheduled dates,” according to their website.

We know this may not seem fair, but we did not make up the rules, so please, don’t be mad at the messengers!

Q4: How Can My Child Take The Hunter College High School Test?

Eligibility is determined by your child’s scores in the 5th grade – but nobody is going to contact you to apply. It is up to parents to confirm that their child’s NYS ELA and Math scores (or the scores from an acceptable alternative test) have at least reached the threshold score on hunterschools.org before submitting the application before the deadline.

Qualifying thresholds vary every year. Those who fall short of the thresholds have an alternative route – Academic Insights Profile (AIP), as discussed under “What’s Changed” above. Below the threshold of AIP, students cannot sit for the exam that year.

The best form of protection is preparation for the 5th grade NYS ELA and Math state tests — something that Kweller Prep provides! Parents must also consider all options, including the Baccalaureate School entrance test, the gifted middle schools in the city, and private schools through the ISEE/SSAT test. Most of the private schools have outstanding scholarship programs for those scoring in the top percentile in the ISEE or SSAT.

Q5: What Are The Cut-Off Scores For The ELA & Math?

The cutoff scores vary each year and are published by the Hunterschools.org website each fall. For the last few years, the New York State cutoff scores have been in the mid to upper 400’s for the ELA exam and approximately 500 for Math – this is about the top 10% of test takers city wide. Your child must achieve BOTH scores in order to qualify. 

Students who attend private schools that do not give the NYS tests are usually required to score at the 90th percentile in both Reading and Math on one of the approved tests like ERB CTP 5, ITBS, Stanford 10, and NWEA MAP or score a stanine of 8 in both Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement on the ISEE Middle Level.

Q6: What If My Child Does Not Have 5th Grade Scores? Can He Or She Still Sit For The Test?

Yes. Those who don’t have qualifying scores will be allowed to write a standardized test once in the fall of 6th grade, either in a recognized test center or virtually through an independent proctor, with their scores being forwarded directly to Hunter by the deadline. You are only allowed to do this once, and the exam must be at the level appropriate for 7th grade entry. This applies even if your child was sick on the days of NYS test day or if they lived outside of NYS in the 5th grade.

Kweller Prep administers the Stanford-10 for families in this situation. Please email us at Ben@KwellerPrep.com if your child does not have 5th-grade scores and is interested in taking the Hunter Test.

Q7: How Competitive Is Admission To Hunter College High School?

This school is simply outstanding, located on the Upper East Side, and is totally free, which means that the competition is really tough. The students from all five boroughs of New York City compete for a handful of places. About 2,000 to 3,000 candidates take the test annually, and only about 125 seats are available. Thus, the admission rate is in single digits, which is equal to or even lower than those of Ivy League schools.

Hunter also houses an elementary school, which accepts students from the Manhattan borough only; the high school is open to all five boroughs.

Q8: What Kinds Of Colleges Do HCHS Students Later Attend?

Each year, approximately 25% of HCHS graduates are accepted into Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, and Dartmouth). Several more attend Stanford University and MIT. Over 90% of Hunter grads matriculate to a top-tier college.

Q9: Is Hunter High School A Specialized High School?

No. Hunter is not a Specialized High School and does not use the SHSAT for its admission process. Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Latin, and Brooklyn Technical are among the schools that require an SHSAT score — a completely separate exam that is now computer-adaptive. See Kweller Prep’s SHSAT FAQ page to learn more: https://www.kwellerprep.com/tutoring-services/shsat-exam-prep/shsat-faqs/

If you are interested in enrolling your child in our SHSAT prep course, please note Kweller Prep starts SHSAT classes the summer after 6th grade. The SHSAT takes place in the fall of 8th grade, with a second entry point in 9th grade; the exam is free and open to all NYC students, with no pre-qualification needed. We highly suggest two summers of practice before taking this difficult and important test.

Q10: Who Is In Charge Of Hunter College High School?

Hunter College High School is an institution that is solely funded by the Board of Higher Education of New York State, while Hunter College takes responsibility for administering the institution. There is also another organization known as the Hunter Parent Teachers’ Association which is responsible for funding the school with numerous resources. Hunter College High School is free from many regulations established by the Department of Education.

Q11: Is Taking The Test Worth It Then?

Definitely! If you get in, you receive a full six  years of outstanding education for free. Broken down per year, it’s certainly a steal!

Q12: How Do I Register For The Test?

Applications are to be completed using the online application system from Hunter which is Ravenna (www.ravenna-hub.com). Register for an account, pick Hunter from the list of organizations and then choose the HS Application and add the official score report where your child’s name, grade level, scores and year of exam are clearly visible. Email reports will not be accepted. Hunter has a lot of rules and regulations; therefore, please go through all the information carefully to ensure proper registration.

Q13: What If My Child Needs Test Accommodations (Extra Time Or A Scribe)?

There is nothing wrong with that. If your child already gets accommodations at school, then please send your child’s 504 Plan/IEP to Hunter using the process described in the application. Usually, Hunter provides extended time if your child already uses this accommodation at school. Getting accommodations will not affect your child’s chances to be accepted. You just have to provide proper documentation before their deadlines.

Here’s another piece of advice: don’t be scared to take the Hunter Test if you have accommodations! There are many students whom Kweller Prep successfully prepared for Hunter even with test accommodations. Just go ahead and take the test to the best of your ability!

Q14: When Is The Application Deadline?

The application window generally starts in early fall and ends in early to mid-November, when the online application process will close. There are no exceptions to that deadline and there are no late applications accepted. The exact dates are available each year in the fall on the website of hunterschools.org. This is the only way you can get your admission ticket for taking the exam. Kweller Prep announces the dates in our newsletter the moment they are released.

Q15: What Day Is The Hunter College High School Test?

The entrance test at HCHS takes place in the morning of a Friday towards late January. Prepare for wild blizzards, sub-zero weather, and heavy traffic. You and your 12-year-old may have to stand outside in the cold weather around 7:30 in the morning just before a very competitive three hour long entrance test. Be sure to dress appropriately.

Q16: How Long Is The Test?

Test time is 3 hours total, including the essay writing period. The sections do not have individual timers – it’s up to you to allocate your own time among Critical Reading, Math, and the Essay, and then the proctor will collect all your tests after three hours have elapsed. Reminder: the format of the Math test is changing as of January 2027 – see “What’s Changed” above.

Q17: What Time Does The Exam Start?

Previously, the exam would start at 9:00 AM, but both the students and the parents were already there by 8:00 AM, with some of them even arriving at 7:30 AM. Be prepared for extremely cold weather that day, along with thousands of other parents and kids who will be at the test sites.

Q18: What Is The Breakdown For The Hunter Admissions Test?

The test contains three sections:

• A Critical Reading section — about 50 multiple-choice reading comprehension questions

• A Mathematics section — about 84 multiple-choice questions, now drawn from licensed ISEE Middle Level material rather than Hunter’s traditional in-house questions (previously 30 math questions)

• One Essay

Each multiple-choice question has five possible answer choices: A, B, C, D, or E.

Essays are only read for students whose multiple-choice scores clear that year’s cutoff — roughly the top 500 test-takers. For those students, the essay decides admission.

There is NO GUESSING PENALTY — make sure to answer every multiple-choice question. You never know!

Q19: What If My Child Goes To Hunter For Elementary School? Does That Guarantee Admission To The High School?

Not necessarily. Hunter admits roughly 45–50 students from its elementary school into the high school each year, if they demonstrate satisfactory progress through 5th grade.

Q20: What Are Some Interesting Facts About Hunter College High School?

1. Hunter places the majority of its students in top universities — roughly 25% are accepted into Ivy League colleges, and over 90% attend a top-tier college or program.

2. Hunter is an open campus: students can leave the building for lunch and walk the beautiful Upper East Side during free periods — Central Park is only a block away.

3. Hunter College High School is completely free, and one of the absolute best high schools in the United States.

4. There are about 180–200 students in each grade (7–12).

5. Class sizes average 20–25 students — significantly smaller than many public schools, including Stuyvesant, which averages 30–35.

6. During 12th grade, students can take classes at Columbia University for college-transferable credits.

7. Students must take French, Latin, or Spanish starting in the 7th grade. 

8. The Wall Street Journal refers to Hunter as a “feeder school” — a major sender — to the Ivy Leagues.

9. Hunter is consistently ranked as one of the top public high schools in the nation.

10. Although completely free and technically “public,” many say Hunter operates like an elite Upper East Side private school — the kind that charges $60,000 a year in tuition.

Q21: Are Calculators Allowed For The Test?

No. Calculators of any form are not permitted on this test.

Q22: When Do I Get My Test Results?

Timing for result release has been variable over the last few years. For the most recent test, the families got their results in March. Hunter emails the results to the parents; avoid calling the admissions office.

Q23: What’s The Difference Between Stuyvesant High School And Hunter College High School?

1. To get into Hunter, you take Hunter’s admissions test in January of 6th grade. To get into Stuyvesant, you take the SHSAT in the fall of 8th grade (or in 9th grade for a second entry point). Hunter has one opportunity to take the exam; Stuyvesant has two.

2. Hunter starts from Grade 7, while Stuyvesant starts from Grade 9.

3. Hunter is more of a humanities (English & writing) based school, while Stuyvesant is more science and math-based. Hunter students are well-known for their outstanding writing abilities.

4. Stuyvesant, with thousands of students, is located in downtown Manhattan; Hunter, with hundreds, is on the Upper East Side.

5. Hunter is affiliated with Hunter College — students can take classes there for transferable CUNY credits, and can also take Columbia University classes for credit. Stuyvesant does not have any college affiliation.

6. Overall, both schools’ reputations are excellent.

7. Kweller Prep offers prep classes and private tutoring for both of the tests. Though both tests have English and Mathematics, their formats and types of questions are different, with the new SHSAT being a computer-adaptive test. You need to study separately for both the tests as preparation for one cannot fully be used for the other.

8. The Hunter exam requires students to write an essay; the SHSAT has no essay at all.

Q24: What Is The Hunter Qualifying Exam, And Who Needs It?

Students who have not completed the 5th-grade NYS test or any other form of approved alternative test will be allowed to take one standardized test during the fall of their 6th-grade year in order to determine whether they are eligible for Hunter. This applies to new students in New York, homeschoolers, and students that are from non-testing schools. Only one attempt is permitted — there are no retakes.

Q25: How Does My Child Take A Qualifying Exam?

Please follow the guidelines of “no scores” at hunterschools.org. The approved tests can only be taken in a testing center. The official scores need to be reported directly from the testing center to the Hunter Admissions Office before the stated deadline. Passing score implies the 90th national percentile in Reading and Math, or stanine 8 in Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement on the ISEE Middle Level Test, which should be taken during the fall testing season at ISEE.

For families looking for this, Kweller Prep gives the Stanford-10 test at our Forest Hills facility. Email Ben@KwellerPrep.com for more information.

Q26: What Does The Qualifying Exam Cost?

Testing fees vary by exam and testing center. Families receiving benefits such as SNAP or Cash Assistance may qualify for fee waivers at select centers — contact the testing center directly. As always with Hunter, pay on time and submit documentation early. Missing a deadline can cost your child the chance to test at all.

Q27: What Is The Best Way To Prepare For The Hunter College High School Examination?

Kweller Prep. At Kweller Prep, students will be taking numerous proctored practice exams and solving some of the most challenging reading, writing, and math problems on the Hunter entrance test, including the new format of the ISEE Middle Level math section, under the guidance of expert tutors who have graduated from Hunter College High School. Classes are held both in person at our big, spacious, family-oriented location in Forest Hills and online via Zoom. See our website for more details or sign up for classes at www.KwellerPrep.com.