Bright and early, on the cold morning of Saturday, December 6, more than 500 junior high students arrived at Marist to take the HSPT exam, also known as just the High School Entrance Exam.
The HSPT determines not only whether or not these students will attend Marist for their freshman year, but also which classes they will take. There are typically five sections of the test, including verbal skills, quantitative skills, reading, math, and language.
On the first Saturday of December every year, students arrive at 8:00 a.m. to take the test. This year, 532 students walked into Marist that day.
“That’s a little bit less than last year, about nine students lower,” said Admissions Director Kelsey Callahan. “But I’m still happy with the number. Over 500 is great!”
That day, as students arrived on campus and walked in, a group of Marist students and faculty were outside cheering them on. Both the inside of the school and the parking lot were filled with students.
Many people, both those who took the test this year, and those who look back on their own experience now, can relate to two aspects of it: the anxiety beforehand, and the sheer number of fellow test-takers around them.
“Walking in, there were hundreds of kids. Lots of cars, and lots of kids walking in and out of the building,” said current 8th grader Luke Malfas. “It was a little intimidating as well, but you get used to it.”
“I was honestly terrified when I first entered Marist,” said current freshman Sophia Guzman, who took the exam last year. “I really stressed over the test, but I found the teachers to be nice. After the test, I dreaded waiting for the results.”
Many preparations had been made before the big day as the Marist admissions team got ready to welcome the future Redhawks.
“Leading up to the test, we have to make sure that we have tests ordered, make sure faculty knows where they’re going to proctor all the classrooms, and make sure we’re ready to welcome the class of 2030,” said Callahan.
Of course, the process behind getting the students accepted into Marist doesn’t end on the day of the test. In fact, these tests are only the beginning of the lengthy process.
“This was the first start to their applications,” said Callahan. “What makes up a student’s application are the results of the placement test, their grades from seventh and eighth grade, and then standardized test scores from both grades. From there, a team from the admissions committee looks individually at each student profile to make a placement based on that data.”
