How To Get Into Brooklyn Tech

Brooklyn Technical High School, (commonly known as “Brooklyn Tech”), is one of the best high schools in New York City and consistently ranks in the top hundred high schools for New York State. Brooklyn Tech is one of the specialized high schools in NYC, but students don't need to show a portfolio of work or do any interviews. In fact, the only way to be accepted is to ace the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) in the fall for entry the following year. Read on to find out how to get into Brooklyn Tech and whether it is the right school for you if you qualify.

BROOKLYN TECH HIGH SCHOOL | SCHOOL OVERVIEW

Brooklyn Technical High School specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The school sends many of its students to top universities every year, and has a lot of famous alumni in many different fields. It is well-known for its challenging academics and lots of high tech, hands-on learning. The school's campus is adjacent to Fort Greene Park, and is situated in a mostly residential area. The facilities are large and filled with the latest technology, but you may get lost among the 5,000 students who attend the school, which is the largest of all the specialized high schools. For more information, check out the Brooklyn Tech website.

HOW TO GET INTO BROOKLYN TECH | ADMISSIONS INFORMATION

Brooklyn Tech is one of the specialized high schools in New York City, so admittance is only granted through getting a top score on the SHSAT.

BROOKLYN TECH | WHAT IS THE SHSAT?

This comprehensive exam is broken into math and verbal – the math questions are all multiple-choice and make up roughly half the exam. The verbal section consists of revising and editing questions and reading comprehension questions, but students can rest easy that there is no mandatory essay. Also, there is no guessing penalty for performance on the exam, so students should choose answers for every question.

BROOKLYN TECH | HOW IS THE SHSAT SCORED? WHAT IS THE FORMAT?

The entire exam lasts approximately three hours, and it is self-timed. This means students need to study and to practice timing themselves with a watch so they can build up stamina for the real test.

Scoring on the SHSAT is done by the Department of Education, which administers the test. Every year, the DOE curves test results to reach the right target student performance, and they allocate scaled scores to the test-takers from 200 through 800. These scores are key for high school admittance, because the high schools all have specific cutoff scores for their new freshman classes.

Admission to Brooklyn Tech is highly competitive. The acceptance rate is approximately 8%.

Cutoff score for Brooklyn Tech in 2023 was 503*

*Cut-off scores for each school vary yearly, determined simply by the number of open places in each school and how the candidates score. The DOE does not publish score results, the numbers below are self-reported by interested parents on public forums.

BROOKLYN TECH | HOW SHOULD STUDENTS TIME THEMSELVES?

For some middle school students, the SHSAT may be the first exam they take under self-timed conditions. This means that even though the full exam has a strict time limit, no one tells students when to start and stop each individual section. It is key that students take several practice tests under the two and a half hour limit, during which they practice tracking how long questions take on their own. Otherwise, students may find themselves running out of time on test day.

BROOKLYN TECH | HOW TO REGISTER AND PREPARE FOR THE SHSAT

Interested students need to speak with their middle school guidance counselors and get an SHSAT admissions ticket. During this registration process, students will be assigned a test date in the fall, usually in late October. There are accommodations available for anyone who identifies as a Sabbath observer.

The SHSAT is a comprehensive and lengthy exam, so students must study hard to get top scores and join a specialized high school in the fall. More information on the SHSAT is available on our earlier blog post, and it includes lots of useful details about studying and getting up to speed before the test.

What's next?

This article has provided an overview of how to get into Brooklyn Tech. To get more details go directly to the Brooklyn Tech website. For more info on the SHSAT, get the DOE Student Handbook for the Specialized Science High Schools, which contains many official practice questions and much more.