TACHS

The Test for Admission into Catholic High School (TACHS) is an admissions exam offered to students in 8th grade seeking admission to catholic high schools (entering 9th grade). The exam is intended to evaluate skills related to reading, written expression, mathematics, and logical reasoning.

The following table illustrates the general structure of TACHS exams. TACHS exams are opaque, meaning limited information is available about timing and structure outside of testing sessions.

The reading section evaluates how well students understand what they read.

In this section, students are tasked with reading passages and answering questions about what they read. Passages may be either informational or literary.

The written expression section focuses on mastery of standard English grammar and conventions in two parts.

The first part presents students with sections of writing, followed by questions about changes to the writing. The second part requires students to determine whether short pieces of writing contain mistakes.

The mathematics section tests knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts.

The ability section attempts to understand students' logical reasoning abilities and problem solving skills.

It presents students with logical and spatial puzzles that emphasize three-dimensional thinking. Questions may test knowledge that students have not directly been taught.