MEK Review’s 20th Annual BCA Test Event & Parent Seminar was a huge success! Thank you to all who attended and participated
We had 100 students take a free full-length Bergen County Academies admission test, while their parents learned all about the admissions process for 3 prestigious magnet schools in Bergen County: Bergen County Academies, Bergen Tech, and Academy @ Englewood.
If you were unable to attend, don’t worry!
Here is a quick recap of what you missed at the Parent Seminar and what are the best next steps to take:
MEK Review’s Student Outcomes in 2019
This past year, MEK Review’s BCA Prep program had another amazing year.
Out of our 125 MEK students, we had:
- 89 studentsreceive invitations for BCA interviews (out of only 600 sent)
- 48 studentsaccepted into BCA (out of 270 accepted)
- 16 studentsaccepted into Bergen Tech
- 24 studentsaccepted into Academies@Englewood
Overall, 1 in 6 incoming freshmen at Bergen County Academies are MEK Review students!
Top Tips for BCA Admissions Test
While students experienced the test firsthand in another room, parents learned all about what to expect on the admissions test and how it differs from other high school admissions tests.
Our top tips:
- BCA & BT admission tests are the same
- A@E is a separate test but very similar
- All 3 magnet school tests are different from other popular H.S. tests, including the ISEE and SSAT for private school, and HSPT for parochial school
- The BCA & BT tests are not standardized. They change every year, which is why MEK keeps a close eye on variations and trends.
What to expect on the Bergen County Academies admissions test:
- English section:45 minutes to read a fiction or non-fiction text and craft a literary analysis response
- Math section:60 minutes to answer 40 multiple choice questions with 5 answer choices
Bergen County Magnet Schools: The Basics
Parents also learned about the differences between regular public schools, magnet schools, and private schools. They also learned about the qualities for each of the 3 magnet schools in Bergen County and just how they differ.
Our top highlights were:
- Magnet schools, unlikeprivate schools, DO NOT require tuition or cost
- Magnet schools, unlikeregular public schools, DO require student and parent to apply
- Magnet schools, likeregular public schools, are aligned with Common Core State Standards
Magnet schools highly focus on a student’s college test prep and specific career track. They also offer more resources, higher expectation levels, more hands-on curriculum, more internships, and greater diversity. They are a great place for your child to get an education and prepare for college and the real world. However, you need to pick the right school for your child. Not necessarily the most prestigious school, but the right school.
Through our hands-on guidance, our expert counselors at MEK Review can help you arrive at this decision right for your child.
Bergen County Magnet Schools: A Comparison
Key similarities between the 3 magnet schools in Bergen County:
- All 3 have programs or academies that are highly focused on STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers fields
- Both BCA and BT have Visual Performing Arts programs
- Both BT and A@E have Law programs
Key differences between the 3 magnet schools in Bergen County:
- Class size:BCA admits 270+, BT admits 170, A@E 110
- Academies vs programs:At BCA and A@E, students must apply to a specific academy. BCA has 7 and A@E has 5. At BT, students apply to 1 school with 9 programs. They must select which program they want to enter and this is generally honored.
- Interviews:Unlike BCA and A@E, BT does not require an interview for admissions
Bergen County Admissions Process
At the parent seminar, we emphasized the confusing and time-consuming admissions process for BCA. It’s important to know the process, timeline, requirements, and have a set plan from the start.
Here are just a few topics we discussed:
WHAT DETERMINES ADMISSION
- Student Residency
- Transcript
- Letters of Recommendation
- Admission test
- Application with essay
- Interview (except for BT)
- Portfolio for BCA and A@E’s Visual Performing Arts academies
ADMISSIONS TIMELINE
- October – November:Open house for all 3 schools
- November:A@E admission test & interview
- December 1:A@E application deadline
- December 15:BCA/BT application deadline
- Early January:BCA/BT admission test, A@E admission results
- Mid-February:BCA interview invitations sent
- March:BCA interviews
- Late April:BCA/BT admission results
MEK Review’s BCA Prep Program
We also showed parents what to expect their students to struggle on when it came to the practice Bergen County Academies test and how our comprehensive BCA Prep program guides parents and students from application to admission.
Here are a few highlights:
3 STAGE PROCESS
Stage 1: Summer Exam Prep 8
This is one of the most crucial stages. As our 20 years of data shows, early preparation is directly linked to admission. Exam Prep 8 builds a student’s essential foundational skills and knowledge in just 7 weeks to ready them for more intensive Fall Prep.
Stage 2: Fall Session I
Fall Session I is intensive test-training prep starting from September to November. This teaches students the skills, strategies, and mindset they will need to ace the high school admissions test.
Stage 3: Fall Session II
Fall Session II is from November to early January. At this point, students complete their application submissions and application essays, take weekly full-length practice tests, and polish their skills for the official test date.
Why it Works
MEK’s BCA Prep program and High School Dual Admissions Prep program are so successful because of a winning combination of 4 key elements:
- Assessment
- Guidance
- Test Prep
- Support
MEK uses multiple avenues to assess an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses.
From this assessment, we begin to offer personalized guidance on everything from school choice to application submission to an individual study plan. Then we begin rigorous test prep, helping students master test content as well as learn proven test-taking strategies and mental endurance to handle test day pressure. We also offer constant individualized support to address any needs or extra help a student might need.
Next Steps
With BCA Prep gradually coming to a close it’s our job to look beyond. Now, as parents and students await admission decisions for Bergen County Academies, Bergen County Technical High School, Academies at Englewood, and other prestigious schools, it is time for reflection and planning.
As the creator and leader of BCA Prep, I always review the students from this year and years past to reflect on their overall performance and necessary next steps.
Here are a few highlights from this year:
ENROLLMENT
This year, fewer students were allowed to enroll in BCA Prep because we required students to reach a certain qualification level on their initial evaluation before joining the course. Therefore, this year’s students had a stronger starting foundation.
PERFORMANCE IN THE CLASSROOM
During the last few sessions of BCA Prep, we give students the most recent BCA practice tests. When I compared this year’s BCA Prep students’ performance with last year’s, here were the results:
- 2018 BCA Saturday test:students scored on average marginally lower than the average BCA Prep student from last year
- 2018 BCA Sunday test: students scored on average 1 point higher than the average BCA Prep student from last year
- 2019 BCA Saturday test:students scored on average 1 point lower than the average accepted BCA student from last year
- 2019 BCA Sunday test:students scored on average marginally higher than the average accepted BCA student from last year
Overall, during the last two weeks prep, almost all of our BCA Prep students reached the same – or even higher – level of 2018 BCA accepted students.
PERFORMANCE ON THE OFFICIAL TEST
After students completed the BCA official admission test, we helped them project their overall score. 80 out of 118 of our BCA Prep students attended the meeting.
- 2020 BCA Saturday test: students’ average score was a 8, most of these students were from our B and High Honors classes
- 2020 BCA Sunday test: students’ average score was 4, most of these students were from our A and C classes
2020 BCA OFFICIAL TEST
Overall, the Saturday admission test for BCA was one of the easiest we’ve seen in the past 6 years, while the Sunday admission test was of average difficulty level for BCA. So parents can expect the cutoff number for admissions to be higher on the Saturday test.
2020 BCA AND BT ADMISSION DECISIONS
I am already projecting that we will see at least the same amount of accepted students as we saw last year: 64 acceptances, 16 to BT and 48 to BCA. I specifically expect more students from B class to be accepted to BCA and BT than in years past, as they were an exceptionally strong class on both campuses.
…but the journey has just begun.
At this point, it is tempting for some parents and students to think that they are at the end of the road, when it comes to preparation. However, that is a mistake. They have further to go.
One key area this year’s students must focus on is independent, higher-level thinking. While they were very studious and very willing to listen, as a group, they struggled with the ability to independently reason through a problem.
To be successful in rigorous BCA courses such as Analysis, Advanced Analysis, or Discrete Math, they have to be able to do more than follow the steps their MEK teachers give them. They must understand the reasons behind the steps.
Similarly, when tackling a complex, nuanced literary text, they must be able to understand how to reason through the passage independently, draw correct inferences, and then eloquently explain their conclusions without guidance from a teacher.
While students made headway in this type of higher level critical thinking during BCA Prep, one semester is not enough time for them to have mastered it. And master it they must, if they want to earn a high GPA in BCA, BT, Academies at Englewood, or prestigious private schools.
Spring High School Honors
That’s why I am encouraging all BCA Prep students to participate in MEK Review’s Algebra or Algebra II Spring class. These classes are specifically designed to help students succeed in challenging math courses that they will encounter their freshmen year.
I am also encouraging these 8th graders to enroll in Advanced English to further develop their reading comprehension and critical writing skills.
These courses will not only help students in the classroom, but will also serve as an important precursor to reaching high scores on the SAT. In fact, at the end of Spring, we expect students to reach a 1250 on a practice SAT evaluation, placing them in the 20% of the nation for test-takers.
Call 855-346-1410 to sign up today. Classes begin February 4, 2020.
It’s been a great 2019 BCA Prep semester, and we want to continue to guide your child every academic step of the way.
