Master Essay Writing & STEM Critical Thinking for High School Admissions

Most competitive high school entrance exams — including the Academies of Loudoun entrance exam, ISEE, and selective-enrollment and magnet exams — test two things: a timed admissions essay and STEM critical thinking. Our prep builds both skills with realistic practice and feedback. Check your school's official site for exact requirements, and see our school-specific guides in the blog.

Yes. Our essay and STEM critical thinking practice maps directly to what the Academies of Loudoun (AOS/AET) assess. Start with our Academies of Loudoun guide on the blog, then practice in the app.

Those tools won't be available in the exam room. We grade against the actual rubrics under real time limits and coach the student to improve on their own — the skill that's tested — rather than writing it for them.

Unrestricted access to all essays & STEM Critical Thinking practice tests for a duration of 6 months. This prep can also be used for other tests that include Writing Assessment and STEM Thinking Skills Assessments. All new essay prompts & STEM Thinking skills tests will be available to active subscription members.

The short answer is practice. Most advanced high school entrance exams consist of two parts, the Essay writing and STEM Critical Thinking skills, practicing these tests in our simulated environment can greatly benefit students taking the test. Focus on learning patterns, after taking a test take some time to reflect on the feedback, try to identify patterns and list areas for improvement. We have seen a substantial increase in student scores who practice before the real test over those that go unprepared.

We recommend students follow a routine schedule and dedicate at least 1 hour a day, 5 days a week leading to the exam date.

Before starting to write the first essay, we recommend students review our Essay Writing Tips and understand the provided rubrics.

Students can practice their essay writing skills in two modes - test or practice mode. In test mode, the student will have 45 minutes to complete an essay, in practice mode the student will not be timed. We recommend students write the first few essays in practice mode, and once they learn to apply the rubrics in their writings switch to test mode.

Feedback for every essay will be sent to the registered email address and will also be available online. Actionable tips for improvement with examples will be provided for each rubric category, we recommend students take the time to review the provided feedback. To see continuous improvement, it is important to implement this feedback in subsequent essays. It is important for students to not use AI, Grammarly or other reference materials, as these will not be available during the real test.

We recommend every student to start preparing early to gain sufficient time to go over all provided essay prompts and STEM Critical Thinking tests. The test prep is recommended for seventh graders and above.

If your test is due in a week or two, you are welcome to subscribe as well. The prep is designed to be used as a last minute study resource.

Absolutely! Our prep materials are designed to help students improve their essay writing skills, regardless of whether they are preparing for an entrance exam. The practice essays and feedback can help you develop your writing abilities and critical thinking skills. We also recommend our Critical Thinking practice tests as these will help you further enhance your analytical skills.

Yes — the same timed essay practice and detailed feedback build the clear, structured writing that IELTS and CELPIP reward. Practice essay writing for IELTS & CELPIP.

Not yet — dedicated TACHS, HSPT, and SHSAT practice is in development, with launch planned for next academic year. In the meantime, our existing essay and STEM critical thinking practice already builds the same core skills these exams test, so students can start preparing today. Let us know you're interested via our Contact Us page and we'll notify you as soon as it launches.