All third through eighth grade students in New York City have to take annual math and English Language Arts (ELA) exams in order to fulfill New York State’s test requirements. This rule applies to students in public, private, independent, and charter schools, as well as students who are homeschooled. For some students, these exams are also the first step toward applying for a selective middle school, while other students just need to do well in order to achieve a good grade in that year's math and ELA classes. Sometimes these tests can be confusing, especially because strong scores can be required by middle schools or junior high schools during the admissions process.