PS 33 Chelsea Prep Admissions| How to Get In!
/PS 33 Chelsea Prep is located in Chelsea in Manhattan and serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school has a gifted and talented track for incoming students and has nearly doubled since the 2000s based on great performance and parent demand. Admissions to PS 33 is based on zoning for all attendees, and on Gifted and Talented Assessment results for gifted track attendees. Read on to see whether PS 33 may be the right fit!
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | School Information
PS 33 serves approximately 650 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Manhattan, some of whom join the designated gifted and talented track with a challenging curriculum and extra opportunities to learn. The school itself is dedicated to ensuring that all students leave with balanced qualitative and quantitative analytical skills, enabling them to becoming lifelong readers and problem solvers. In addition to the typical curriculum offered nursery and lower schools, PS 33 focuses on helping students work independently and collaboratively, which are skills needed in all life stages. At PS 33, children from both general admission and the gifted and talented track will go on plenty of field trips, and outside the classroom students have several strong extracurricular programs. The school has a grant-funded robotics team and music, chorus, dance, theater, and chess opportunities. In fact, PS 33 won the fifth grade national chess championships for 2016! Because of the school’s popularity, it has slowly expanded to its current 650 students. This history and strong reviews from current families help show just how well PS 33 is helping students prepare for middle school and beyond. For more information on PS 33, visit the official school website.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Admissions Information
Admissions for General Education
PS 33 serves both local students and local gifted and talented students. For general educations admissions, there are no special requirements – families submit an application through the Department of Education. Note that PS 33 is a local school admitting District 2 students.
Admissions for Gifted and Talented Education
Under the PS 33 gifted and talented track, exceptional students may join based on their performance on the NYC Gifted and Talented Assessment. A 90th percentile score is the minimum for interested families in District 2. To take the Gifted and Talented Assessment, families sign up in November, and children take the test, usually at their current school, in January. Results come out in April, and families submit their applications through the Department of Education based on these results. Around April, PS 33 offers tours for potential new gifted and talented students to give families more information before their final choice.
The NYC Gifted and Talented Assessment
For admissions on the gifted and talented track, NYC students will need to take the Gifted and Talented Assessment (G&T exam). This test is really two separate exams for students: the Otis Lennon School Ability Test, or OLSAT, and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, or NNAT. By using two separate exam components, the test scores student performance for both verbal and non-verbal abilities. The combination is intended to provide a better overall picture of a child’s performance than one type of exam alone.
The Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT®) is a verbal-based reasoning and comprehension exam. On the OLSAT, students will search for patterns and relationships between words and numbers, analyze whether items are similar or different, follow sequences, and solve basic reasoning problems. This test is thirty questions long and counts for half of the total G&T exam score.
The second half of the G&T exam is the Nagleiri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT®). On this nonverbal exam, students will see shapes and symbols only, and nothing language-based. Children will need to look for patterns and use reasoning for comparing items. The NNAT is forty-eight questions long and counts for the remaining 50% of the G&T score.
Our G&T resource page has plenty of information on this exam. We also have sample questions so families can review and determine whether taking the G&T exam might be a good strategy.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | How to Prepare
For students who are interested in the gifted and talented track, admissions are only based on G&T exam results. The minimum score for consideration is a 90th percentile result for District 2 children, but in past years having higher scores offered better chances for admission. Until the next PS 33 expansion, students may want to aim for the best possible G&T exam results to be in the most favorable position for next year’s class.
At Origins Tutoring, we support students and families with several resources, including practice questions, test prep strategies, and overall coaching for the G&T exam and subsequent school decisions. A great way to start on G&T prep is to review basic info on the test and our top test prep tips. You can also review our 25 sample questions by clicking the button below.
How Can We Help?
At Origins Tutoring, we believe that preparation for the PS 33 gifted and talented track does not have to be daunting and exasperating; instead, it can represent an important opportunity along a student’s path to learning mastery. Indeed, the perspectives and abilities acquired during preparation can last throughout a student’s school career and beyond.
Our two-track approach to mastering content and improving test-taking skills means that students will not only thoroughly understand the fundamental concepts and skills on the Gifted and Talented Assessment, but they will also excel in using essential techniques to improve attitude, endurance and focus.
Our students hone their independent thinking skills while developing a resilient mindset so they can perform on test day in a powerful, resourceful, creative and calm manner. Each student in our program receives the undivided attention and expertise of a dynamic and experienced coach who provides the framework to support each student on his unique path to becoming a master learner.
Please call 917.287.7927 now for a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can help your child achieve his or her personal best.
