Simply put, I have lived in NYC my whole life, and the SHSAT was a big deal in my life.
I studied over 2 years for the SHSAT, and luckily, the hard work paid off.
In 2018, I graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School, and since graduation, I have had ample time to reflect about this SHSAT debate and whether even attending Brooklyn Tech was even worth it.
Although I agree that there is problems with the SHSAT and the whole education system. I do not believe that the SHSAT should be banned.
First of all, these high schools are rigorous and difficult. If you don't have the discipline to study for the SHSAT, you won't be able to pass the mandatory higher-level classes in these schools. Also, there is a competitive spirit that you need to have when taking the SHSAT, and that spirit will carry into some of these schools: like Stuyvesant. If you can't do well on the SHSAT, then odds are that you won't do well in that school. Obviously, test prep isn't free unless the city offers you a seat in the SHSI program, which I went to, but the bottom line is that these schools are BRUTUAL.
Second, these schools are not miracles. Even if you get accepted, that doesn't mean that school will really open any doors for you. Yes, you are at a school with a good repuation and they may have higher funding, but that doesn't mean you will end up at Harvard after high school. In fact, Brooklyn Tech students are not accepted into Harvard after a cheating scandal. Also, I can not tell you the amount of broken doors and windows that are at Brooklyn Tech. The school is crumbling apart because of how old the building is.
The public education system is failing to teach students about this test and how to do well on it. I went to a small middle school and no one really told us how hard the test was. I was not the top student in my school but because I studied I got into Brooklyn Tech and the top student did not. However, now later in life, we both attend great colleges. This means also if the SHSAT did not exist, the top student would have been more likely to get into Brooklyn Tech over me.
Honestly, no it is not worth it. I did well at Brooklyn Tech and I made great friends there because we were all struggling to keep up homework, but it didn't put me that ahead for college. The only thing worth it for me was that I meet my soon-to-be husband there.