My daughter is in 8th grade and applying to TJ this fall. She's strong in math — took Algebra 2 as a 7th grader and got a 98 — but we're not sure how the admissions process works now that they've moved away from the old SIS exam. From what I understand it shifted to a Problem Solving Essay and a Student Portrait Sheet, though I've also heard there's still a quantitative component depending on the year.
We've been doing about 45 minutes of problem-solving practice three days a week since January, mainly AMC 8 and MATHCOUNTS problems. Her AMC 8 score from this past November was 19/25, which feels solid, but I'm not sure that kind of competition math prep is still what TJ's process rewards.
The part I'm most uncertain about is the Problem Solving Essay. It sounds like they give students a novel problem they haven't seen before and want to see their thinking process, not just the answer. That's a different skill than drilling competition math and I don't know how to coach for it without over-structuring her approach.
Has anyone navigated the current TJ process recently? Any insight on whether quantitative prep matters as much as it used to, or if the shift toward holistic review means something different needs more emphasis?
We did regular "novel problem" sessions where I'd give my kid something from a totally different domain — logic puzzles, spatial reasoning, word problems with missing info. Getting comfortable with ambiguity and showing your work is the real skill.
We went through this two cycles ago. The problem-solving essay is real and it's genuinely novel — they don't want a polished answer, they want to see how your kid thinks when they're stuck. Practicing talking through problems out loud helped my son more than any drill.
The process has changed enough that advice from parents 4+ years ago may not apply. Check the FCPS TJ admissions page directly and look for anything specifically from the current or last cycle.
A 19/25 on AMC 8 is strong. I wouldn't worry about the quantitative preparation. The current process weights the portrait sheet and essay heavily — make sure the student portrait actually sounds like your daughter and not a resume.
We're about three weeks into serious prep and my son just did a timed practice run on the Problem Solving Essay — honestly wasn't sure what to expect but he scored around a 7/10 on the rubric we found online, which felt pretty solid for a first real attempt. He's been doing math competitions through school so the logic side isn't too scary, but the written explanation part is where he's still a little rough.
We're planning to have him sit the actual exam in October so we've got a few months to tighten things up. If you haven't already, the Student Portrait Sheet is worth starting early — it's not something you can just knock out the night before.
I'm not a student but I went through this process with my own kid last year while working full time, so maybe I can help. Honestly the biggest thing I'd say is don't sleep on the Student Information Sheet — it sounds bureaucratic but it's really where TJ gets to know who your daughter actually is beyond test scores. We spent maybe 15-20 minutes a night on it over a few weeks, just talking through her interests and activities and then she'd write a draft. For the Problem Solving Essay we practiced with old AMC problems on weekends. It wasn't a huge time commitment, just consistent.
Since your daughter is strong in math she's already ahead on that front, but the research component surprised us. TJ really cares about intellectual curiosity and specifically their labs and programs. I'd recommend having her read through something like tjhsst/questions/research programs and laboratory facilities so she can speak authentically to why TJ specifically appeals to her — not just "it's a good school" but what she'd actually do there. That specificity matters a lot in the essay.
Just wanted to share where we're at since we're in a similar boat. My son did a mock run of the Problem Solving Essay last week and we used some of the practice material on tjhsst/questions/research programs and laboratory facilities to get him thinking about the kind of depth TJ actually cares about. He scored in the mid-70s percentile range on the timed section which honestly wasn't as bad as I expected for a first attempt.
We're planning to have him sit the real thing in October. He's been doing two practice sessions a week and I've noticed the Student Information Sheet is the part that catches kids off guard more than the essay itself. It's not just what you've done, it's how you frame it. Good luck to your daughter -- with that math background she's already ahead of most applicants I've talked to.