Your teacher
Marcelo Ambrozio
Co-Founder & Lead Math Teacher
MBA · B.S. Applied Mathematics, Northwestern · 20 years coaching MIT, Harvard & Stanford candidates. Meet the team →
Grades 7–8 · Middle School
Specialized HS Admissions math — question families, timing, scratch-paper strategy.
Your teacher
Co-Founder & Lead Math Teacher
MBA · B.S. Applied Mathematics, Northwestern · 20 years coaching MIT, Harvard & Stanford candidates. Meet the team →
Enroll now
Pick the day that fits your week, then continue to secure payment. Your seat is held the moment your registration is paid.
SHSAT Prep · Grades 7–8
Stripe secure checkout · $99 registration charged today · $587/month tuition begins one day before your first class.
Want to talk first? Call (646) 668-6151 or book a free 30-minute evaluation.
About the course
Focused SHSAT math prep for 7th and 8th graders aiming at Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech and the other specialized high schools. We teach the four question families, timing discipline, and the scratch-paper strategy needed to score competitively — built on the same diagnostic reasoning we used for twenty years preparing GMAT and GRE candidates.
A typical class
Every SHSAT Prep class follows the same structure so students walk in knowing what to expect and walk out with a corrected mini-quiz in hand.
Warm-up with logic puzzles, math riddles, and short brain-teaser problems. The point is to switch the brain on without yet introducing today’s topic — students arrive at different focus levels and this 30-minute block evens the room.
First half of today’s topic. One of the 16 SHSAT topic areas per meeting — arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or number theory under timed conditions. Concept-first: the instructor demonstrates one or two worked examples, then students try guided practice with the teacher walking the table.
A short break — water, stretch, a quick chat. Five minutes is enough to reset focus without losing the rhythm of the class.
Second half of the topic, focused on word problems, abstraction, and math applied to real situations — the place where rote knowledge turns into real understanding. Examples we use: Using fraction shortcuts to skip long calculations on timed problems.; Reading a real SHSAT word problem and identifying the trap before solving.; Allocating 75 seconds per question — building a real pacing rhythm..
A short timed mini-quiz on today’s topic, then we correct it together — question by question, out loud, with the right strategy spelled out for each item. Parents get the corrected paper at the end of the session so they know exactly where their child stands.
Independent topic rotation
Each class is an independent, self-contained topic. When enrollment is open, students can join any week at the appropriate course level; earlier-numbered classes are not required. Every meeting introduces the ideas needed for its topic, with guided practice, support, and challenge options. Class numbers identify sessions in the rolling rotation, not prerequisites or a required order.
Frequently asked
Every SOMATH class is capped at 6 students. That is the number that lets one teacher see every student's work in real time, correct silent mistakes before they become habits, and pace to the room instead of the average. Larger groups defeat the whole point of small-group teaching, so we hold the cap firmly.
In person at 226 W 79th Street, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10024 — one block from the 79th Street 1 train and a short walk from the B and C at 81st Street. We do not offer online classes; the small-group model relies on shared whiteboard work and in-room feedback.
$99 one-time registration covers a placement test, a written diagnostic, and a personalized learning plan delivered within 48 hours. Workbooks, problem sets, and printed practice tests are included at no extra charge. The $99 registration is separate from monthly tuition.
Yes. Cancel anytime with 15 days written notice — no long-term contract. One free make-up per month for a missed class (subject to available seats in another cohort).
Yes. Every new family starts with a free 30-minute evaluation in our classroom plus a written diagnostic delivered within 48 hours. There is no charge and no commitment — the diagnostic is yours to keep whether you enroll or not. Book at schoolofmath.us/evaluation or call (646) 668-6151.
Serious SHSAT prep is a 12-to-18-month commitment. Students who begin in 7th grade with weekly small-group classes and continue through intensive summer work before 8th grade are the ones who reach specialized-high-school cutoffs. Starting later than the summer before 8th is possible but tighter. See our SHSAT Prep NYC 2026 guide for the full timeline.