The experience of taking the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test — the sole means of getting into eight elite public schools in New York City — is one that students aren’t likely to forget. For some, it meant months or years of demanding test prep courses and practice drills. For others, it meant just showing up on the day of the exam — because, well, everyone else was taking it.

We asked readers to share their experience with the exam and if they would change the admission process, which has been criticized for not being representative of the overall student population in the city’s school system. The schools, like Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science, have a low number of black and Hispanic students and an overrepresentation of white and Asian students.

What we learned from the more than 700 responses we received was that the experiences and memories were as varied as the backgrounds of the students who took the test. However, there was one consistent theme — regardless of one’s score: Students took the test for the opportunity for a brighter future.

With regard to changing the admissions process, the answers were split. Most readers did acknowledge there was a diversity problem at the schools, but few offered ways to solve it. As a new school year begins on Wednesday, we offer a selection of past stories and opinions about what should happen in the future.