Students who want to attend a NYC Specialized High School need to take the SHSAT. The SHSAT is offered in fall of 8th grade to determine regular admission into the schools. Students who are not accepted can retake the test one more time in fall of 9th grade for a chance to enter one of the schools as a sophomore (10th grade).
What is the SHSAT?
The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT )is a standardized test given to 8th and 9th graders who want to attend a NYC Specialized High School, aside from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. It is the only academic factor used to determine admission into the schools.
SHSAT Overview
The SHSAT tests students on English and math just like NYC students are tested on at the end of every school year. However, the test is more difficult because it needs to create a disparity among scores in order to determine admission since seats are limited. There are only eight NYC specialized high schools that use the SHSAT for admission, resulting in about 5,000 offers out of 29,000 students who take the test.
Content and Structure
The entire test is 114 questions long. There are two sections on the test: English Language Arts and Mathematics. Each section has 57 questions. Students are allowed three hours to complete the entire test, but it can be taken in any order and time can be allocated to each section however the student chooses.
English Language Arts
English Language Arts predominantly tests reading comprehension. It also includes some questions about writing skills, which it refers to as Revising/Editing.
Typically the first 9-12 questions will be Revising/Editing and the remaining 45-48 questions will be Reading Comprehension.
Mathematics
The first five questions on the math part of the SHSAT are student-response questions. Students are only graded on the answer they enter, not on any of their work. The remaining 52 questions are multiple-choice questions.
Question Types
There are 114 questions on the SHSAT: 109 multiple-choice questions and five student response questions. The entire English Language Arts section is multiple choice. The five student-response questions are on the Mathematics section.
History of the SHSAT
The purpose of the SHSAT was to create an objective way for students to get accepted into the NYC Specialized High Schools. In the 1960s, parents and teachers noticed bias and confusion in the way students were admitted. There was no clear answer how the students were chosen.
In 1971, New York State passed the Hecht-Calandra Act, a law that made admission into Stuyvesant, Bronx High School of Science, and Brooklyn Technical High School based solely on a new test: SHSAT. At the time, Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, and Bronx Science were the only NYC Specialized High Schools.
Who Takes the SHSAT
The test is offered to 8th grade students in NYC who wish to apply for admission into a New York City Specialized High School, except for LaGuardia which is a school of the arts and has a different application process. In 2024, approximately 29,000 students took the SHSAT.
SHSAT Registration Process
To register for the SHSAT, students have to register for the test through the MySchools website before registration closes. There are no fees for the test.
How to Register
Most students register online through the MySchools portal. Prior to the actual test, students will receive their test tickets, which state the date, time, and location of their test.
Test Dates
The test is offered on a school day, typically the end of October, for NYC public school students and on a weekend in the middle of November for other students. Students taking the test as 9th grades are given the test on a weekend in the beginning of December. The SHSAT test dates are normally announce before September.
Fees for the SHSAT
There are no fees for registering for the SHSAT. It is free to all students who are eligible to take the test.
SHSAT Preparation Tips
Getting ready for the SHSAT will take some time and effort. Students should focus on using helpful study tools, practicing with real tests, and learning solid ways to manage test day.
Best Study Resources
The best way to start preparing for the SHSAT is to start with a realistic practice test and questions that model the test. The NYC Guide to the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT), called the SHSAT handbook, include two sample practice tests. Caddell Prep also offers a free diagnostic SHSAT with an advanced assessment. Students can create a free account and take one on their own or contact us to take one with us.
Caddell Prep also has an on-demand SHSAT course with interactive video lessons and practice problems with video explanations. Students have solely used the on-demand course to prepare for the SHSAT and successfully get admitted into schools like Stuyvesant, Staten Island Tech, and Brooklyn Tech.
Most students use a combination of prep resources including a class, tutoring and on-demand help.
