Specialised High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) Complete Guide – ELA and Math
If your child is aiming to attend one of New York City’s top specialized high schools—like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, or Brooklyn Tech—the SHSAT is the key to getting in. This competitive exam is taken by thousands of 8th graders every year, but only the highest scorers receive offers. The SHSAT tests students in two major areas: English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. Success on the exam requires strong reading comprehension, editing skills, problem-solving ability, and time management. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the structure of the SHSAT, explain each section in detail, and provide practical tips to help your child prepare effectively and maximize their score.
Contents
SHSAT – General Information
What is the SHSAT?
Which schools use the SHSAT?
What subjects are tested in the SHSAT?
Who is eligible to take the SHSAT?
What SHSAT papers do students take?
When is the SHSAT taken?
Where is the SHSAT taken?
How competitive is the SHSAT?
How is SHSAT marked?
When are SHSAT results released?
What are SHSAT results used for?
SHSAT Section 1 – English LAnguage Arts
SHSAT Section 2 – Mathematics
SHSAT English Preparation
Do students need to revise for their SHSAT?
Where can I find practice materials?
How can I help my child prepare for the SHSAT?
SHSAT – General Information
What is the SHSAT?
The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is the standardized exam used for admissions to eight of New York City’s specialized high schools. These schools are among the most academically rigorous in the city. Admission is based solely on a student’s SHSAT score and school ranking preferences.
Which Schools Use the SHSAT?
The Bronx High School of Science
The Brooklyn Latin School
Brooklyn Technical High School
High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College of New York
High School of American Studies at Lehman College
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
Staten Island Technical High School
Stuyvesant High School
What subjects are tested in the SHSAT?
The SHSAT tests students in two key areas:
📚 English Language Arts (ELA) – including Revising/Editing and Reading Comprehension
📏 Mathematics – covering arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and word problems
Each section is designed to assess critical thinking, problem-solving, and language skills.
Who is Eligible to Take the SHSAT?
The SHSAT is open to New York City residents who are current 8th graders. Some 9th grade students may also be eligible to take a slightly different version of the test for a small number of available 10th-grade seats.
What SHSAT papers do Students take?
There is just one SHSAT exam paper, which includes both the ELA and Mathematics sections. Students have 180 minutes to complete the paper. Each section contains a mix of multiple-choice questions, and students are free to complete them in any order within the total test time.
When Is the SHSAT taken?
The SHSAT is typically administered in late October or early November each year. Students currently in 8th grade (and eligible 9th graders) take the test for admission the following school year.
Where Is the SHSAT taken?
Students are assigned to specific testing sites by the NYC Department of Education. These are usually public school buildings across the city. Students will receive a test ticket with their assigned location and date.
How Competitive is the SHSAT?
Each year, around 25,000–30,000 students sit the SHSAT, competing for roughly 4,000–5,000 spots across the specialized high schools. This makes the test one of the most competitive admissions processes in the country for public schools.
How Is the SHSAT marked?
Each correct answer earns 1 raw point, and there are no penalties for wrong answers. The raw scores from each section are converted to scaled scores, then combined into a composite score. Students are ranked by this composite score, and offers are extended based on both score and school preferences.
When are SHSAT results released?
Results are generally released in January, a few months after the test. Students and families receive their composite score, individual section scores, and a high school offer—if their score met the cutoff for one of their ranked schools.
What are SHSAT results used for?
SHSAT results are used only for placement into NYC’s eight specialized high schools. Unlike other high school admissions processes, these schools do not consider grades, teacher recommendations, or interviews—just the SHSAT score and your school rankings.
SHSAT Section 1 – English LAnguage Arts
How long is The SHSAT English Section?
The SHSAT does not split time between sections. Instead, students are given a total of 180 minutes (3 hours) to complete both the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics sections.
Students can allocate time however they wish between the two sections, but many choose to spend around 90 minutes on the ELA portion.
How many marks are available in The SHSAT English Section?
There are a total of 57 ELA questions:
9–11 Revising/Editing questions
46–48 Reading Comprehension questions, spread across 5–6 reading passages
Each correct answer is worth 1 raw point, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers.
What topics are covered in The SHSAT English Section?
The SHSAT ELA section assesses a student’s ability to:
Identify and correct grammar and usage errors
Revise text for clarity, structure, and conciseness
Understand central ideas and supporting details
Draw inferences and interpret tone and meaning
Analyze how authors develop arguments or narratives
Evaluate vocabulary in context
What question types are found in The SHSAT English Section?
There are two main components:
✏️ Revising/Editing Questions
Students are asked to improve short texts or passages by identifying grammar issues, sentence structure problems, and clarity concerns. Some questions are based on individual sentences, while others are tied to a multi-paragraph passage.📚 Reading Comprehension Questions
These are based on a variety of literary and informational texts. Students answer multiple-choice questions that test their understanding, interpretation, and analysis of the passage. Topics range from fiction and memoir to science, history, and persuasive writing.
What is the expected standard in this paper?
To succeed on the SHSAT ELA section, students should:
Understand and apply rules of grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction
Demonstrate the ability to revise for clarity, tone, and coherence
Accurately analyze the meaning and structure of complex reading passages
Interpret vocabulary in context and identify author’s purpose and tone
Use logical reasoning and inference skills to answer higher-order questions
What is Considered a good score?
There is no official “passing” score for the SHSAT. Students receive a scaled ELA score (out of approximately 400–500), which is combined with their math score to create a composite score.
Specialized high school offers are made to students with the highest composite scores based on seat availability and ranked preferences. A "good" ELA score depends on the school your child is aiming for—top-tier schools like Stuyvesant generally require very high scores in both sections.
SHSAT Section 2 – Mathematics
How long is The SHSAT Math Section?
The SHSAT allows 180 minutes (3 hours) in total for both the English Language Arts and Mathematics sections combined.
There is no fixed time limit per section, so students are responsible for managing their own time. Most students choose to spend around 90 minutes on the math section, but this can vary depending on strengths and strategy.
How many marks are available in The SHSAT Math Section?
There are a total of 52 math questions, split into two formats:
5 grid-in questions, where students write their answer into a grid (no answer choices provided)
47 multiple-choice questions, each with 4 answer options
All questions are worth 1 raw point, and no points are deducted for wrong answers.
What topics are covered in The SHSAT Math Section?
The math section is designed to test a student’s problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding. It covers content typically taught up to 8th grade, including:
Arithmetic: fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, unit conversions
Algebra: expressions, equations, inequalities, and word problems
Geometry: perimeter, area, volume, angles, triangles, coordinate geometry
Statistics & Probability: mean, median, mode, range, basic probability
Word Problems: multi-step, real-world application problems
While calculators are not allowed, students are provided with scrap paper to work out solutions.
What question types are found in The SHSAT Math Section?
There are two key formats:
✅ Multiple-Choice Questions: These test a wide range of mathematical concepts. Students select one correct answer from four options.
🔲 Grid-In Questions: These are open-ended and require students to calculate and write their answer into a grid, which is then machine scored. There are no answer choices provided, making precision and accuracy important.
What is the expected standard In this paper?
To succeed in the SHSAT math section, students should:
Be confident with multi-step problem solving
Show fluency in core arithmetic and algebraic techniques
Understand geometry concepts involving shape properties, angle rules, and formulas
Work quickly and accurately without a calculator
Be able to decode and set up word problems effectively
What is Considered a good score?
As with the ELA section, math results are scaled (usually out of a maximum of 400–500 points), and then combined with the ELA score for a composite total.
Top schools like Stuyvesant often require very strong math scores, while other specialized schools may place more balanced weight across both sections. Ultimately, a “good” math score is one that supports a composite total high enough to meet the cutoff score for your child's chosen school.
SHSAT English Preparation
Do Students need to revise for The SHSAT?
Yes—absolutely. The SHSAT is highly competitive, with tens of thousands of students competing for a few thousand spots in specialized high schools. While the test is based on material taught in middle school, the question format and timing pressure make practice essential. Students need to be familiar with revising/editing questions and interpreting complex reading passages quickly and accurately.
Where can I find practice materials for the SHSAT?
How can I help my child prepare for the SHSAT English Language Arts?
There are many ways you can support your child's preparation for their SHSAT.
1. SHSAT English Tuition 👩🏫
Tuition can be a useful tool to assist your child’s preparation for the SHSAT English Language Arts section because it can help them progress faster than they otherwise would do at school. There are several different types of tuition available for SHSAT students, each with their own benefits.
🙋🏿♂️ Individual Tuition: learning alone provides a 1-on-1 environment in which some students thrive due to uninterrupted attention from a tutor. This can be done in-person or online, and it can achieve great results for your child. Particularly in subjects such as maths, where students are required to fully understand each step of the question in order to arrive at the correct answer.
👨👧👧 Group Tuition: group tuition provides a collaborative learning environment where students can interact with peers and learn from each other, as well as their tutor. A collaborative learning environment is especially helpful in SHSAT subjects such as English comprehension and revising/editing. Students can listen to and analyse each other’s answers in order to improve and refine their own.
Group SHSAT tuition can achieve exceptional results compared to a class in school because all of the children are highly-motivated and ready to learn. The tutor must also teach the class at the appropriate level to achieve excellent SHSAT performance, not at the level of the least able student (as in school). It's also a more cost-effective option.
👩🏽🏫 In-Person Tuition: this traditional approach involves face-to-face sessions with a tutor, either individually or in a small group. In-person tuition allows for personalised attention and immediate feedback, but it can often be less thoroughly planned and more improvised than online tuition.
👩🏼💻 Online Tuition: learning online is an increasingly popular choice. It offers flexibility and convenience, allowing students to learn from the comfort of their own homes with top-rated tutors from across the US and UK.
Furthermore, the lesson plans are more robust and less improvised than in-person tuition because, in order to effectively deliver an online lesson, the teacher absolutely must have a variety of pre-prepared and well-structured resources ready to be shown through the screen.
⏩ Intensive Courses: intensive courses are designed to cover a significant amount of material in a short period of time. They're ideal for parents who want a more structured learning programme with a clear start and end point. At times, tuition sessions can drag on without the progress or structure of the learning totally evident. Intensive courses are a good remedy for this problem.
The Exam Coach: Your Partner In SHSAT English Language Arts Tuition
The Exam Coach delivers group online tuition for children studying to sit the SHSAT. We offer weekly online tuition workshops that fit in with your schedule and set your child on a steady path of improvement.
Our 11 Plus Tuition Model
👨🏼🏫 Expert Tutors: our tutors are experienced, top-performing teachers who are passionate about helping children succeed in the SHSAT English section.
✅ Proven Approach: our approach is based on years of experience and has helped countless students achieve their goals.
🎯 Targeted Skill Development: sessions are focused on essential SHSAT English techniques and skill development in order to score marks in the exam.
⏰ Online and Flexible: our online tuition options offer flexibility and convenience, allowing your child to learn from home.
📚 Comprehensive Preparation: we specialise in the core SHSAT English disciplines, including comprehension, revision and editing.
🏆 Build Exam Confidence: our supportive and encouraging group learning environment helps build your child's confidence and reduces anxiety about the SHSAT.
With The Exam Coach tuition team, your child will be well-prepared and confident on exam day.
2. Practice Papers and Mock Exams 📝
Practice papers are a vital preparation resource for several reasons:
😱 Familiarisation with Format: working through practice papers helps your child become comfortable with the structure, timing, and types of questions they'll encounter in the actual SHSAT.
🔎 Identify Areas for Improvement: by reviewing their answers with a mark schemes, you can work with your child to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.
💪 Build Exam Technique: practice papers help develop essential exam skills, such as time management, careful reading, and clear answer presentation.
Click the buttons below to access our free SHSAT papers and resources.
3. Focus on Key Skills 🔑
The SHSAT draws heavily on concepts taught through 8th grade, but success often comes down to how fluently students can apply those skills under pressure. Here are four high-impact areas to prioritise during prep:
📖 Active Reading Practice: Encourage your child to read regularly across different genres—fiction, non-fiction, biographies, science articles, and persuasive writing. Exposure to varied writing styles helps build the comprehension and inference skills needed for the SHSAT’s reading section. Ask questions like: What’s the main idea? What’s the author’s tone? Why did they include that detail?
🧠 Mental Maths & Estimation: Quick recall of number facts, factors, and basic calculations makes problem-solving much faster—especially since calculators aren’t allowed on the SHSAT. Practise estimation strategies, arithmetic shortcuts, and number sense using flashcards, brainteasers, or even real-life maths during shopping or cooking.
📝 Grammar & Editing Awareness: Build a strong foundation in grammar by practising sentence corrections and short editing exercises. Focus on common SHSAT issues: verb tense consistency, punctuation, transitions, and logical sentence flow. You can even pause during reading to ask, Could this sentence be clearer?
💬 Vocabulary Building: SHSAT passages often contain advanced vocabulary, so aim to introduce a few new words each week. Use vocabulary journals, word maps, or synonym challenges. Encourage your child to use new words in their writing or daily conversations to reinforce them naturally.
