Overview:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Who Takes It? | - 8th graders (primary audience). - 9th graders (limited seats available for rising 10th grade applicants). - Students must reside in NYC or attend an NYC school to be eligible. |
| Purpose | Admission to NYC’s eight specialized high schools: - Stuyvesant High School - Bronx High School of Science - Brooklyn Technical High School - Staten Island Technical High School - Brooklyn Latin School - High School for Math, Science, and Engineering at City College - High School of American Studies at Lehman College - Queens High School for the Sciences at York College. (The ninth specialized high school, LaGuardia High School, admits students based on auditions and academic records, not SHSAT.) |
| Exam Contents | Two sections: - English Language Arts (ELA): Reading comprehension, revising/editing passages. - Mathematics: Word problems, computation, algebra, and geometry. |
| Format | - Total time: 3 hours (180 minutes). - Multiple-choice questions. - No penalty for wrong answers. - Total score is out of 800 (400 for each section). |
| Frequency | Held once a year, typically in October or November. |
| Success Ratio | - Highly competitive. - About 15-20% of test-takers are admitted annually, depending on the number of available seats. |
| Number of Applicants | - Approximately 25,000 to 30,000 students take the SHSAT each year. |
| Test Fees | None (free for all eligible NYC students). |
Exam:
| Section | Description | Question Types | Skills Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts (ELA) | Focus on reading comprehension, grammar, and sentence structure. | - Revising/Editing - Reading Comprehension |
- Grammar, punctuation, sentence clarity. - Main idea, inference, and analysis of texts. |
| Mathematics | Covers arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems. | - Multiple-choice | - Problem-solving, computation, and conceptual understanding of math concepts. |
| Total Duration | 180 minutes (3 hours). | - | Time management across sections. |
| Scoring | Each section scored out of 400, for a total score of up to 800. | - | No penalty for incorrect answers; raw scores converted to scaled scores. |
Schools and Cut-Offs:
| Specialized High School | Approximate SHSAT Cutoff Score (2024) | Approximate Number of Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Stuyvesant High School | 561 | 850 |
| The Bronx High School of Science | 526 | 750 |
| Staten Island Technical High School | 519 | 350 |
| High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College | 542 | 140 |
| Brooklyn Technical High School | 507 | 1,450 |
| Queens High School for the Sciences at York College | 524 | 120 |
| High School of American Studies at Lehman College | 514 | 100 |
| The Brooklyn Latin School | 492 | 400 |
Official Prep:
| Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| NYC Guide to SHSAT | Overview, strategies, and practice tests. | Guide |
| Practice Tests and Answer Keys | Two full-length practice tests with solutions. | Tests |
| ELA Prep Tips | Revising/editing and reading comprehension tips. | ELA Tips |
| Math Prep Tips | Strategies for SHSAT math concepts. | Math Tips |
| DREAM Program | Free SHSAT prep for eligible students. | DREAM |
SHSAT Math Section Breakdown:
| Category | Topics Tested | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | - Fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios - Order of operations (PEMDAS) - Prime numbers and factors - Absolute values |
10–15 | Easy to Moderate |
| Algebra | - Linear equations and inequalities - Expressions and simplifications - Word problems involving algebraic concepts - Patterns and sequences |
10–15 | Moderate to Challenging |
| Geometry | - Angles (complementary, supplementary) - Triangles (Pythagorean theorem, area) - Circles (radius, diameter, circumference) - Coordinate geometry |
8–12 | Moderate to Challenging |
| Statistics & Probability | - Mean, median, mode, and range - Simple probability - Data interpretation (charts and graphs) |
5–8 | Moderate |
| Word Problems | - Real-life applications combining multiple concepts - Multi-step problem-solving |
5–10 | Challenging |
| Total Questions | Covers all the above topics | ~57 | Varies across sections |
SHSAT English Language Arts (ELA) Section Breakdown:
| Category | Topics Tested | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revising/Editing | - Grammar and punctuation - Sentence structure and clarity - Conciseness - Identifying errors |
20–25 | Moderate to Challenging |
| Reading Comprehension | - Main idea and central theme - Inference and interpretation - Vocabulary in context - Author’s tone and purpose |
30–35 | Easy to Moderate |
| Passage Types | - Fiction (stories) - Nonfiction (informational texts) - Poetry (occasionally) |
Included in Reading Questions | Varies with passage type |
| Total Questions | Covers both Revising/Editing and Reading Comprehension | ~57 | Varies across sections |