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United States · Admissions test

The NYC SHSAT: New York City’s Specialized High Schools Admissions Test

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is the only thing eight of New York City’s nine Specialized High Schools use to decide who gets in. From fall 2026 the NYC SHSAT is computer-adaptive: 50 English Language Arts (ELA) questions and 50 math questions in 180 minutes, on a computer the city provides. You can take it in 8th grade, or in 9th grade for the first time, if you live in New York City.

  • 100Questions: 50 ELA and 50 math
  • 180 minutesStandard testing time
  • November 14 to 21Fall 2026 test days
  • 8Schools that admit by SHSAT score
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the NYC Guide to the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) for 2027 Admissions

Key facts

At a glance

Run by
New York City Public Schools (NYCPS)
Who can take it
NYC residents in 8th grade, or in 9th grade for the first time
Sections
ELA and math, in the order you choose
How it adapts
A right answer can bring a harder question, a wrong one an easier question
Pass mark
None. Offers go in score order until each school’s seats are filled
Results
Your score and up to one offer, in early spring 2027

How it works

How the NYC SHSAT works on test day

  1. Before you start, you confirm on screen that you’re well enough to test, live in New York City and are taking the right grade’s test. If you feel ill, tell the proctor instead of checking the box.
  2. You decide whether to start with ELA or math, and you split the 180 minutes between them as you like.
  3. Once you submit a subject, you can’t go back to it.
  4. Scrap paper is handed out for notes and working, but only answers selected on screen count. It’s collected at the end.
  5. When time runs out, you can’t answer any more questions or change answers.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

The computer-adaptive test

From fall 2026 the SHSAT is a computer-adaptive test: each answer moves your score estimate, and the next question gets harder or easier to match.

Key points (4)
  • There are 50 questions in English Language Arts (ELA) and 50 in math, with 180 minutes of standard testing time (NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 Admissions).
  • You must answer each question before you can move on, and you can choose which section to start with (NYCPS SHSAT page).
  • Within an ELA passage set you can change answers until you submit the set. In math, and for stand-alone ELA questions, you can’t go back (NYCPS SHSAT page).
  • Each subject has 10 unscored field-test questions that don’t affect how the test adapts (NYCPS SHSAT page).
02

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension tests how well you understand literary and informational texts, and your answers should come from the text, not from what you already know.

Key points (4)
  • Texts can be literary (poetry, myths, mysteries, science fiction and more) or informational (speeches, biographies, journalism, scientific accounts and more) (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
  • The guide says to base answers only on the text and any images or graphics with it, not on prior knowledge.
  • ELA questions follow the New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards.
  • Words underlined with a dotted line have a pop-up definition you can click.
03

Revising and Editing

Revising/Editing Part A asks how to improve a whole text. Part B asks about language and punctuation in a sentence, a list of sentences or a short paragraph.

Key points (4)
  • Part A texts may have language misuse, missing or unnecessary details, weak transitions, an unclear introduction or conclusion, or illogical organization (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
  • Every sentence in a Part A text is numbered so you can find it quickly.
  • Part B is based on the Language section of the New York State Next Generation ELA standards for Grade 7 and earlier grades.
  • Part B questions ask you to choose the best correction, find the sentence with an error, or combine or revise sentences.
04

Ratios, proportions and the number system

Ratios and proportional relationships, and the number system and expressions, are among the math areas NYC lists for the test.

Key points (4)
  • NYC lists ratios and proportional relationships, and the number system and expressions, as math content (NYCPS SHSAT page).
  • Math on the Grade 8 test form is based on New York State standards through Grade 7, and on the Grade 9 form through Grade 8 (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
  • Calculators aren’t allowed, so you work on scrap paper or the digital notepad (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
  • The guide advises solving a problem before looking at the answer options.
05

Expressions, equations and inequalities

Algebra questions ask you to turn words into symbols and solve equations and inequalities, and the harder ones take several steps.

Key points (4)
  • NYC lists expressions, equations and inequalities as math content (NYCPS SHSAT page).
  • Some answers are entered with the equation editor, which has symbols such as parentheses, square root and the multiplication dot (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
  • If your answer isn’t among the options, the guide suggests checking whether it can be written another way.
  • Harder questions combine skills, such as fractions, equations and statistics in one problem (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
06

Statistics, probability and geometry

Statistics and probability and geometry complete NYC’s list of math areas. Formulas aren’t given, so you learn them before test day.

Key points (4)
  • NYC lists statistics and probability, and geometry, as math content (NYCPS SHSAT page).
  • Definitions and formulas for terms and symbols aren’t given on the test, so you need to know them (NYC Guide to the SHSAT).
  • The guide names perimeter, area, volume and surface area of 2- and 3-dimensional figures as formulas to study.
  • You must know grade-level terms such as parallel and perpendicular, and the symbols for them.
07

Scores, offers and the Specialized High Schools

Eight Specialized High Schools admit students by SHSAT score alone, in score order and by the order of schools each student lists.

Key points (4)
  • The SHSAT is the only criterion for the eight testing Specialized High Schools. LaGuardia admits by audition (NYCPS Specialized High Schools page).
  • Each subject’s performance score becomes a scaled score, and the two scaled scores are added to give the composite used for ranking (NYCPS SHSAT page).
  • Offers go student by student from the highest score down, each to the highest-listed school that still has seats.
  • For fall 2026 admissions, the lowest qualifying scores for 9th grade seats ran from 495 at The Brooklyn Latin School to 561 at Stuyvesant High School.

Test day

What to bring, and what to leave at home

  • Assistive technology, if it’s on your Individualized Education Program (IEP) and test ticket (you must bring it)
  • Your SHSAT test ticket (optional)
  • Sharpened pencils, an eraser and a highlighter (optional)
  • A silent watch that isn’t a calculator or a smart watch (optional)
  • Water in a plastic or soft container that won’t make noise if tipped, and a quiet unwrapped snack for before the test or a break (optional)

Before you go

  1. If you registered by October 30, 2026, find your test ticket and check the schools you listed.
  2. If a disability or injury comes up within 30 days of the test, ask your school counselor about emergency accommodations. Your principal must approve them.
  3. Take the Student Readiness Tool tutorial on the NYC SHSAT Portal so the tools and item types are familiar.
  4. Do at least one full practice test under timed conditions, as NYC’s guide encourages.
  5. Decide which section you’ll start with and how you’ll split your time.
  6. Check your test ticket for your date, site and arrival time.
  7. Leave your phone switched off and put away as the site tells you. Calculators, smart watches and other devices aren’t allowed.
NYC Public Schools: MySchoolsSHSAT registration for the fall 2026 test ran in MySchools from October 6 to October 30, 2026. Test tickets, with your date and site, come after the deadline.

Study options

Where to study

NYC Public Schools gives away the core SHSAT material: four full-length digital practice tests and a Student Readiness Tool on the NYC SHSAT Portal, and the NYC Guide to the SHSAT with sample questions and explained answers. Paid tutoring and courses follow in the list, with prices where the company shows them.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
NYC SHSAT Portal practice testsOfficial digital practice testsRun by NYC Public Schools in a web browser, with no login or download. You choose ELA or math first, and English Language Learners can pick a version with translated directions and footnotes. Answers aren’t saved, so print the summary report if you want to keep it.
FreeFour full-length tests (A to D), timed or untimed, plus two Grade 9 mini forms, printable PDFs and explanations
NYC SHSAT Portal: Practice Tests ↗
NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 AdmissionsOfficial guide (PDF)Written for the fall 2026 computer-adaptive test. It covers preparation, each part of the test, the digital tools and test day rules. A read-aloud web version is on NYC’s How to Prepare for the SHSAT page.
FreeThe whole guide, in English and 12 other languages, with sample questions and answer explanations
NYC Public Schools: Guide to the SHSAT (PDF) ↗NYC Public Schools: How to Prepare for the SHSAT ↗
Student Readiness Tool (SRT)Official test tutorialNYC Public Schools suggests it before the practice tests, so the highlighter, answer eliminator, notepad and equation editor don’t slow you down on test day.
FreeA walk-through of every item type and tool in the digital SHSAT
NYC Public Schools: Student Readiness Tool ↗
DREAM-SHSINYC Public Schools prep programFor eligible 7th graders at NYC district and charter schools, based on grade 6 state test scores and home or school district. Eligible students hear from their school; the 2026 application opened in MySchools in mid-December 2025.
Not listedIn-person SHSAT prep, admissions help and social-emotional learning across spring, summer and fall
NYC Public Schools: DREAM-SHSI ↗
In person
The Princeton ReviewSHSAT tutoring and classroom courseIts SHSAT Immersion course has 24 hours of classroom instruction and 3 full-length practice tests, with 3 hours of one-to-one tutoring as a $450 add-on. Tutoring packages include 2 full-length practice tests and an SHSAT manual. Immersion class schedules are listed by ZIP code, and the page shows no course price.
Tutoring $167 an hour for 18 hours, or $180 an hour for 10 hoursFree SHSAT practice tests and events listed on its site
The Princeton Review: SHSAT Private Tutoring ↗The Princeton Review: SHSAT Immersion ↗
Apps and websites
Test NinjasOnline SHSAT practiceIts SHSAT pages cover English Language Arts and math for 8th and 9th graders and describe the computer-adaptive format from fall 2026.
Free practice; paid SHSAT course not yet availableA daily practice question with an explanation, and free sample lessons for grade 8 and grade 9
Test Ninjas: SHSAT ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

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FAQ

Common questions

What is the SHSAT?

It’s the entrance test for eight of New York City’s Specialized High Schools, including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech. NYC Public Schools says it’s the only criterion those schools use. The ninth Specialized High School, LaGuardia, admits by audition instead.

Can you take the NYC SHSAT online at home?

No. It’s a digital test, but you take it on a computer NYC Public Schools provides, either at your own school on the school-day date or at a central site on a weekend. You can’t use your own computer or test anywhere else. Paper versions exist only for students whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan requires one.

Is the NYC SHSAT hard?

NYC doesn’t publish pass rates, and there’s no pass mark. Because the test adapts, the questions may get harder as you answer correctly. Math on the 8th grade form is based on New York State standards through Grade 7, and formulas aren’t given, so you need to know them.

Can I take the SHSAT in 9th grade?

Yes, if you live in New York City and are in 9th grade for the first time, not repeating it. The 9th grade form has its own math standards and its own test date.

What changed on the SHSAT in 2026?

From the fall 2026 test it’s computer-adaptive, with 50 questions in each section. The guide for 2026 admissions, written for the fall 2025 test, had 57 in each. You still get 180 minutes, and NYC says performance scores are still turned into scaled scores the same way as before.

Sources: NYC Public Schools and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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