SHSAT Specialized High Schools Admissions Test

Elite Courses

What is SHSAT?

Administered by the Department of Education, the SHSAT is a standardized test offered to New York City residents seeking admission to NYC’s Specialized High Schools. These public high schools have a separate admission process from the general high school admission application and are highly selective. Out of more than 28,000 students who took the SHSAT in 2016, only about 18% were offered a seat at a Specialized High School. For better or worse, admission to these elite high schools is based solely on your SHSAT score, which means being properly prepared for the exam is crucial.

Who can take this test?

Students must be New York City residents and currently enrolled in the eighth grade or the first in the ninth grade in order to enroll and participate in SHSAT. Eight out of nine Specialized High School require SHSAT scores for admission purpose. LaGuardia High School is the only Specialized High School that requires performance interviews and test based on individual talent program.

New York Specialized High School List

The eight Specialized High School require SHSAT scores are:
  • Bronx High School of Science
  • Brooklyn Latin School
  • Brooklyn Technical High School
  • High School for Math, Science, and Engineering at City College
  • High School for American Studies at Lehman College
  • Queen High School for the Sciences at York College
  • Staten Island Technical High School
  • Stuyvesant High School

Why should the student participate in SHSAT?

People must have heard of many top elite high school such as Stuyvesant, Bronx science, Brooklyn Tech, and many other top elite high school in New York City. These High schools are known as top schools with wide career connections, high Ivy League acceptance rates, national awards in many fields, and numerous challenging college preparation courses available for students.

What is on the test?

This examination is to test the knowledge and skills that students have. SHSAT is divided into two parts: English (ELA) and Mathematics. The test standard time is 180 minutes.

English

20 Revising/Editing to test your ability to recognize and correct language errors and to improve the overall quality of a piece of writing.
37 Reading comprehension These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and interpret what you have read.

Math

52 Multiple Choice test what the student has learned in math class through the 8th or 9th grade. Each question has 4 choices.
5 Grid In questions require the student to “grid in” their numerical answer choice in a chart of numbers.

SHSAT Test schedule and time?

Date
Information
Sept 6th – Oct 11th
SHSAT for students new to NYC who arrived after the fall 2017 test date. Test will be administered at Stuyvesant High School. Students will be taking the fall 2017 version of the SHSAT, so use practice materials geared for that iteration.
August 28
LaGuardia audition for students new to NYC who arrived after the fall 2017 audition dates. Auditions will be held at LaGuardia High School.
September 12 to October 12
Registration period for the fall 2018 SHSAT and LaGuardia audition. Make sure to request your ticket before the October 11 deadline!
Nov 3rd & Nov 18th
SHSAT dates for 8th-and 9th-graders applying to enter high school in September 2019.
Thursday, November 1st
SHSAT date for students taking the exam at their school as part of a pilot program.
Saturday, November 3 or Sunday, November 18
SHSAT dates for English language learners, students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans that included testing accommodations, and students granted a make-up test.
*Dates will be updated

Why should students study with Weibo?

Our program prepares students to be SHSAT ready by utilizing SHSAT handbook along with daily practices and new exam taking skills. We also have writing classes to help students improve on the writing section of the shsat. At Weibo, we have many experienced English, Mathematic, and Writing tutors to aid students on their path to be SHSAT ready.

Wei Bo SHSAT Schedule

SHSAT After School Mon. – Fri. 2:00pm-6:00pm

SHSAT Sat. 9:00am-12:00pm 1:00pm-4:00pm

Register for SHAT & Download SHSAT Handbook