What should students expect on the exam?
Content and Item Types
The exam will:
- include two sections, one for English Language Arts (ELA) and one for Mathematics.
- feature 50 questions per section.
- have a standard test time of 180 minutes in length.
Students will be able to choose which section (ELA or Math) they begin with. The ELA section includes Revising and Editing and Reading Comprehension questions, and the math section includes questions about ratios and proportional relationships, number system and expressions, equations, inequalities, statistics and probability, and geometry. Both sections will include a combination of multiple-choice and fill in the blank, in addition to technology-enhanced items (TEI). Samples of the TEI that may appear on the exam can be found here. (NOTE: This resource reflects the nature of the item types without reflecting the kind of rigorous content that will appear on the exam.)
Functionality
Students must respond to each question before they will be able to move on to the next question. For passage-based question sets in the ELA section, students will be able to return to questions within the set and alter their responses; however, once they complete and submit all questions in the set, they cannot return to their responses in that section. In the Mathematics section and for stand-alone items in the ELA section, students will not be able to return to the question after they have advanced. Once students complete and submit their responses in each subject, they will not be able to revisit the questions for that subject.
Adaptive Item Selection
Beginning in fall 2026, the SHSAT will move to a computer-adaptive test. A computer-adaptive test adjusts its content based on student responses.
At the start of the test, students will see an item or passage set of average difficulty. After the student responds, an initial score estimate will be set. As students answer more questions, the testing system re-estimates their score in real time based on all of their responses until that point. If a student answers a question correctly, their estimated score will go up, and they may then receive a more challenging question. If they answer incorrectly, their estimated score will go down, and the next question may have a lower difficulty level. All students will answer the same number of questions, and the test will continually adapt the item difficulty level as the student progresses.
All students will answer the same number of questions (50 per subject) and be tested on the same grade-level standards, content areas, and item types.
How can students prepare for the exam?
The NYC Guide to the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test includes information on how to prepare for the exam and what to expect on test day, including an overview of available online tools, various test-taking tips, lists of what you can and cannot bring with you on test day, and sample test questions with corresponding answer explanations, among other valuable information. The Guide is available as a PDF here and will be available as a PDF translated in NYCPS' 12 supported languages soon. In the meantime, the content of the Guide can be translated here, and you can go here for translated versions of the tips on how to prepare. These sites also provide support for a read-aloud option, if necessary.
The NYC SHSAT Portal also features some useful resources. The Student Readiness Tool (SRT) tutorial enables students to experience the functionality of the exam, and four fully functional online practice tests provide students with an opportunity to take a practice version of the exam that mirrors the actual exam in both form and content, including translated directions and what translation of footnotes look like. The tutorial and unique practice tests will be accessible every year directly through a web browser, so no special software is required to practice with the content or features of the exam.
What accommodations will be available?
Universal Accessibility Features
All students will be able to take advantage of the universal accessibility features, such as zoom, highlighting, or note-taking features.
Testing Accommodations for English Language Learners
English Language Learners (ELLs) and eligible former ELLs are entitled to testing accommodations on the SHSAT. These include extended testing time and use of translated directions, translations of footnotes in the ELA passages, and bilingual glossaries.
- On the SHSAT, ELLs are granted extended testing time totaling 360 minutes (2x standard testing time) with two breaks of 15 minutes each built in after the first 180 minutes of testing. The extended time is calculated from the start time of the SHSAT, not the arrival to the testing site.
- Translated directions will be available to students in Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Uzbek.
- Translations of footnotes in the ELA passages will be available in the digital test platform in Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Uzbek.
- Commercially published bilingual glossaries containing approximately 20,000 word translations will be provided on paper in Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Simplified Mandarin, Traditional Cantonese), Dari, Farsi, French, Fulani, Georgian, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tadzhik, Tagalog, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, and Wolof (note: this list is subject to change).
- Students are not permitted to bring their own bilingual glossaries. ELLs or eligible former ELLs whose home language is not listed here can work with their school to discuss potential options for a bilingual glossary in their home language for the exam.
Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans
Students who have approved testing accommodations listed in an IEP or 504 Plan will receive those accommodations on the SHSAT, unless the accommodation is not necessary due to the SHSAT design or administration policies (e.g., speech to text may be unnecessary because there are no extended response items) or the accommodation is not allowed (e.g., some assistive technology software). Students who have testing accommodations like tests read, breaks, or magnification will be able to receive these supports via the testing platform.
Paper Versions
Paper exams will be available for the extremely limited number of students who have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans with approved testing accommodations that require paper versions in order for the students to access the exam. Otherwise, all exams will be administered on the computer, without exception.
How will the test be scored?
Each item has an established difficulty parameter, all of which are placed on the same measurement scale. Performance scores are calculated based on the student's pattern of correct and incorrect responses in relation to item difficulty. As the test progresses, the student’s estimated score updates after each response (or set of responses tied to a passage). At the conclusion of the test, the final performance score is computed and subsequently transformed into the reported SHSAT score.
The process for converting performance scores to final reported scores remains consistent with previous SHSAT administrations. Performance scores on each subtest are transformed through a standardization process into scaled scores, and these scaled subtest scores are then added together to produce a composite score used for rank ordering.
Where will students take the exam?
Students will take the exam on DOE-provided computers either at their home school during a School Day administration or at a testing site on one of the designated weekend administration dates. Students may not use their own computers or sit for the exam at a location that is not specified by the DOE.
Will students and families have an opportunity to review their exams after scores are released?
Yes. Students who sat for the exam in the fall of 2025 have an opportunity to review their work on the test in borough-specific sessions on weekends in May and June. If your student sat for the exam during that administration and has yet to request a Test View, please email SHSATtestviews@schools.nyc.gov.
Students who sit for the test in fall of 2026 will have an opportunity to review their performance in the spring of 2027. Students and families will be able to sign up for an appointment at specific NYC Public schools or sites located in one of the five boroughs: Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Both the student and the parent/guardian are required to attend the appointment.