If you reside in New York and want your child to be accepted at the city’s specialized high schools, then your child has to take the SHSAT or Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. However, if you don’t know how to fulfill your SHSAT or how to take the test, don’t worry. What you need to do is learn about SHSAT Cutoff scores, relevant math topics, and ELA topics. The following are some essential points that you need to know before starting an SHSAT test prep.
What SHSAT Is
The SHSAT stands for Specialized High School Admissions Test. It is a three-hour-long test that enables students to obtain admission to one of nine specialized high schools in New York City. Enrollment for the test starts in early September when seventh-grade students can reach out to their guidance advisers to register for the exam. The exam date is generally at the end of October, but there are make-up exams in early and mid-November. The test is accessible to anyone and everyone who resides in the five areas, such as students with disabilities and English-speaking students.
Over 30,000 eighth-graders are required to take the SHSAT per year throughout the exam period. It may seem like a fantastic number of students competing for a few places (and it is!), but with preparation exercises and a good work ethic, this assessment is manageable. Each year there are also around 3,000 students completing the most competitive SHSAT 9th Grade.
What the SHSAT Test Does
There are two SHSAT parts: English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. The test will take you three hours (180 minutes). The nine schools that the SHSAT rules are as follows: Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn Technical High School, High School of American Studies at Lehman College, High School for Math, Science, and Engineering at City College, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Staten Island Technical High School, Stuyvesant High School, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
The exam is composed of English and Math sections, each of which covers 400 of 800 cumulative points possible. Both skills and knowledge are examined. For English written questions, knowledge of prose, and the ability to edit and review will be tested. On the other hand, in mathematics, students will be tested on their ability to apply the problem-solving skills they learned at school to hard questions.
4 Essential Suggestions Before Starting Your Test
Start with a practice test to understand what field your strengths and weaknesses. This practice is critical to measure your SHSAT abilities.
Answer the questions each time, even if you run out of time and have a complete guess – SHSAT won’t penalize you for the wrong answers – your score is based on how many questions you answer correctly
If you are better at math than English, or vice versa, focus on answering as many questions correctly in this section and then address the more straightforward question types in another part – don’t spend too much time on the hard items in the section you find most challenging.
Eat a large breakfast and also the other energy bar and drink before you take the test. There are no breaks or food. Therefore, prepare yourself, and don’t let your hunger diminish your concentration.