What is on the SHSAT?

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is a 2-hour and 30-minute, multiple choice test consisting of two sections – Verbal & Math.

Verbal Section – 3 parts — 45 questions –75 minutes

• Scrambled paragraphs – 5 questions

For each question, you are given the 1st of 6 sentences.  You must correctly order the 5 subsequent sentences in order to form a coherent paragraph.  This is intended to measure your ability to organize written information in a logical sequence.  Questions in this section are worth twice as much as all others.

• Logical Reasoning – 10 questions

This section contains 10 questions that assess your ability to reason, drawing valid conclusions based on information provided.  There are different types of questions: figuring out codes, determining relative positions of things or people, and identifying correct assumptions, among others.  One of the keys to success in this section is to make sure you do not jump to conclusions that are not justified based on the conditions provided.

• Reading Comprehension – 30 questions

This section contains 5 passages followed by 6 questions that measure your ability to understand written English.  The passages, which range from 350 to 450 words, often include biographies, topics in history, science, art, or music, persuasive essays, and human interest stories.   All are nonfiction.  One of the 6 questions will ask the main idea.  The others will assess your understanding of the facts and your ability to make inferences.

Math Section– 1 part — 50 questions –75 minutes

The Math section includes arithmetic, algebra, probability, statistics, and geometry problems.  The 9th grade test also includes trigonometry.  There are both computational and word questions.  For the most part, the exam requires application of the concepts covered in the New York State Core Curriculum.  Since there is a wide variance in the way that curriculum is used in classrooms across New York City (and State), there may be topics on the SHSAT that have not been covered in your math class.  This adds an additional dimension to the test, since creatively responding to unfamiliar situations is an indication of mathematical ability.  Of course, with proper test preparation, encountering an unfamiliar concept would be a rarity.

How is the SHSAT scored?

The most important thing to know about SHSAT scoring is that there is no penalty for a wrong answer.  Your score is based on the number of correct answers.  Therefore, leaving a question blank only hurts your chances, since wrong answers are not counted against you.  That means if you are about to run out of time, you should answer any remaining questions, even if you have to make a random guess.

For scoring the test, the total number of questions correct is combined with the difficulty level of these questions to yield a student’s scale score in each section, math and verbal.  Together, they comprise the composite score. These composite scores are ordered from highest to lowest for all students who took the test.  Those with the highest scores are assigned to their first choice schools until a school fills all available seats.  Obviously, once seats are filled in a school, it is closed to further admission.  So if a student’s 1st choice school is full, he or she gets the 2nd choice school.  If that school is filled, he or she get the 3rd choice, and so on.  This process of school choice/assignment then proceeds from the highest scoring student down to the lowest, with the cutoff for admittance to one of the Specialized High Schools coming when all seats are filled in all the schools.

How do I prepare for the SHSAT?

The first thing you should do is get a copy of the Specialized High Schools Student Handbook, often available from your guidance counselor.  If not, you can get it online at the NYC Department of Education — http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/High/Publications.

Take the practice tests included in that handbook.  If you are not where you would like to be, develop a plan for getting there.  You can prepare by yourself by using practice tests and SHSAT Prep books available at most bookstores and certainly online.  If that doesn’t produce the results you’re looking for, or if you know that you’re just not going to be able to do it that way, Partners With Parents works with the best SHSAT tutors, who are able to design a program and help you meet your goals by the time the October test date rolls around.

What is the SHSAT?

The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) is the test taken by 8th or 9th graders who are interested in applying to any of eight of New York City’s Specialized High Schools:

• The Bronx High School of Science
• The Brooklyn Latin School
• Brooklyn Technical High School
• High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College
• High School of American Studies at Lehman College
• Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
• Staten Island Technical High School
• Stuyvesant High School

The ninth Specialized High School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, requires an audition and a review of academic records rather than the SHSAT.

Registering for the SHSAT and Applying to NYC High Schools

In September of the 8th or 9th grade, you should inform your guidance counselor of your intention to apply to one or more Specialized High Schools.  The last day to register for the Fall 2010 SHSAT is October 6^th.  Prior to the testing date, your school guidance counselor will give you the SHSAT admission ticket (available for distribution after October 15^th).  The ticket will indicate the location of the test, the date and time of the test, as well as your student ID number and school ID number.  If you have a conflict with the test date/time/location, you should notify your guidance counselor immediately to arrange an alternate plan.

Before the test, on the back of your admission ticket, you will need to rank, in priority order, which Specialized High Schools you want to attend.  You will need to submit this on the test date, signed by your parent/guardian.  Only list those schools that you know you are willing to attend since changes cannot be made once your rankings are submitted.

In order for you to receive the result of your SHSAT and to be considered for admission to a Specialized High School, you must also submit a New York City Public High School Admissions Application to your guidance counselor (deadline is December 3^rd).  On the application you will indicate that you will take or have taken the SHSAT.  You will also have the opportunity to apply to other high schools/programs around New York City.

In February 2011, you will be notified as to whether or not you received an offer to a Specialized High School. If your test score qualifies you for an offer, then your placement will be based on how you ranked the schools.  You will be offered a seat at your highest ranked school that still has openings available.

Click here to see the Fall 2010 SHSAT test dates.

Click here to see some of Partners With Parents’ favorite SHSAT Prep tutors.

Next week’s blog:  What is actually on the SHSAT and how is it scored?

September 15 – October 6, 2010 – SHSAT Registration (through school counselors)

October 23 & 24, 2010 – SHSAT Test Days for 8^th graders

October 30, 2010 – SHSAT Test Day for 9^th graders, as well as 8th and 9th graders with testing accommodations

November 14, 2010 – SHSAT Test Day for all 9 ^th grade Sabbath observers, 8^th and 9^th grade Sabbath observers who need testing accommodations, as well as make-up tests (with permission only and must register by November 4^th)

Taking the SHSAT is a requirement for admission to the following high schools:

• Bronx High School of Science
• The Brooklyn Latin School
• Brooklyn Technical High School
• High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College
• High School of American Studies at Lehman College
• Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
• Staten Island Technical High School
• Stuyvesant High School

If you are interested in more specific information about the SHSAT or other entrance exams for New York City’s public and independent schools (like the ISEE, SSAT, or COOP), please give us a call at (212) 928-5016 or e-mail us.

To read the bios of a few of our favorite SHSAT tutors, click here.

It’s not a traditional powerhouse like Stuyvesant High School (#31) or Bronx Science (#58).

It has a specific theme, but it’s not the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies (#52), New Explorations Science, Technology, and Math School (#64), or the High School for Law and Public Service (#75).

To enroll, you don’t have to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), so it’s not Staten Island Tech (#34) or Brooklyn Tech (#63).

It’s not tied to a post-secondary institution, so it’s not Queens High School for the Sciences at York College (#81), or the High School of American Studies at Lehman College (#19).

It is in Queens but it’s not Townsend Harris (#33), or the Baccalaureate School for Global Education (#35),

Stumped?

The answer, coming in at #6 with a whopping College Readiness Index of 100, is Newcomers High School in Long Island City, Queens.  Known as something of an academic Ellis Island and located not far across the East River from the United Nations, Newcomers High School aims to fulfill on the mission created at its founding: to greet recent immigrants to the U.S. of one year or less with high expectations and rigorous support.

To be fair, the criteria for the numerical ranking is based on a scale called the College Readiness Index, which is limited in its scope.   Described as the measure of the degree to which students master college level material, the index only considers total participation and percentage of passing scores on AP exams (or IB exams, where applicable) in its determination of college readiness.  Not quite a complete picture.

Data was included from 21,786 public high schools in 48 states (NE and OK did not submit) and DC, mainly from the 2007-2008 school year.

View the rankings:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html