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.

Jessica is a highly experienced and enthusiastic tutor.  She has her BA from Columbia University and received multiple scholarships and fellowships for getting master’s degrees in art and music from Wesleyan, Brandeis, and Bard.  Over her eight years of tutoring in New York City, she has worked with hundreds of elite independent school students in a wide range of subjects: SATs, ISEEs, SHSATs, SSATs, PSATs, and other standardized test preparation, as well as academic subjects including mathematics, English, history, sciences, and music.  She has also served as the coordinator for the Brandeis University tutoring program, taught intensive SAT prep classes through the Ivy League Tutors Foundation, and taught a range of art and music courses as a graduate teaching fellow at Wesleyan University.  She believes that tutoring should reinforce the student’s strengths, rectify misunderstandings, and nurture independent thinking.  This allows students to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to feel empowered and excited about their academic success. She loves teaching and loves learning.

Alisa has a Ph.D in the humanities.  She has been listed in “Who’s Who in American Educators” and has taught a variety of humanities courses at the college level.  Alisa has extensive experience with standardized test preparation and has published on writing techniques for different learning styles.  Prior to working with PWP, Alisa taught SAT and GRE prep for the Princeton Review.  She is expert at developing proficiency in standardized test content, teaching test taking strategies, and building academic self confidence so that students feel ready to successfully take exams.  She has a fun, irreverent approach, siding with the student to outsmart the test, and has a record of substantial score increases for the vast majority of her students.

Regina has an MFA from Columbia University and an MA in Liberal Studies from The Graduate Center.  Regina has been teaching and tutoring for over 10 years.  Before coming to work with Partners With Parents, Regina worked as a private tutor for the Princeton Review.   Her classroom experience has included time as an English teacher at Hunter High School and she has done one-on-one test preparation for a wide array of tests: the ISEE, SHSAT, PSAT, and SAT, among others.  In addition to working with test prep clients, Regina creates and implements curricula for homeschool students, as well as provides academic coaching and conventional subject tutoring.  On the non-tutoring front, Regina recently impressed us all with the breadth of her knowledge as a 4-day champion on Jeopardy! Look out for her on the Tournament of Champions!

If you have general questions about the ISEE, SHSAT, or the SSAT or if you are interested in learning more about Partners With Parents’ other services, please call our office at (212) 928-5016/5014 or e-mail us.

It is important to realize that test preparation cannot merely begin at the registration deadline, which is usually less than a month prior to the test date.  To ensure a confident, level-headed approach on test day, the material must be examined and taken seriously well in advance.  Standardized tests are not measures of any innate intelligence or ability; in a sense, performance on these exams is just an indicator of how well you perform on these exams. This is why our schools and universities rarely make test scores their first criteria in decision-making.  Meaningful preparation that results in actual mastery of the material usually raises a student’s score substantially.

As you look ahead to your child’s exam schedule in the upcoming year, don’t miss your registration deadlines, but be sure you don’t forget to accommodate the learning process that comes far prior to registration, either.  Make a study plan a year in advance that includes understanding how the test works.  Take a practice test each month in real test conditions to develop ease with test-taking itself.  Break down the test into discrete concepts and commit to learning one each week – triangles this week, probability next.  Learn a new word or two each day.  There are hundreds of resources for each standardized test at your disposal – books, word lists, worksheets, computer programs, etc.  This kind of preparation will leave many students well-prepared for test day.

If you know your child faces a struggle with a standardized test, professional test prep is always an option.  We all know this is a huge industry, with thousands of classes and private tutors in New York City alone.  One piece of advice: Research your options and know how much you are willing to spend in total.  It can get very expensive.  Another piece of advice: If you know you are going to have a few sessions with a tutor, do the majority of them months in advance.  That way, you’ll know where you stand and have the time to address areas of weakness.  Then you can have the last couple of sessions right before the test date for lingering questions and final preparations.  For self-disciplined learners, a good tutor will be able to identify gaps in knowledge and create a plan of action that the student can follow independently.  For those students who need more attention, there are rigorous programs that provide step-by-step instruction over the course of months.

The bottom line: Make a plan!  Get familiar with the test as well as the dates that serve you.  If you don’t feel confident with some of the content, target those areas for extra attention.  Seek outside resources. (You might as well start by checking out free or low-cost options before jumping right in with tutors who charge hundreds of dollars an hour.)  Practice, practice, practice!  Then, the night before the big day, relax a little.  If you’ve done a thorough preparation, the confidence will be there, and the results will come.