Specialized High Schools Admissions Test

New York City admission test for elite high schools

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is a test given to eighth and ninth grade students living in New York City. Students take this test if they wish to get into Specialized high schools in New York City.[1] About 30,000 students take the test but only 3,000 can be accepted.[2] According to U.S. News & World Report the eight specialized schools all rank among the top 200 high schools in the US.[3]

The schools

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The SHSAT is used to get into any of the following eight specialized high schools.[a][5]

  • 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

Examination format

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The SHSAT has both English and math questions. Both sections is made up of multiple-choice questions. The amount of time normally given for the exam is 3 hours, however, students with accommodations can be given 6 hours to do the exam.[6] Students can use the time to do the test in any order they wish. There is no break in between the sections. Calculators cannot be used in the test.

Verbal

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57 Multiple Choice Questions

  • Between 9 to 19 revising and editing questions
  • Between 38 to 48 reading comprehension questions

Mathematics

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57 Multiple Choice Questions

  • Many math topics tested
Basic math
Algebra
Factoring
Substitution
Geometry
Basic Coordinate Graphing
Logic
Word Problems
  1. The ninth specialized school is Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Here acceptance is by audition, the student's portfolio and their records.[4]

References

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  1. Lawrence Zimmerman; et al., Barron's New York City SHSAT Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 2008), p. 1
  2. "Welcome to SHSAT Info". SHSAT.org, New York, USA. n.d. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  3. Grace Meng (September 22, 2014). "High-School Admissions Test has Served New Yorker's Well". New York Post. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  4. "Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT)". Elite Academy. n.d. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  5. Darcy Galane, Kaplan New York City Specialized High School Admissions Test (New York: Kaplan Publishing, 2013), p. xiii
  6. "Specialized High School Admissions Test". web. Retrieved April 27, 2024.

Other websites

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