The Specialized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT for short, is an exam given to 8^th and 9^th grade students in New York City. Though the test is optional, students are encouraged to take the exam as it is free and with a high enough score, students can gain acceptance into 1 of 7 Specialized High Schools in New York City. These high schools are considered to be some of the best public high schools in New York City and among the top 100 high schools in the entire country. Here are the schools that students can gain admittance to:

You can learn more about what the SHSAT is by reading some of the blog posts we have written about them:

First, let's establish what is on the SHSAT. The SHSAT is comprised of 57 ELA questions and 57 Math questions. Of the 57 questions in each section 47 will be scored and 10 will be experimental questions. Students will not be able to distinguish between the 10 experimental questions and the other 47 in each section. Here is the breakdown for each of the sections:

The test is 180 minutes (3 hours long). Students can use the 180 minutes for the entire exam however they want. They don't need to split the time between the ELA and Math sections.

To get a better idea of what is on the SHSAT you should take a practice exam. The NYC DOE offers two free practice tests every year for 8th graders and a 9th grade math section if you take the exam as a 9th grader.

You can take these practice tests in the comfort of your own home. However, be sure to follow instructions carefully and time yourself so you can get an accurate measure of your performance on an actual exam.

You can also take a practice test in Synergy Prep where we will walk you through the instructions ourselves, proctor you, grade your exam, and will give you a detailed breakdown of your score afterwards and how you stand when it comes to being accepted into a Specialized High School.

To gain acceptance into a Specialized High School you need to score above a school's cutoff score for that particular year. Cutoff scores vary from year to year so shooting for a specific score will not guarantee that you are accepted into the Specialized High School that you are aiming for. We advise that you try to get the highest score that you possibly can by studying rigorously for the SHSAT and learning to answer each question to the best of your ability.

For your reference, the table below are the lowest and highest admitted scores for each of the Specialized High Schools in 2022. Please note that these cutoff scores are for 8th graders.

Below is a table representing the average cutoff score range from 2020 to 2022 for each Specialized High School. This table should be used as a guide and not a complete reference on how you should expect yourself to perform in order to gain entrance into the Specialized High School of your choice.

Specialized High Schools have separate cutoff scores for 9th graders who take the SHSAT. Be aware that 9th graders who take the test are held to a higher standard as they have an extra year to prepare for the exam. Additionally, since fewer 9th graders take the SHSAT than 8th graders, proportionally, there are also fewer seats available. This means that 9th graders must perform significantly better on the SHSAT than 8th graders if they want to be accepted into a Specialized High School. Read more about whether or not you should take the 9th grade exam.

The SHSAT is important for every student in New York City because it gives you entry into some of the best public high schools in New York City. Specialized High Schools are considered some of the best high schools in the nation for a reason. Here are some of them:

Read more about why the SHSAT is important and how Specialized High Schools are different from regular public high schools.

Since its inception, Synergy Prep has been tutoring students for the SHSAT. Teaching skills to students so they can master the SHSAT has been one of our primary goals since the beginning. We know our stuff when it comes to the SHSAT.

On a weekly basis we focus on teaching students the skills they need to master the exam. We do this by giving students weekly lesson plans that we create ourselves. We start from the very basics, no matter what a student's baseline knowledge is, so that every student learns the fundamentals.

After six weeks of teaching students the fundamentals, we give them a diagnostic test to see how well they understood the concepts they were taught. Based on these scores, students are placed in separate classes that will suit their learning styles. We do this to ensure that students are not left behind when instructors go over lesson plans.

Every six weeks students will receive a diagnostic exam to measure how well they are doing in the program. Subsequently, parent teacher conferences will be scheduled with each individual parent so they know how their child is performing in our program and the trajectory they are headed in based on their performance.

Here are some of the other features our program includes:

Speak to one of our SHSAT program managers and we will hook you up with a package that suits your needs! Please see the packages below for more information: