Royal Test Prep – SHSAT Tests Preparation Program

Excellence through structured learning, crafted by Royal Test Prep

Everything You Need to Know

SHSAT Overview

The SHSAT is a competitive entrance exam used for admission into New York City’s Specialized High Schools.

It is administered by the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) and is the only factor used for admission to most of these schools.

SHSAT Basics

Purpose: Admission to NYC Specialized High Schools
Test type: Multiple-choice standardized exam
Who takes it: 8th–9th grade students in NYC
Importance: Single exam determines admission (very high stakes)

Your score directly determines eligibility for schools like:

Stuyvesant High School
Bronx High School of Science
Brooklyn Technical High School

SHSAT Format

The SHSAT has two main sections:

1. English Language Arts (ELA)

Reading comprehension passages
Revising & editing grammar questions
Vocabulary in context
Inference and main idea questions

2. Math Section

Covers a wide range of middle school math:

Algebra
Word problems
Geometry
Ratios, percentages, and probability
Number properties

Test Structure

Total time: ~3 hours
No calculator section breakdown (calculator allowed only in math section depending on rules for that year)
Multiple-choice format only
No essay

Scoring System

Score is based on:
- Correct answers (no penalty for guessing)
Converted into a scaled score
Each school has a cutoff score, which changes yearly

Higher scores = higher chance of admission

Specialized High Schools (NYC)

Students compete for admission into elite public schools, including:

The Eight SHSAT Schools:

Stuyvesant High School (Manhattan)
The Bronx High School of Science (Bronx)
Brooklyn Technical High School (Brooklyn)
Staten Island Technical High School (Staten Island)
High School of American Studies at Lehman College (Bronx)
High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College of New York (Manhattan)
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College (Queens)
The Brooklyn Latin School (Brooklyn)
Note: The ninth school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, requires an audition or portfolio, not the SHSAT

Key Skills Tested

ELA Skills

Reading speed + comprehension
Grammar accuracy
Critical thinking

Math Skills

Multi-step problem solving
Algebra fluency
Geometry reasoning
Word problem interpretation

SHSAT Difficulty Level

The SHSAT is considered:

Highly competitive
Fast-paced
Strongly strategy-based

Many students struggle not because of content, but because of:

Time pressure
Tricky reading passages
Multi-step math questions

Preparation Strategy

Successful SHSAT prep focuses on:

1. Foundations

Core math skills
Grammar rules
Reading comprehension basics

2. Speed Training

Timed practice sets
Skimming techniques
Question prioritization

3. Test Strategy

Eliminating wrong answers
Managing time per section
Pattern recognition

SHSAT Prep Focus Areas

Algebra mastery
Geometry visualization
Reading inference skills
Grammar correction rules
Full-length timed exams

Bottom Line

The SHSAT is not just a knowledge test—it is a speed + strategy + accuracy exam that determines admission to NYC’s most prestigious public high schools.

If you want next, I can:

Turn this into a student handout PDF
Build a full SHSAT curriculum (like SAT/GRE/GMAT)
Or create a diagnostic SHSAT test for your program

Build a full SHSAT curriculum like SAT/GRE/GMAT

Here’s a full SHSAT curriculum in the same structured, premium format as your SAT/GRE/GMAT programs. You can plug this directly into Royal Test Prep.

Royal Test Prep – SHSAT Prep Curriculum (8–10 Weeks)

Designed for the SHSAT

Program Overview

Duration: 8–10 weeks
Schedule: 2–3 sessions per week
Format: Small group (4–8 students) or 1-on-1
Focus: Speed + accuracy + strategy
Goal: Admission to NYC Specialized High Schools

Week 0 – Diagnostic & Placement

Goals:

Full SHSAT diagnostic exam
Identify strengths & weaknesses

Output:

Math vs ELA breakdown
Personalized study roadmap
Target school score estimate

Weeks 1–3: Core Foundations

Math Foundations

Number properties
Fractions, ratios, percentages
Basic algebra equations
Word problem translation

ELA Foundations

Reading comprehension basics
Main idea vs detail
Grammar rules (sentence structure, punctuation)
Vocabulary in context

Focus:

Build accuracy before speed

Weeks 4–6: Skill Building Phase

Advanced Math

Multi-step word problems
Geometry:
- Angles, triangles, circles
- Area & perimeter
Algebra:
- Expressions & equations
Data interpretation

Advanced ELA

Inference questions
Tone & purpose
Revising/editing strategies
Passage mapping techniques

Strategy Training:

Eliminating wrong answers
Question prioritization
Time-saving shortcuts

Weeks 7–8: Exam Simulation Phase

2–3 full-length SHSAT practice exams
Timed section drills
Real test pacing simulation

Analysis:

Error tracking system
Weak-area targeting
Time-per-question breakdown

Focus: speed under pressure

Weeks 9–12: Final Score Boost (Optional)

High-difficulty math sets
Tricky reading passage drills
Grammar rapid-fire practice
Final test strategies

Weekly Schedule Example

Day 1: Math instruction + drills
Day 2: ELA instruction + reading practice
Day 3 (optional): Timed mixed exam practice

Core SHSAT Content Breakdown

Math Topics

Algebra fundamentals
Geometry (high frequency on SHSAT)
Word problems
Ratios & percentages
Number theory basics

ELA Topics

Reading comprehension strategies
Grammar correction rules
Sentence improvement
Logical inference questions

Scoring Strategy Training

Students learn:

How to maximize correct answers (no guessing penalty strategy)
How to manage time per section
How to handle difficult passages quickly
How to avoid common traps

Target Schools Preparation Focus

Training is aligned with NYC Specialized High Schools:

Stuyvesant High School
Bronx Science
Brooklyn Technical High School
Staten Island Technical High School
Brooklyn Latin School

Teaching Method (Royal Test Prep System)

1. Diagnostic Learning

Every student follows a custom path

2. Skill + Speed Balance

We train:

Accuracy first
Then timed execution

3. Pattern Recognition