Free SHSAT Practice Test
50 English Language Arts and 50 Math questions in 3 hours, like the real test for the NYC Specialized High Schools, plus eight drills for each part of the test. Everything is free, no account needed.
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The SHSAT exam at a glance
The SHSAT (Specialized High Schools Admissions Test) is the NYC Public Schools test that decides admission to eight of New York City's nine Specialized High Schools, including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech (LaGuardia uses an audition). NYC residents in 8th grade, or in 9th grade for the first time, can take it in the fall before the school year they want to enter. From fall 2026 it is a computer-adaptive test on DOE computers: 50 English Language Arts questions (Revising/Editing and Reading Comprehension) and 50 Math questions in 180 minutes, with the student choosing which subject to start with and how to split the time. Each subject includes 10 unscored field-test items. There is no calculator and no formula sheet. Scaled scores in the two subjects are added into a composite that ranks students for offers; there is no pass mark.
Tigertest has two full SHSAT practice tests of 50 ELA and 50 Math questions in 3 hours, with Revising/Editing Parts A and B, informational and literary reading passages and math without a calculator, scored as percent correct, plus eight drills, two of which teach the basics first. All of it is free with no account required. It is a fixed practice test, not adaptive, so it gives no scaled score.
- Who takes it
- NYC residents in grade 8, or in grade 9 for the first time
- Questions
- 50 ELA and 50 Math, including 10 unscored field-test items in each
- Time
- 180 minutes in all, split between the subjects as the student chooses
- Format
- Computer adaptive from fall 2026; multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank and technology-enhanced items
- ELA
- Revising/Editing Parts A and B, Reading Comprehension
- Math
- NYS standards through Grade 7 on Grade 8 forms; no calculator, no formulas given
- Score
- Two scaled subtest scores added into a composite used to rank students
- Pass mark
- None: the composite ranks students for offers
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow NYC Public Schools' NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 Admissions and its SHSAT test page. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with NYC Public Schools: Specialized High Schools Admissions Test.
How It Works
Drills on Your Phone
Eight drills, one for each part of the SHSAT, from Revising/Editing and reading passages to percents and geometry. Grammar and percents open with the basics. One tap to check, an explanation straight away, and every miss comes back until it is mastered.
Full Test on a Computer
ELA and Math in one 3-hour sitting, 90 minutes each, on a computer like the real test. Reading passages stay beside their questions, Math lets you go only forward, and you finish with a percent score per subject and a list of what to drill next.
Built on the Real Exam Format
Each practice test has the real SHSAT's 50 ELA and 50 Math questions, written to the NYC Guide to the SHSAT and the New York State standards through grade 7. NYC Public Schools does not publish how many questions come from each part, so the split below is Tigertest's own. The real test adapts to each student and gives a scaled score; this one is a fixed set, so it reports percent correct.
Run an SHSAT Prep Class?
Teachers can set it for a class for free: post one link, students join with just their first name, and you see who practiced, their scores in each subject and the questions your class misses most.
Make a class at tigertest.io/teachHow to Prepare for the SHSAT
1. Plan your time before test day
You get 180 minutes for both subjects and choose the order. Decide which subject you will start with and roughly when you will switch, and practice that plan on a full practice test so the clock holds no surprises.
2. Learn the formulas by heart
No formulas are given and no calculator is allowed. Know the area of triangles, trapezoids and circles, circumference, surface area and volume of prisms, and how to work percents and fractions on paper quickly.
3. Answer from the text, not from memory
Reading questions are about what the passage says. Find the sentence that supports your answer before you choose it, and for Revising/Editing read the sentences around the one in the question.
4. Drill your weakest part, then test again
Take Practice Test 1, look at your score by part, and spend a little time each day on the weakest drill. Then take Practice Test 2. Its questions never appear in the drills, so it shows real progress.
SHSAT Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SHSAT?
The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is the NYC Public Schools test used to admit students to eight of the city's nine Specialized High Schools: Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn Technical High School, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for Sciences at York College, Staten Island Technical High School and Stuyvesant High School. LaGuardia High School admits students by audition instead. NYC residents in 8th grade, or in 9th grade for the first time, can take it in the fall before the year they want to start.
How many questions are on the SHSAT, and how long is it?
From fall 2026 the SHSAT has 50 English Language Arts questions and 50 Math questions, and you have 180 minutes for both. You choose which subject to start with and how to split the time, but once you submit a subject you cannot go back to it. Each subject includes 10 field-test questions that do not count toward your score. Each Tigertest practice test has the same 50 and 50 questions, with 90 minutes for each subject.
What changed on the SHSAT in 2026?
Beginning in fall 2026, the SHSAT is a computer-adaptive test: it picks harder or easier questions based on how you are doing, while every student answers the same number of questions on the same content. You must answer each question before you move on. In ELA you can go back within a passage set until you submit it; in Math, and on stand-alone ELA questions, you cannot go back at all. The Tigertest practice tests are fixed forms, not adaptive, and the Math section, like the real one, does not let you go back.
What is on the ELA section?
Three kinds of questions. Revising/Editing Part A gives you a text with numbered sentences and asks how to improve it: a clearer claim, a better transition, a detail that does not belong, a stronger conclusion. Part B asks stand-alone questions about grammar and punctuation, such as verb tense shifts, pronouns, dangling modifiers and combining sentences. Reading Comprehension gives you informational and literary texts, including poems and stories, with questions on central idea, evidence, word meaning, structure and theme.
What is on the Math section, and can I use a calculator?
No calculator is allowed, and formulas are not given, so you need to know area, volume and circle formulas by heart. On the grade 8 test, the math comes from New York State standards through grade 7: ratios and percents, negative numbers and expressions, equations and inequalities, geometry, and statistics and probability. Some questions are multiple choice and some ask you to type in the answer.
What score do I need to get into Stuyvesant or another specialized high school?
There is no pass mark. Your two subject scores are converted to scaled scores and added into a composite score, which is used to rank students for offers. No fixed score guarantees a seat at any school. Tigertest reports percent correct, not a scaled score, so use it to find your weak areas rather than to predict an offer.
Is the Tigertest SHSAT practice free?
Yes, all of it: both full practice tests, all eight drills, the basics lessons and every explanation, with no account required. An account saves progress across devices.
I teach an SHSAT prep or middle school class. Can my students use Tigertest?
Yes, for free. Make a class at tigertest.io/teach, post one link, and students join with just their name. You see who practiced, their test scores and the topics your class misses most.
SHSAT sample questions and answers
6 of the 240 practice questions, one from each topic, with the answer explained.
- 1.
Which sentence uses a hyphen correctly?
- A.
The museum offers a two hour-tour of its ships.
- B.
The museum offers a two-hour tour of its ships.
- C.
The museum offers a two-hour-tour of its ships.
- D.
The museum offers a tour of its ships for two-hours.
Answer: B."Two-hour" is a compound adjective before the noun "tour," so its two words are joined with a hyphen. The noun is not part of the compound, and "for two hours" after the noun needs no hyphen.
- A.
- 2.
The ratio of boys to girls in a club is 5:3. After 6 more girls join, the ratio of boys to girls is 5:4. How many boys are in the club?
- A.
24
- B.
30
- C.
36
- D.
40
Answer: B.Let the club have 5x boys and 3x girls. Then 5x / (3x + 6) = 5/4, so 20x = 15x + 30 and x = 6. There are 5 x 6 = 30 boys.
- A.
- 3.
At 6 a.m. the temperature was -6 degrees Fahrenheit. It rose 2.5 degrees each hour. What was the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, at 1 p.m.?
- A.
-23.5
- B.
11.5
- C.
17.5
- D.
23.5
Answer: B.From 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. is 7 hours, so the rise is 7 x 2.5 = 17.5 degrees. Then -6 + 17.5 = 11.5. The value 17.5 is the rise alone.
- A.
- 4.
Five more than twice a number is the same as 3 less than four times the number. What is the number?
- A.
-1
- B.
1
- C.
4
- D.
8
Answer: C.Write 2n + 5 = 4n - 3. Subtract 2n: 5 = 2n - 3. Add 3: 8 = 2n, so n = 4. The value 8 is 2n, one step short.
- A.
- 5.
A bag holds 4 red tiles and 6 blue tiles. Two tiles are drawn at random, one after the other, without putting the first back. What is the probability that both tiles are red?
- A.
2/15
- B.
4/25
- C.
1/5
- D.
2/5
Answer: A.The first draw is red with probability 4/10. Then 3 red tiles are left among 9, so the second is red with probability 3/9. Multiply: 4/10 x 3/9 = 12/90 = 2/15. The value 4/25 puts the first tile back.
- A.
- 6.
Which three lengths can be the sides of a triangle?
- A.
3 cm, 4 cm and 8 cm
- B.
2 cm, 6 cm and 9 cm
- C.
5 cm, 7 cm and 11 cm
- D.
4 cm, 5 cm and 9 cm
Answer: C.The two shorter sides must add to more than the longest: 5 + 7 = 12, which is more than 11. In the 4, 5 and 9 set the short sides add to exactly 9, so they lie flat and make no triangle.
- A.
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Free. No account required. Two full practice tests and eight drills, from Revising/Editing to geometry.
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