SHSAT prep: NYC’s official practice tests, a plan and what help costs

By Trieu Ly · Updated November 5, 2026

Prep for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) follows one order, whether it costs nothing or thousands: learn the test tools, take one timed official test, look for a pattern in the misses, then practice the weak areas. That is the order NYC Public Schools gives in its own guide for this test (PDF). In our reading, paid help adds a schedule and feedback. It does not add secret content. Asking prices from the providers we list, read October 22, 2026, run about $750 to $3,300 for a group course and $150 to $495 an hour for a tutor.

For fall 2026, the test days are November 14, 15, 18 and 21. If those dates are behind you, the plan below works for next fall’s test. Who tests on which day is in the full SHSAT test dates guide.

SHSAT Practice Test is an independent site, not affiliated with NYC (where our facts come from).

NYC’s official SHSAT practice tests and PDFs

NYC Public Schools (the NYC DOE) posts its practice materials on the SHSAT practice portal, where the tests open in TestNav, the same platform as NYC’s Student Readiness Tool: four full forms for 8th graders, each online and as a printable PDF with an explanations appendix, plus two grade 9 mini forms (how to use them: SHSAT practice tests for 9th graders).

NYC’s server dates all ten PDFs October 1, 2026. The explanation files are large, so open them on Wi-Fi. Before your child starts:

• NYC says two of the four forms have new content but does not say which two.
• Each form has a timed version (3 hours, auto-submits) and an untimed version (6 hours). A test cannot be paused. Use the untimed version if your child has approved extended time or cannot sit for 3 hours straight. Your child needs no name or login.
• The summary at the end shows right and wrong counts only, and answers are not saved. NYC’s tip: use “Print this page” to keep it.
• We opened all four forms on October 14, 2026. Each is a fixed list of 100 items that does not change with your child’s answers. NYC does not say this itself; it is our observation. The printable PDFs hold the same questions as the online forms (Form B’s print has one extra item). The real test adapts (see below).
• Directions come in translated versions, but the questions are in English only. Text-to-speech is available only to students with an IEP or 504 plan.
• Questions about the practice tests go to SHSATassessment@schools.nyc.gov.

Older guides and handbooks. Earlier editions were written for 57 + 57 question tests: the paper handbooks also had 5 grid-in math questions, and the fall 2025 test kept 57 + 57 as a fixed form on computer. NYC’s current pages no longer link these older editions (checked October 22, 2026), but the guide for the fall 2025 test and the last paper-era 2024-25 student handbook are still on NYC’s servers; use them to drill content, not to rehearse the current format.

We link to NYC’s own files and never re-host them.

Want a printable test of ours too, with an answer key? See our free printable practice test.

Which SHSAT practice materials still fit the 2026 test

The materials NYC made for the 2026 test are the ones above: the four full practice tests (Forms A to D) with their PDFs and answer explanations, the two grade 9 mini forms, the Student Readiness Tool, and the NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 Admissions.

Older materials need more care. Handbooks and tests from before 2026 have 57 ELA and 57 math questions and no adaptive format. They can still work for content practice, meaning reading passages and math problems, but not for timing or question count. NYC says nothing about older tests or commercial books, so that judgment is ours.

If you use a commercial prep book, check two things: the edition year, and whether it describes the current format with 50 ELA and 50 math questions. If it says 57 + 57, it describes an older test. We do not recommend books; check the copyright page yourself.

General skill websites are fine for building math and reading skills, but they do not follow SHSAT rules or timing. The Guide’s own advice is to use your math textbook and ask your teacher to recommend resources.

One caution: the real test is adaptive, so questions can get harder or easier with each answer. A fixed practice form cannot show that. For a full test with the 2026 length and rules, try our free full-length SHSAT practice test.

How to prepare for the SHSAT: NYC’s order in 5 steps

NYC’s order: learn the test tools, take one timed practice test, look for a pattern in the misses, then practice the weak areas. Steps 1 to 4 follow the guide’s “Prepare” section (pages 3 and 4). Step 5 is ours.

1. Learn the test tools

   Open the Student Readiness Tool, NYC’s online tutorial for the testing platform, and try every tool: highlighter, answer eliminator, notepad, pencil, line reader mask, bookmark (reading only), and the math equation editor for typed answers. Done when nothing on the screen is new to your child.

2. Take one full timed test

   Use a timed portal form in a quiet 3-hour block, with scrap paper and no phone nearby. Done when your child has worked through the full 3 hours and you have the printed summary.

3. Check the answers and sort the misses

   Count the right answers in each section, out of 50, and score it with our SHSAT score calculator for an estimate. Then read NYC’s explanations for every missed question, including typed math answers. NYC’s own examples of a pattern: missed central-idea questions in reading, or miscalculations in math. Sort each miss into one group:

   • Didn’t know the skillA topic not yet learned. Practice that topic.
   • SlippedMisread the question or a careless error. Slow down on the first read.
   • Ran out of timePacing. Work on pacing (see the test-day table below).

4. Practice the weak areas

   Spend the week on the topics with the most misses. NYC’s guide also says to practice math every day, with both basic and challenging questions (page 20). For short sets with explanations, use our SHSAT math practice problems and SHSAT ELA grammar practice.

5. Repeat with the next form

   Space the four forms out so each gets a full review first. It is working when the same kind of miss shows up less on each new form.

How much time you have: a plan by weeks left

NYC publishes no study timeline, so start as early as your family can keep a steady routine; the plan below fits anything from 9 months out to the last 2 weeks. Kweller Prep, a paid provider, advises six months as a minimum and says many families start a year out. Starting later still works; only the time spent on each step changes. One parent on Reddit wrote that a gradual start in mid 7th grade let the family build skills slowly and skip summer cramming (the parent’s reply).

1. 9 months or more (7th grade)

   One timed test, then build skills topic by topic: math without a calculator, grammar rules, daily reading.

2. 3 to 6 months

   Most time on weak areas, alternating math and ELA weeks. Spread the four forms across these months.

3. 1 to 3 months

   A timed test every week or two, each with a full review, and topic practice in between.

4. Last 2 weeksYou are here

   One timed test early, then only the missed questions. Keep the last two days light.

5. After the November test

   7th graders start here for next fall: same steps, longer runway.

Your week-by-week plan

Pick your child’s test date and hours a week. The plan builder turns the steps above into weekly tasks.

If practice scores stall or a month is left

One bad practice test rarely means much: compare score ranges over several tests, not single numbers. Scores move for many reasons, such as a hard passage, a bad night of sleep or careless slips. Feeling stuck is common: "Am I on track?", "I lost my motivation", "my scores keep dropping."

Practical steps, as our advice:

• Sort every missed question into three kinds: didn’t know it, made a slip, ran out of time. Fixing them needs different work.
• Pick one weak area a week. Depth beats covering everything badly.
• Short daily practice beats rare long sessions. Twenty minutes most days keeps skills warm without burning out.
• Take one full timed test about a week before test day, then keep the last days light.

With one month left, use the plan above and compress it:

• Week 1: sort recent misses, pick the two weakest areas.
• Week 2: one weak area a day, plus untimed practice questions.
• Week 3: the second area, plus one timed section.
• Week 4: one full timed test, review it, then rest.

How many hours a week? NYC publishes no number of hours. Do not chase someone else’s number. Build a steady routine your family can actually keep.

A parent account shows weak areas by test section and a next step for tonight. It is free through December 31, 2026 (create a free parent account).

On test day the questions adapt: practice this way

The fall 2026 SHSAT is the first computer-adaptive SHSAT, with 50 English Language Arts and 50 math questions in 180 minutes; see the full SHSAT format and question types.

What NYC says versus what you may read elsewhere

Six more old tips, from skipping to raw-score charts, and what to do instead: SHSAT tips that are wrong for 2026.

SHSAT prep options and costs

NYC’s practice tests need no login, and asking prices from the providers below, read October 22, 2026, run about $750 to $3,300 for a group course and $150 to $495 an hour for a tutor. We have not used these providers, and none of them pays us.

• NYC materials Self-study

  Price

  No login or download needed

  Good for

  Students who keep a schedule

  Note

  Four full tests (above), answers not saved

• SHSAT Practice Test This site · Online scoring and progress

  Price

  Free with a parent account, Pro included, through December 31, 2026

  Good for

  A score estimate from your child’s right answers on NYC’s tests, and progress tracking

  Note

  Our score calculator works from the counts you enter; we do not host NYC’s questions. Our own full-length practice test is free with no sign-up: take the free SHSAT practice test

• StuyPrep Free class

  Price

  Free

  Good for

  7th graders

  Note

  Weekly 180-minute sessions, late April to late October

• A+ Academy Group class

  Price

  Fall 8-week $1,450 online / $1,850 in person; 5-week $750 / $850

  Good for

  A fixed schedule

  Note

  Fall courses are already under way; check the next cycle

• NYCTutoring Tutor

  Price

  $175 to $245 an hour; $495 for a specialized high school teacher

  Good for

  One stubborn area

  Note

  Price depends on the tutor’s level

• Prep books Self-study

  Price

  Mometrix “SHSAT Secrets” $39.99 ebook / $44.99 print (page)

  Good for

  Extra practice by topic

  Note

  The page shows a “Product Discontinued” banner. Books for the 57 + 57 paper test still teach the content, not the current format

Asking prices from each provider’s own page, read October 22, 2026. Prices change, and many providers do not post them. None of them pays us. Other asking prices read the same day: Kweller Prep, $2,600 to $3,300 per group course and $4,000 to $4,750 for summer camps (its next courses start after the November test, so they suit 7th graders); Caddell Prep, $3,995 for a class and tutoring bundle; Smith Street Workshop in Brooklyn, $150 an hour; Central Park Tutors, $165 an hour; and ElevatePrep, group or one-on-one, from $335 a month to $1,500 or more a month.

Do you need a class or a tutor?

Our rule of thumb:

• Pick the specialized high schools your child would actually attend.
• Take and score one timed test first (steps 2 and 3 above).
• Pay for help when the same mistakes keep coming back, time is short, or your child needs someone else to keep the schedule. Ask any provider which official forms they use and how they turn practice results into a score.

Cost adds up fast: 1 hour a week for 16 weeks at $165 is $2,640 (our calculation). What parents report is mixed. In one Reddit thread, a parent had paid for prep school from January to April; prep-center scores moved from 470 to 495, and the parent asked whether more classes would help. Two specialized high school alumni parents replied that they used no commercial classes: workbooks, spaced practice tests with a review of every wrong answer, and timed mocks in fall of 8th grade. Their child got into Stuyvesant, and they had seen that more money or classes did not guarantee results (their reply).

SHSAT prep FAQ