Frequently Asked Questions

The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is a free exam given by NYC Public Schools. It is the only admissions criterion for eight of New York City's specialized high schools, including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech. From Fall 2026 it is a computer-adaptive test with two sections, ELA (50 questions) and Math (50 questions), and 180 minutes in total.

Registration in MySchools runs from October 6 to October 30, 2026. 8th graders at public middle schools that end in 8th grade test at school on Wednesday, November 18. Other 8th graders (6-12, K-12, charter, private, parochial or homeschooled) test at a central site on Saturday, November 14 or Sunday, November 15. All 9th graders test on Saturday, November 21. Your child's test ticket shows the exact date and location. See all 2026 SHSAT test dates.

Starting in Fall 2026, the SHSAT is taken on a DOE computer and is computer-adaptive: questions get harder or easier depending on your answers. There are 100 questions (50 ELA, 50 Math) instead of 114, still in 180 minutes. You must answer each question to move on, and you cannot go back to Math or stand-alone ELA questions once you advance. Read the full SHSAT overview.

Ideally, students begin SHSAT preparation in the spring of 7th grade or the summer before 8th grade, since the test is given in November. Starting 4 to 6 months before the test allows enough time to cover all content areas, build test-taking strategies, and complete multiple full-length practice exams. Students who start later can still improve with focused, targeted preparation.

NYC Public Schools offers four free, fully functional online practice tests and a Student Readiness Tool on the NYC SHSAT Portal. They mirror the computer-based exam in form and content. Dr. Donnelly uses official practice tests alongside targeted drills in his sessions.

Tutoring rates vary based on the frequency and duration of sessions. During your free consultation, Dr. Donnelly will discuss your child's needs and recommend a preparation plan with transparent pricing. Contact us at 917-568-2473 for details.

Yes. Dr. Donnelly offers private one-on-one SHSAT tutoring sessions via Zoom. Online sessions provide the same personalized instruction, strategies, and practice materials as in-person sessions. Many families across all five NYC boroughs choose online tutoring for its convenience and scheduling flexibility. More about online SHSAT tutoring.

Stuyvesant is the most competitive of the eight specialized high schools. For Fall 2026 admission, its official cutoff was 561. Bronx Science needed 525, Brooklyn Tech 506 and Brooklyn Latin 495. Cutoffs change every year with the applicant pool, so Dr. Donnelly recommends aiming 20 to 30 points above the most recent published cutoff as a safety margin. See all SHSAT cutoff scores.

The SHSAT is challenging because it is designed to identify top students for NYC's most academically rigorous public high schools. The content draws from 7th and 8th grade standards, but questions are written to test deeper understanding and problem-solving ability. With proper preparation and practice, students can significantly improve their performance.

Each section (ELA and Math) is scored separately. On the computer-adaptive test, your result is based on your pattern of correct and incorrect answers relative to each question's difficulty. Each section result is converted to a scaled score, and the two scaled scores are added to give the composite score that ranks every applicant. Offers are made in descending score order according to each student's ranked school choices. See all SHSAT cutoff scores.

Register in MySchools (or through your child's school counselor) between October 6 and October 30, 2026, and list the specialized high schools in order of preference. The exam is free and open to every New York City resident who is a current 8th grader or a first-time 9th grader, from any public, charter, private or parochial school, or homeschooled.

Both formats provide private, one-on-one instruction with Dr. Donnelly using the same curriculum and practice materials. In-person sessions take place at our NYC office on Columbus Avenue. Online sessions are conducted via Zoom with screen sharing and digital whiteboard tools. The choice often comes down to personal preference and scheduling convenience.

Absolutely. Many students who come to Dr. Donnelly have gaps in their math foundation that hold back their SHSAT performance. He identifies these gaps through diagnostic assessment and builds targeted lessons to address them, focusing on the specific topics and question types where the student struggles most. More about the SHSAT Math section.