Tests / SHSAT / What’s on the SHSAT math section?

What’s on the SHSAT math section?

The SHSAT math section has 50 word problems and computation questions, often with several steps. For 8th graders, the questions are based on New York State’s math standards through Grade 7. Answers are multiple choice, fill in the blank or other on-screen formats. Calculators aren’t allowed, no formulas are given, and your child can’t return to a math question once they move past it.

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Which math topics are on the SHSAT?

New York City lists six areas. For 8th graders, every question is based on the state standards through Grade 7; the 9th grade test goes through Grade 8.

  • Ratios and proportional relationships
  • Number system and expressions
  • Equations
  • Inequalities
  • Statistics and probability
  • Geometry

How does my child answer math questions?

Some questions are multiple choice, some ask your child to type an answer in a fill-in-the-blank box, using an on-screen equation editor for some of them, and some use other on-screen formats. New York City’s 2026 materials don’t say how many of each type there are.

Are formulas or calculators allowed?

No to both. Your child needs to know common formulas, such as perimeter, area, volume and surface area, because the test doesn’t provide them. Scrap paper is provided, and the on-screen notepad clears for each question. Diagrams other than graphs aren’t necessarily drawn to scale.

Can my child skip a math question and come back?

No. On the computer-adaptive test, your child must answer each math question before moving on and can’t return to it afterward. That makes it worth practicing a steady pace and a best guess on hard questions.

Sources

  1. New York City Public Schools, NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 Admissions. 50 math word problems and computational questions, multi-step problems, the Grade 7 standards for 8th grade forms and Grade 8 for 9th grade forms, the equation editor, no calculators, scrap paper, no formulas given, and no returning to a question.. Checked October 19, 2026.
  2. New York City Public Schools, Specialized High School Admissions Test. The math topics: ratios and proportional relationships, number system and expressions, equations, inequalities, statistics and probability, and geometry; and the multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank and technology-enhanced question types.. Checked October 19, 2026.
  3. New York City Public Schools SHSAT Portal, Online Directions: Section Headings. Choosing an answer or entering one, formulas and definitions aren’t provided, and which figures are drawn to scale.. Checked October 19, 2026.

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More about the SHSAT

What’s on the SHSAT English Language Arts section?

The SHSAT English Language Arts section has 50 questions in three groups: Reading Comprehension, Revising/Editing Part A and Revising/Editing Part B. Reading passages are literary and informational, and answers come only from the passage. There’s no essay. Since fall 2026 the test is computer-adaptive, so your child answers each question before moving on and can revisit answers only within a passage set.

Which entrance test does my child’s school use?

The school decides, and its admissions page says which test it takes. Many Catholic high schools use the HSPT, often through their diocese. Independent schools usually ask for the ISEE or the SSAT, and many accept either. New York City’s specialized high schools use the SHSAT, and Catholic high schools in New York City and on Long Island use a test called the TACHS.

The SHSAT, explained for parents

The SHSAT is the test New York City uses to admit students to eight of its nine Specialized High Schools. From fall 2026 it’s a computer-adaptive test on a school computer: 50 English Language Arts questions and 50 math questions in 180 minutes, with no calculators. New York City 8th graders, and first-time 9th graders, can take it. Entrance Lane is writing full-length SHSAT practice tests.