NYC Specialized High School Admissions Test Goes Digital
Starting this fall 2025, New York City’s eighth graders will take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) in a fully digital format for the first time. This is a big change for NYC students since the SHSAT has always been a paper-based test.
For a lot of students, this exam is the deciding factor on whether they get into some of the city’s top high schools like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming changes.
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Content Will Stay the Same
The first thing you should know is that the content of the SHSAT isn’t changing. Students will still be tested on the same sections: Math and English Language Arts, including reading comprehension and a revising/editing section. The only difference is the format. Instead of recording their answers with pencil and paper, students will now take the test on a computer or tablet. The digital shift comes as part of a five-year, $17 million contract between the NYC Department of Education and the testing company Pearson, who will digitize the exam.
“Our students continue to live in a more digital world, both in and out of the classroom,” Education Department spokesperson Jenna Lyle told Chalkbeat. “The transition to computer-based SHSAT testing is an extension of this shift.”
Planning for the Digital Test Format
Of course, some parents are naturally concerned about how digital testing could affect student performance, especially for students who aren’t used to taking tests on a computer. The digital format could make things a little more intuitive. For example, navigating between sections might be smoother, but it’s important to remember that some students tend to perform a bit worse on digital exams overall.
There are many digital prep tools out there already, but they won’t be a perfect match for the new digital test until March 2025 when the official practice tests come out. So, if your teen’s already studying, it’s good to know that they might not be practicing exactly how the real test will be.
The test will still be three hours long but if your child has accommodations through an IEP or 504 plan, they will still be eligible for extended time. The SHSAT will be accessible on whatever device is available at your child’s school. Whether it’s an iPad, Chromebook, or another type of device, the Department of Education will ensure that the necessary testing app is installed and checked on each device before the exam.
Special Accommodations for Students
If your teen has an IEP or 504 plan that provides accommodations when taking tests, they will still be able to take a paper-and-pencil version of the SHSAT if necessary. This ensures that students with disabilities can access the test in a way that best supports their needs but they can also opt to take the digital test if that works better for them. So, even with the digital shift, accommodations for those who need them will remain in place.
Computer-Adaptive Test in the Works
While the big change this fall is the test going digital, there’s more to come next year. The test will soon become computer-adaptive which means the questions will get harder or easier depending on how the student is doing. If they’re getting questions right, the next ones might be trickier. But if they miss a few, the test might throw them an easier one. However, this feature won’t be introduced until 2026.
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