Study on the flySHSATWhat is a good SHSAT score? Scores out of 800, explained
SHSAT
What is a good SHSAT score? Scores out of 800, explained
- Composite composite · the sum of your ELA and Math section scores · real composites run about 100–700
- 4 answer options per question
- Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer
- Free
Work out your score
Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so a section’s net is simply the number of right answers.
Where to work next: Revising/Editing — Stand-Alone · Revising/Editing — Passage-Based · Reading Comprehension · Mathematics
How the SHSAT is scored
Results come as a Composite score on a scale from 100 to 700. Behind it sit two parts, English Language Arts and Mathematics, each turned from a raw count of correct answers into a scaled score before the two are combined.
Most questions offer 4 answer choices, and the math section also includes a few grid-in items where the answer is written in. A wrong answer costs nothing, since no points are taken away for guessing, so leaving a question blank never helps.
Admission to the specialized high schools is decided by ranking students on this Composite together with their school preferences.
What the paper is made of
| Section | Questions |
|---|---|
| Revising/Editing — Stand-Alone | 4 |
| Revising/Editing — Passage-Based | 12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 34 |
| Mathematics | 50 |
What the app estimates
As you practice, the app keeps an estimate of your ability per section and maps it onto the Composite scale. It is the app's own estimate from your answers, not an official conversion table.
| Ability estimate | Composite |
|---|---|
| 250 | 318 |
| 350 | 356 |
| 450 | 396 |
| 550 | 447 |
| 650 | 498 |
| 750 | 549 |
Every question is picked for where you are right now, wrong answers come back until they stick, and it all works offline.
To keep it on your phone like an app, open shsatonthefly.com and choose “Add to Home Screen” from your browser’s Share or menu button.
Harder than the exam: SHSAT Challenge · Competition-style problems
More SHSAT topics
Revising/Editing — Stand-Alone9 topics
Revising/Editing — Stand-Alone
- Sentence structure and formation (run-ons, fragments)
- Subject–verb agreement
- Verb tense and shifts
- Pronoun case, agreement, and reference
- Adjectives, adverbs, and modifiers
- Punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes)
- Non-restrictive clauses; that/which
- Combining sentences to clarify relationships
- Precise language and concision
Revising/Editing — Passage-Based8 topics
Revising/Editing — Passage-Based
Reading Comprehension8 topics
Mathematics16 topics
Mathematics
- Number system and operations
- Ratios, unit rates, and proportional relationships
- Percentages (incl. percent change)
- Exponents and scientific notation
- Algebraic expressions
- Linear equations and slope
- Inequalities
- Systems of equations
- Functions
- Angles and lines
- Triangles and the Pythagorean theorem
- Area, perimeter, volume, and surface area
- Coordinate plane and distance
- Scale drawings and transformations
- Statistics (center, spread, plots)
- Probability and counting
Study on the fly is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any testing organization, school, or government body.
SHSAT™ and Specialized High Schools Admissions Test™ are trademarks of the New York City Department of Education.
All practice questions and passages are original works created for Study on the fly and are not reproduced from any official test.