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Next year’s eighth graders will be the first to take the digital version of the Specialized High School Admission Test. Commonly known as the SHSAT, it is the sole basis of entry for eight of New York City’s most prestigious high schools, including Stuyvesant and Bronx Science.
Last school year, 25,678 students took the SHSAT, with 4,072 students — the top 16% — receiving offers based on their test scores, according to Education Department data.
Many students spend months studying for the exam, with some families shelling out thousands of dollars for tutors or classes to help them prepare. But the format change for the 2025 SHSAT might throw some students a curveball. Though the city’s school board in December approved the contract for the five-year $17 million proposal from testing company Pearson to digitize the SHSAT, it will still be months before a practice test of the new version will be available.
Before the Panel for Educational Policy’s vote on the controversial contract, members of the board invited the public to weigh in at a hearing. And though the majority of the people who testified urged officials to approve the contract, the proposal stirred up longstanding debates over the exam, seen by integration advocates as an exclusionary tool keeping Black and Latino students, students with disabilities, and English learners out of top schools. Some worried that the shift to a computerized SHSAT could worsen outcomes for these students, who are already admitted at staggeringly low rates.
Some studies have found students in general tend to perform worse when taking tests on computers or tablets. But experts have told Chalkbeat that research isn’t definitive.
Many exams are now computer-based, including the SAT and theMAP assessments administered several times a year for students in grades 2-8. Most Advanced Placement tests are also going digital this year or will be hybrid, with multiple choice questions online and handwritten free responses. A statewide effort is phasing in computer-based testing for New York’s 3-8 reading and math exams.
“Our students continue to live in a more digital world, both in and out of the classroom,” Education Department spokesperson Jenna Lyle wrote in an email. “The transition to computer-based SHSAT testing is an extension of this shift.”
For students planning to take the fall 2025 SHSAT, here’s what to know.
When will digital practice tests be available?
Two full-length digital practice tests will be available on the Education Department’s website by the end of March, officials said.
The contract calls for a computer-adaptive test. Will the fall 2025 SHSAT be computer-adaptive?
No, not yet.
Test takers in fall 2025 will indeed take a digital version of the SHSAT, but the test isn’t expected to transition to a computer-adaptive model until the fall of 2026, Education Department officials said.
For computer-adaptive tests, a student’s ongoing performance affects the difficulty level of subsequent questions, meaning that questions might get easier or harder depending on how the student is doing.
Generally speaking, will the content on the test remain the same?
Yes, the content is expected to remain consistent with the previous versions of the SHSAT, Education Department officials said.
It will continue to have a math section and an English Language Arts section with a revising and editing portion and a reading comprehension portion.
The digital version will allow for additional types of questions, officials added, but don’t expect a major content overhaul.
Will all middle schools still administer the exam as they do now on the same day?
Yes, no changes here. Middle schools will still administer the SHSAT during the school day, Education Department officials said. Students at 6-12 schools, charters, and private schools will continue to take the exam at a central location during the weekend.
This year, eighth graders at city-run public schools took the test on Oct. 30, while students not participating in school-day testing took it Nov. 16-17.
Some middle schools might have iPads, some Chromebooks or other devices. Will there be any effort to standardize the type of device kids will take the test on?
No, the test will be accessible on whatever device a school has, according to officials.
Prior to testing, the Education Department will install the testing platform application on all school-managed devices, and once installed, an app check will be run on each device to ensure it meets all system requirements and passes system checks, officials said.
Will the test take the same amount of time as before or will it be shorter, like the digital SAT?
The SHSAT will be the same length. Students will have three hours to complete the exam unless they have extended-time testing accommodation through 504 plans or individualized education programs, Education Department officials said.
Will calculators be allowed? They are allowed on the digital SAT.
Similar to previous versions of the SHSAT, calculators will not be allowed on the exam, Education Department officials said.
Who will still be allowed to take a pencil-and-paper version of the SHSAT?
If a student’s IEP or 504 plan has testing accommodations that require paper versions for them to access the exam, they will be able to take the test offline, according to Education Department officials.
Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.
