8 Strategies to Improve Your SHSAT Score
The New York City Department of Education administers the SHSAT viz. the Specialized High School Admissions Test for eighth and ninth-grade students residing in NYC to get admitted to one of the eight specialized high schools.
The SHSAT is a highly-competitive exam comprising Maths and English Language Arts (ELA) sections. The entire test duration is three hours and students can use their judgment on deciding how much time to spend on each section.
To score high on the SHSAT, it is crucial to devise a roadmap and start preparing in advance. In this blog are shared eight key strategies to prepare for this highly demanding test optimally and improve your SHSAT score.
1. Understand the test format thoroughly
Preparation for the SHSAT comes later. The first step is to understand the test structure thoroughly. For this purpose, go through the syllabus carefully. Understand the type of questions asked in both sections, time limits, and scoring pattern.
2. Devise an appropriate study plan
After going through the syllabus carefully, it’s time to devise a well-thought-out study plan focused on covering all the aspects of the syllabus meticulously. While creating a study plan, set attainable goals and reserve some time to work on your weaknesses.
3. Read a variety of texts
If you analyze the ELA section, you will realize that two-thirds of the total questions (up to 40 out of 57 questions) are based on ‘Reading Comprehension.’ Consequently, if you desire to rock the ELA section, start reading a range of texts including fiction, the latest news, literature, poems, etc. The idea is to get acquainted with different language genres and develop critical thinking ability to interpret long and complex texts.
4. Learn to have an eagle eye!
The remaining one-third of the ELA section (10 to 11 questions) is based on logic, grammatical expertise, and your ability to find the minutest errors. Therefore, it is crucial to practice thinking logically, spotting errors in sentences, and revising them.
In other words, learn to have an eagle eye!
5. Explore various Maths resources
To improve your overall SHSAT score, you need to focus equally on the Maths section which comprises word and computational problems entailing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Some problems will need you to work with decimals, fractions, and statistics as well.
To ace the SHSAT Math section, relying on school textbooks is not enough. You must explore other resources including online and printed study materials to practice a broad range of challenging problems and develop mastery of the requisite concepts.
6. Solve a mix of basic and complex problems regularly
While preparing for the Maths section, make sure you practice both basic as well as complex problems. Solving basic questions will help you strengthen your fundamentals and solving complex questions will help you develop critical thinking ability to solve tricky problems effortlessly during the actual test .
7. Practise mock tests rigorously
Practice mock tests regularly to apprehend the question pattern in each section and the complexity of the test. Also, giving mock tests will make you adept at time management which is critical to attempt all questions on the actual SHSAT and boost your chances of scoring high.
8. Seek expert guidance
Approximately 25,000 students appear for the SHSAT every year and just about 5000 students are able to realize their dreams of making it to the specialized high schools in NYC.
If you are determined to get into a specialized high school, you must spare no effort in your SHSAT Prep!
It is prudent to get in touch with a leading coaching institute and seek expert guidance on preparing to the fullest extent, overcoming your weaknesses, learning smart strategies to solve complex problems, gaining confidence, and improving your chances of success.
For more information, the competent team of Kitab will be happy to help you. Good luck!