SHSAT CUTOFF SCORES 2012 THROUGH 2023

WHAT ARE THE CUTOFF SCORES FOR THE SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS?

Offers to the testing Specialized High Schools are made in descending order of SHSAT score, combined with each student’s preferences listed on their SHSAT registration. Here’s how that works:

The student with the highest SHSAT score receives an offer to their first choice school. The student with the next highest SHSAT score receives an offer to their first choice school. This continues student by student in downward score order until a student’s first-choice school does not have any remaining seats. That student is then considered for their second-choice school. If there are remaining seats at the second-choice school, that student receives an offer there. If the second-choice school has no remaining seats, that student is considered for their third-choice school, and so on. This continues until all seats at all Specialized High Schools have been filled.

If a student doesn’t get an offer to their first-choice school, it is because all seats at that school have been filled by students with higher SHSAT scores. Similarly, if a student gets an offer to a non-first choice school, it is because all seats at schools they listed higher have been filled by students with higher SHSAT scores (e.g., if a student gets an offer to their fourth-choice school, then seats at their first to third-choice schools are filled with higher scoring students.)

If a student doesn’t get any offer to a testing Specialized High School, it is because all seats at all the schools they listed on their SHSAT registration are filled by students with higher SHSAT scores. Students are not considered for offers to schools that are not listed on their SHSAT registration.

The SHSAT is the only criteria used to admit students to the eight testing Specialized High Schools; no other criteria are used.

		2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Specialized High School	Est. Raw Score	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff	Cutoff
Stuyvesant High School	84%	561	563	560	566	557	559	555	552	555	559	562	562
High School For Mathematics, Science And Engineering At City College (HSMSE)	79%	518	532	515	523	519	516	504	513	503	512	498	495
Staten Island Technical High School	77%	521	527	525	551*	527	519	515	508	508	506	503	499
The Bronx High School of Science	77%	521	524	517	532	525	518	512	511	510	517	513	512
Queens High School For The Sciences At York College	76%	527	523	481	535	514	511	507	516	505	n/a	500	n/a
High School Of American Studies At Lehman College	75%	510	516	488	520	524	516	516	506	503	506	501	502
Brooklyn Technical High School	72%	503	506	492	507	498	493	486	482	483	486	483	482
The Brooklyn Latin School	70%	493	497	481	498	488	482	479	477	477	480	471	472

The table above shows the lowest qualifying score that resulted in an offer to each testing Specialized High School from 2012 to 2023. This means that any student with a SHSAT score lower than one listed on the table did not get an offer to that school. The lowest score to result in an offer changes each year based on that SHSAT scores and preferences of the pool of testers for that specific SHSAT administration.

*This outlier is the result of incomplete crowdsourced data.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO STUYVESANT IN 2023?

The cutoff score for Stuyvesant in 2023 was 561. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 756 students (2.73%) were offered admission to Stuyvesant High School.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO HSMSE IN 2023?

The cutoff score for HSMSE in 2023 was 518. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 152 students (0.55%) were offered admission to HSMSE.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO STATEN ISLAND TECH IN 2023?

The cutoff score for Staten Island Tech in 2023 was 521. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 286 students (1.03%) were offered admission to Staten Island Tech.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO BRONX SCIENCE IN 2023?

The cutoff score for Bronx Science in 2023 was 521. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 722 students (2.61%) were offered admission to Bronx Science.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO QUEENS HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE SCIENCES AT YORK COLLEGE IN 2023?

The cutoff score for QHSS in 2023 was 527. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 121 students (0.44%) were offered admission to QHSS.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO HIGH SCHOOL OF AMERICAN STUDIES AT LEHMAN COLLEGE IN 2023?

The cutoff score for HSAS-Lehman in 2023 was 510. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 131 students (0.47%) were offered admission to HSAS-Lehman.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO BROOKLYN TECH IN 2023?

The cutoff score for Brooklyn Tech in 2023 was 503. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 1,498 students (5.41%) were offered admission to Brooklyn Tech.

WHAT SCORE DO YOU NEED ON THE SHSAT TO GET INTO BROOKLYN LATIN IN 2023?

The cutoff score for Brooklyn Latin in 2023 was 493. Out of the 27,669 students who took the SHSAT for 2022 Admissions, 387 students (1.40%) were offered admission to Brooklyn Tech.

IS 600 A GOOD SHSAT SCORE?

600 is an excellent SHSAT score that would guarantee admission to any of the Specialized High Schools.

WHAT IS A PERFECT SHSAT SCORE?

The maximum score on each section is usually around 350, and the maximum composite score is usually around 700; however, the actual maximum and minimum scores change from year to year.

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM SCORE TO PASS THE SHSAT?

There is no single passing score on the SHSAT. Read more about each high school’s cutoff score at the top of this page.

Source: Kenny Tan Test Prep

2023 SHSAT Score Calculator/ Conversion Table

This SHSAT score conversion table can be used to convert RAW scores into SCALED scores. It will produce a conservative estimate of your score for each section (ELA/Math).

METHODOLOGY

The DOE website tells us…

In the middle of the range of scores, an increase of one raw score point may correspond to an increase of 3 or 4 scaled score points.
At the top or bottom of the range of scores, an increase of one raw score point may correspond to 10–20 scaled score points.
The maximum score on each section is usually around 350.

Furthermore, while there are 57 questions in each section of the test, 10 questions in each section are field (experimental) questions. Older versions of the SHSAT handbook mention this, while newer editions omit this fact:

Description of field questions from 2020-2021 SHSAT handbook — Description of field questions from the 2020-2021 SHSAT handbook

Based on this information, I reverse-engineered the following conversion table for RAW scores out of 47. The actual conversion table used for your SHSAT will be more/less generous depending on the difficulty of the version of the test that you receive.

Kenny Tan, a tutor who compiled this information, then multiplied each RAW score by (57/47) and used polynomial interpolation to calculate SCALED scores for each integer from 0 to 57.

Are you looking for help preparing for the SHSAT? Schedule a free consultation with Kenny Tan today to discuss how one-on-one tutoring can help you get admitted to the Specialized High School of your choice.

5 BEST PRACTICES FOR 7TH GRADERS TO PREPARE FOR THE SHSAT

The SHSAT is the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, used to determine admission to certain public high schools in New York City. On top of attending daily classes, students would also have to prepare for the exam, balancing their school work, review periods, and extracurricular activities. Therefore, it takes skills to do well on the exam while doing other tasks simultaneously. But how can students prepare better for the SHSAT? Here are some ideas.

1. READ ABOUT SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS
The first step is to know more about specialized high schools. There are nine specialized high schools in New York City: Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Technical High School, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Staten Island Technical High School, Brooklyn Latin School, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

These schools are known for their rigorous academics, and students must take and pass the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) to be eligible for admission. The SHSAT is a multiple-choice test that covers reading comprehension, writing, and mathematics. Students should research and learn more about the schools and what they offer. They can use the internet, books, and other resources to learn about the schools. If they know what they want, they can focus on that school and prepare better for the exam.

2. DO ADVANCED READING
As a student, it is essential to challenge yourself to improve your skills. They should try to read more challenging books and texts. It will help them improve their reading comprehension and prepare for the SHSAT. They can read recommended books for high school students or even college students. Overall, advanced reading sessions should help them prepare for the topics covered by the SHSAT and help students study for them.

3. TRY A DIAGNOSTIC TEST
A diagnostic test can help a student identify their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, it will help them focus on the areas they need to work on and prepare better for the test. There are many diagnostic tests available online, and they are usually free. Students who know their weaknesses can find ways to refocus their study sessions on tricky topics.

4. BRUSH UP ON MATH SKILLS
The Math section of the SHSAT is one of the most challenging sections for students. Therefore, students must brush up on their math skills to prepare for the SHSAT. They can do this by practicing various problems and reviewing their math notes from school. Even if students are not great at math, they should try to improve their skills by studying for the SHSAT.

5. TIME PRACTICE TESTS
Students should take a variety of practice tests to improve their test-taking skills. By taking practice tests, students can enhance their time management skills, learn how to better pace themselves on the test, and become more familiar with the questions that the questionnaire will ask on the SHSAT.

CONCLUSION
The SHSAT is a significant test for students who want to attend one of the specialized high schools in New York City. Students must work hard and prepare for the test if they’re going to have a chance of getting into one of these schools. The tips above will help students prepare for the SHSAT and improve their chances of getting into their dream school.

Content used with permission by Kenny Tan Test Prep, a professional SHSAT tutor based in Brooklyn. Kenny Tan Test Prep aims to identify every student’s weaknesses and invest in them to help them excel in exams. However, instead of following the traditional way of tutoring, Kenny Tan Test Prep tries to make every session dynamic, engaging, and enjoyable. Schedule a free consultation and prepare for the SHSAT.

How to Get Into Stuyvesant High School

Mom Who Attended Stuyvesant Shares How Her Kid Also Passed the SHSAT:

Stuyvesant High School is a top feeder school to Harvard. In fact, according to The Harvard Crimson, one out of every twenty Harvard freshmen attended one of the following seven high schools most represented in the class of 2017: Boston Latin, Phillips Academy in Andover, Stuyvesant High School, Noble and Greenough School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Trinity School in New York City, and Lexington High School. If you are thinking of attending Stuyvesant High School, you probably live in or are thinking of moving to New York City. The two schools that are Harvard feeder schools that are located in New York are Trinity School and Stuyvesant. Trinity costs around $60,000 per year and Stuyvesant is free. Yes, Trinity is wonderful if you can afford it, but there is something to be said for a free education. Plus, Stuyvesant is an entire building of top-notch learning: an entire floor dedicated to math, another floor dedicated to biology, and an Olympic-sized pool.

Stuyvesant High School made public the students from 2016-2019 of the number of kids who attended the Ivy+ schools (Ivies, UChicago, Stanford, MIT) for 2016 to 2019:

Cornell – 193
UChicago – 100
MIT – 42
Harvard – 41
Yale – 35
Princeton – 34
Columbia – 16
Penn between 15 to 23
Brown between 9 to 21
Dartmouth between 8 to 16
Stanford between 3 to 15

Total 496 to 536 for four years

That’s 124 to 134 per year

About 842 seniors in Class of 2019

So 14.7% to 15.9% each year to Ivy+ (source https://tophscollege.blogspot.com)

However, the numbers above are pretty darn good for a free public school education!

Now compare Phillips Academy in Andover (2017 to 2020)…

UChicago – 55

Harvard – 48

Yale – 43

Cornell – 36

Penn – 34

Columbia – 32

MIT – 30

Brown – 29

Stanford – 27

Princeton – 26

Dartmouth – 19

Total 379 for four years

That’s about 94.75 per year

About 294 seniors in Class of 2020

So about 32.2% each year go to Ivy+(source https://tophscollege.blogspot.com)

I am especially qualified to teach you how to get into Stuyvesant because not only did I graduate from Stuy, my child also scored high enough on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) to get in there. To attend Stuyvesant and other specialized high schools in New York City, you have to pass the SHSAT. If you are a parent who has dreams of your child attending Stuyvesant someday, then start with workbooks that you can order from Amazon for math and English. Teach your child to read by age 3 with Hooked on Phonics. Yes, three-year-olds can learn to read if you just sit there with them and teach them.

Also, Sudoku puzzles are excellent for training the brain. At least two years before the test, send your child to group tutoring classes such as Kaplan, and if economically feasible, hire private tutors. However, if money is an issue, then just order some SHSAT workbooks and have your child do the problems in the book. Active learning (doing problems and looking up the answers) is key. There are also Official SHSAT Handbooks with the real tests, which you can also have your child practice as if she were taking the actual exam. The goal is to have thousands of questions answered under your belt so the answers pop out at you during the test. Yes, your brain works in mysterious ways when you train it right.

Also, visit Stuyvesant and have your child see what is possible. Let your child imagine swimming in the beautiful Olympic pool. Manifest your destiny, work hard, and you will attend the school of your choice.

Since Stuyvesant has the highest cut-off score of all the specialized high schools, consider Staten Island Technical High School, Bronx High School of Sciences or Brooklyn Technical High School. The aforementioned schools are also top schools in boroughs other than Manhattan, and although not necessarily feeder schools to the Ivy League, send plenty of students to the Ivies. Rest assured that your child will get a great education for the bargain price of free. This allows you to save money for other things, such as tutoring, summer programs, extra-curricular activities, college tuition, etc.

When I studied for the SHSAT many decades ago, I did not use a tutor. However, nowadays, almost everyone hires tutors, so you don’t want to miss out. I found Kenny Tan on Wyzant, and contacted him immediately. Kenny tutored my daughter for the SHSAT and as a result, she scored high enough on the SHSAT to gain admission to Stuyvesant High School. My daughter became so good at math that she started to tutor students younger than her for one of her extra-curricular activities. She also achieved an almost perfect score on the SAT. I am happy to report that my kid was accepted into an Ivy League university recently.

I had the opportunity to speak to Kenny Tan recently and asked him what made his method so effective?

I am different from many tutors because I encourage students to use answer explanations to study their mistakes before each lesson. During the lesson, I check for complete understanding by asking students to explain why the answer choice they chose was incorrect and why a different answer choice was actually the correct answer. I then bridge any gaps in understanding that we identify. I believe that students haven’t mastered a concept unless they can teach it correctly themselves. Students who self-prep or enroll in a group class are rarely given such a challenge. Therefore, the real value of a tutor is in ensuring students have correctly understood each concept before moving on to the next one.
Kenny Tan, tutor

Some of my favorite tips from Kenny about how to do well on the SHSAT:

Use High Quality Material– You can find all authentic SHSAT tests here. See the latest SHSAT test below, but be sure to save it for testing under real simulation: timed, in a classroom setting, after your student has sufficiently prepared.

Ivyleague.mom_.shsat2023 Download

2. Be Relentless in Learning from Your Mistakes. Yes, I agree with Kenny, and mistakes are necessary for you to learn. It was helpful to have Kenny explain what my daughter did wrong in a tutoring session and for her to learn from her mistakes.

Anyone interested in tutoring can schedule a consultation with Kenny Tan using this link.

Also, check out Kenny’s website which contains a wealth of information on the SHSAT.

What if your child does not score high enough to get into any of the specialized high schools? Consider moving to Great Neck, NY, with the #2 top school district in New York. Students in Great Neck South High School receive a stellar education and get admitted to Ivy League universities. Here is a renovated 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment for sale in the Great Neck South school district. See it before it gets sold!

Would you like more information about how to get into Stuyvesant High School? Subscribe to the Ivy League Mom newsletter for top tips:

*How to score high enough on the SHSAT to get into Stuyvesant High School, Staten Island Technical High School, Brooklyn Technical High School and the Bronx High School of Science.

*Which school should you select on the SHSAT form for the best chance of getting into a specialized high school?

*Is Stuyvesant High School always the best option?

*The best way to prep for the SHSAT.

*Questions and answers for top scores.

For all of the above and more, subscribe to the newsletter below.