The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT)

Some of the best public high schools in the country are New York City’s specialized high schools (think Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science, LaGuardia, among others).

In order to attend a specialized high school, students must take the Specialized High School Admissions Test, commonly known as the SHSAT. The test is administered in the last weekend of October each year. To sign up, ask your guidance counselor for an admissions ticket. The week before you take the exam, you will receive your ticket, an important step in applying to specialized high schools for a couple of reasons:

• The ticket will include the date, time and location you have been assigned to take the exam.
• You must have your ticket in order to enter the exam space.
• The ticket has a spot for you to rank specialized high schools in order of preference.

You can prepare for the SHSAT through the DREAM Specialized High School Institute, a 22-month extracurricular program that DOE offers to eligible NYC public school students.