SHSAT 4-Week Prep Class

The SHSAT is one of the most competitive exams a middle schooler will ever take — and four focused weeks of smart preparation can make all the difference. This course is built specifically for students aiming for admission to NYC's specialized high schools, covering every corner of the exam: math problem-solving, ELA reading comprehension, persuasive essay writing, and high-stakes test strategy. Students work through real SHSAT-style problems, learn how to eliminate wrong answers with confidence, and practice pacing so they never run out of time. By the end of four weeks, students don't just know the material — they know how to perform on test day.

Getting into one of NYC's specialized high schools — Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and others — means earning a competitive score on the SHSAT. This four-week course gives students the structured preparation, targeted practice, and test-taking confidence they need to walk into exam day ready to perform at their best. Every session is built around the actual content, format, and timing of the SHSAT, so students aren't studying in the abstract — they're training for the real thing.

Math: Speed, Strategy, and Accuracy The SHSAT math section rewards students who know not just how to solve problems, but how to solve them fast. This course covers the core topics that appear most frequently on the exam — arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis — with a sharp focus on applying formulas and concepts efficiently under timed conditions. Students work through SHSAT-style word problems and multi-step questions, learning how to set up solutions quickly, check their work, and avoid the calculation errors that cost points.

ELA: Reading Deeply and Writing Persuasively The ELA section of the SHSAT tests two very different skill sets, and this course develops both. On the reading side, students practice analyzing literature, informational texts, and persuasive arguments — learning to identify main ideas, supporting details, author's purpose, tone, and figurative language with precision. On the writing side, students build persuasive essays from the ground up: crafting strong thesis statements, organizing body paragraphs with evidence and reasoning, and refining grammar and sentence structure for clarity. Both skills are practiced under timed conditions so students build real exam stamina.

Vocabulary and Process of Elimination A strong vocabulary isn't just useful for the ELA section — it helps students read faster and comprehend more accurately across the entire exam. This course introduces high-frequency SHSAT vocabulary words alongside mnemonic strategies to make them stick. Students also learn to use context clues to decode unfamiliar words mid-passage, a skill that pays off repeatedly on test day. Paired with systematic process-of-elimination techniques, students learn to approach every question — even the hard ones — with a clear decision-making framework.

Test Strategy and Time Management Knowing the material is only half the battle. Students also learn how to take the SHSAT: how to pace themselves across both sections, when to move on from a difficult question, and how to simulate real test conditions so exam day feels familiar rather than overwhelming. Practice tests and timed drills help students build the endurance and focus needed for a nearly three-hour exam, while targeted review of those practice results helps each student pinpoint exactly where they need to improve.

What Students Walk Away With By the end of four weeks, students have a complete toolkit for the SHSAT — math skills honed for speed and accuracy, reading strategies for complex passages, a repeatable essay-writing process, and the mental confidence to perform under pressure. Whether a student is aiming for Stuyvesant or simply wants to put their strongest score on the board, this course provides the preparation to make that goal achievable.