Understanding SHSAT scoring
The SHSAT goes from raw correct answers (0–57 per section) to a composite score (200–800) through two transformations. Here's the complete reference: how it works, what scores mean, and how the numbers map to specialized high school admission.
- What are the three SHSAT score types?
- Raw score (0–57 per section, the count of correct answers), scaled score (100–400 per section, the equated version of the raw score), and composite (200–800, the sum of the two scaled scores). Admissions decisions use the composite.
- What's the highest possible SHSAT score?
- 800 composite — 400 on ELA + 400 on Math, achievable only by answering every scored question correctly on both sections.
- What's the lowest possible SHSAT score?
- 200 composite — 100 on each section, the floor that applies even with zero correct answers.
- How do I check my chances?
- Use our SHSAT score calculator to convert your raw scores into estimated scaled and composite scores, with admission predictions for all 8 SHSAT-based specialized high schools.
Six topics, in order of importance
How SHSAT is scored
Raw, scaled, composite explained — the complete three-step scoring process, including how equating and field questions work.
What's a good SHSAT score?
Score benchmarks by school, broken into bands from 200 to 800, with the buffer target you should aim for in practice.
Conversion table
Every raw score from 0 to 57 with the estimated scaled score equivalent, plus example composite calculations.
Percentile rank
What your scaled score means in the test-taking population. Estimated percentile bands for all the score tiers.
Equating explained
Why scaled scores aren't a linear conversion from raw, and how the equating process keeps scores comparable across test years.
Score release dates
The full annual SHSAT timeline — registration through enrollment — with specific dates for the current and next cycle.
The three numbers that matter
Every SHSAT result is made up of three different scores, each measuring something different. They're related but not interchangeable, and confusion between them is one of the most common sources of misunderstanding among families preparing for the test.
Raw score: how many you got right
The simplest measure: the number of correct answers in each section. The SHSAT has 57 questions per section, so raw scores range from 0 to 57. There's no penalty for wrong answers, which means you should always guess rather than leave a question blank. Ten of the 57 questions per section are unscored "field questions" the NYC DOE uses for future test calibration, but you can't tell which ones, so you should treat all 57 as scored.
Scaled score: equated to a 100–400 range
Each raw score is converted to a scaled score between 100 and 400. The conversion is non-linear — each additional correct answer at the top of the range is worth more scaled points than each additional correct answer in the middle. This curve shape is the result of test equating, which adjusts for slight differences in difficulty between test forms. The exact conversion isn't published by the NYC DOE; our methodology page explains how we estimate it.
Composite score: the admissions number
Your composite is the simple sum of your two scaled scores: ELA scaled + Math scaled = composite. It ranges from 200 (worst possible) to 800 (perfect). The composite is what specialized high schools use for admission. Each school sets a cutoff, and the composite determines whether you clear it.
Why three scores instead of one
It's reasonable to ask why the SHSAT can't just report "X out of 114 correct." The reason is equating. Two students who take the test in different years might face slightly different difficulty. Reporting raw scores would unfairly penalize whoever got the harder form. The scaling step calibrates for difficulty, so a 540 composite in 2024 represents the same level of demonstrated ability as a 540 composite in 2026 — even if the underlying tests had different specific questions and slightly different difficulty.
The trade-off is some loss of transparency. Most students can verify their raw score by counting correct answers; almost no one can verify their scaled score without trusting the equating process they can't see. We try to fill that gap on this site by being explicit about how our estimates work and where the NYC DOE's official numbers may differ.
How scoring changed with the CAT format (October 2025)
Starting in October 2025, the SHSAT moved to a Computer Adaptive Test format. The scoring framework — raw → scaled → composite, with the same 200–800 range — is unchanged. What changed is how the underlying ability estimate is produced. Under CAT, each question has IRT (Item Response Theory) parameters, and the engine estimates ability from the difficulty-weighted pattern of responses, not just from the count of correct answers. The end result is still a scaled score; the math just happens differently. For a working demonstration, see our adaptive practice test.
How to use these scoring guides
Start with How SHSAT Is Scored if you want the complete explanation in one read. Use What's a Good Score as a planning reference to identify the score band you're targeting. Use the Conversion Table when you have raw scores from a practice test and want to estimate scaled. The Equating Explained page is for the curious — you don't need it to use the calculator effectively, but it answers the "why does the curve look like that" question.
Common questions about SHSAT scoring
What's the difference between raw, scaled, and composite scores?
Raw score = count of correct answers (0–57 per section). Scaled score = the equated version of your raw score (100–400 per section). Composite = the sum of the two scaled scores (200–800). The composite is what determines specialized high school admission.
Why doesn't the SHSAT just use raw scores?
To make scores comparable across years. Different test forms have slightly different difficulty. Without equating, students who got a harder form would be unfairly disadvantaged. Scaled scores remove that disadvantage by adjusting for test-form difficulty. Equating explained →
Where does the NYC DOE publish official conversion tables?
It doesn't. The exact raw-to-scaled conversion is not publicly released. Our calculator and conversion table use estimates derived from publicly available data including past handbooks and independent analyses. Real official scaled scores may differ from our estimates by a few points. See our methodology page for sources and accuracy bounds.
Can my SHSAT score change after release?
No. Once scores are released, they are final. The NYC DOE does not have a formal score appeal process. If there was an administrative error (e.g., your test wasn't scored), contact the NYC DOE directly.
How do I check what schools my score qualifies for?
Use our SHSAT score calculator. Enter your raw or scaled scores and it shows which of the eight SHSAT-based specialized high schools your composite would qualify you for based on the most recent published cutoffs.