What the SHSAT really asks your child to read
Being able to read fast and understand well is a crucial skill for acing the SHSAT. I analyzed all test samples previously published by the DOE to dig for insights, and found surprising things.
Research
Data-driven analysis of standardized tests, test-taking strategy, and the science of thinking.
The SHSAT hidden question templates
I analyzed more than a thousand SHSAT questions to dig for common patterns in the questions. I identified several main question templates.
Here’s what you should know about SHSAT sample tests
I collected all previously published tests, scraped all of their passages, questions, and answer choices, and reverse-engineered it using statistical and computational linguistics methods. I’ll share a few findings with you here.
How I reverse-engineered the SHSAT
I decided to break down the SHSAT into its component pieces and figure out what is this test really made off, how did it evolve over the years, and what kinds of skills it really tests for.
What should your teen read first? Mapping the hidden difficulty of great literature
If we want to suggest our budding teenagers a classic to read, we may want to do so in a way that will make this reading experience be at the right level of difficulty, neither too easy nor too hard, spurring a life-long habit of reading instead of boredom or frustration.
The real cost of SHSAT prep
Somewhere in Queens right now, two eleven-year-olds are studying for the same test: the Specialized High School Admission Test, aka SHSAT.
