SHSAT Test Dates & Registration: The 2025–26 NYC Timeline
Every key date for this year's exam — registration, test days, tickets, and offers — plus exactly how to sign your child up.
The 2025–26 SHSAT dates at a glance
If your child is in 8th grade this year and wants a seat at one of NYC's specialized high schools, the SHSAT calendar is the first thing to get on your family's radar. Here are the dates for the 2025–26 cycle:
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Registration window | Oct 7–31, 2025 |
| Test tickets available in MySchools | Nov 10, 2025 |
| School-day test (most NYC public-school 8th graders) | Wed, Nov 12, 2025 |
| Weekend test (charter / private / homeschool / 6–12 public) | Sat, Nov 15 or Sun, Nov 16, 2025 |
| High school applications close | Dec 3, 2025 |
| Offers released | Mar 5, 2026 |
These dates are for the 2025–26 cycle. The DOE sets a fresh calendar every single year, so if you're reading this for a future year, confirm everything at schools.nyc.gov or inside MySchools before you plan around it.
School-day test or weekend test — which is your child's?
There are two ways to sit the same exam, and your child takes one or the other:
- School-day test (Wed, Nov 12, 2025): for students enrolled in a NYC public school that ends at grade 8. The test happens during a normal school day, usually at their own school.
- Weekend test (Sat, Nov 15 or Sun, Nov 16, 2025): for students at charter, private, or parochial schools, homeschoolers, and students in 6–12 public schools. Your child is assigned a date and a test site.
The test itself is identical no matter which day you take it — same format, same scoring. If you're not sure which category your child falls into, your school counselor or the MySchools portal will tell you. Curious what's actually on the exam? See our guide to the SHSAT format and scoring.
How to register
How you sign up depends on where your child goes to school:
- NYC public-school 8th graders: talk to your school counselor. They handle SHSAT registration and will tell you your child's test day and location. You don't need to do anything online yourself, but check in early — don't assume it's automatic.
- Charter, private, parochial, or homeschool students: register through MySchools (myschools.nyc) or contact the DOE directly. Create or log into your MySchools account and follow the specialized high schools steps.
A few things worth knowing: the SHSAT is free — there's no fee to take it. Registration runs Oct 7–31, 2025, and you don't want to be sorting this out on the last day, so aim to confirm your child is registered by mid-October.
One honest note: The 8 Schools is an independent practice site. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the NYC DOE, so please confirm every official date, deadline, and registration step at schools.nyc.gov or in MySchools — treat them, not us, as the source of truth.
After you register: tickets, applications, and offers
Registering is step one. Here's what follows:
- Test ticket (around Nov 10, 2025): your child's ticket appears in MySchools. It lists the test date, time, and location. Print it or save it — bring it on test day.
- High school application (closes Dec 3, 2025): ranking the specialized high schools is part of your MySchools application. Order matters, so rank every school you'd genuinely accept. Our guides on the eight specialized high schools and SHSAT cutoff scores can help you think through the order.
- Offers (Mar 5, 2026): results and any offer arrive together in the spring. Cutoff scores are widely-reported reference figures, not guarantees — they shift each year with how applicants rank and score.
A simple prep timeline
Test day sneaks up fast once school starts. A rough plan:
- Summer before 8th grade: the ideal starting point. A few months of steady, low-pressure study builds real comfort with the format.
- September–October: if you're starting now, that's fine too — even six to eight weeks of consistent work makes a difference. Focus on timed sections and reviewing mistakes.
- The week before: ease off, sleep well, and make sure you have the test ticket and location sorted.
Whatever your window, short and regular beats one long cram. For a full study plan, see how to prepare for the SHSAT.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee to take the SHSAT?
No. The SHSAT is free for eligible NYC students. You won't be asked to pay to register or to sit the exam.
Do I register through my child's school or online?
It depends. NYC public-school 8th graders register through their school counselor. Charter, private, parochial, and homeschool students register through MySchools (myschools.nyc) or by contacting the DOE. When in doubt, start with your counselor or MySchools.
When will we get results and offers?
For the 2025–26 cycle, offers are scheduled to be released on March 5, 2026. Results and any offer come together. Since dates change yearly, confirm the current timeline in MySchools.
What if my child is sick on test day?
Options for a missed test are handled case by case by the DOE. Contact your school counselor or the DOE as soon as possible — don't wait. We can't set or promise makeup dates; the DOE handles those case by case.
These dates are for 2025–26 — how do I find next year's?
The DOE publishes a new SHSAT calendar every year, and the registration window, test days, and deadlines shift. Always check schools.nyc.gov or MySchools for the current cycle rather than relying on last year's dates.
Dates handled? The next step is knowing where your child actually stands. Try our free 10-question SHSAT diagnostic — no signup, just instant feedback on math and reading.
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