SHSAT PrepWhat NYCPS actually provides
The official preparation pages list a highlighter, answer eliminator, notepad, digital pencil, and line reader. On passage sets, a bookmark can mark a question the student wants to revisit before submitting that set. Glossed words appear with a dotted underline and open a definition.
Math also uses an equation editor for some fill-in responses. NYCPS tells students to learn that palette before test day, because parentheses, roots, and the multiplication dot are easy to fumble when the first encounter is during a scored exam.
Which tools to keep
Highlighter is useful when it marks a condition, a requested quantity, or a sentence that changes the author's point. It is wasted when an entire paragraph turns yellow. Answer eliminator is useful when a choice is actually impossible, not when the student is still thinking.
Notepad and scrap paper both exist, and many students are faster on paper for algebra because that is how they already work. Use the digital notepad only if it is quicker for that student, and do not switch surfaces in the last week.
Tools that match the navigation rule
Bookmark only helps inside an open ELA passage set, so it will not save a Math item. Line reader can help a student who loses their place in a dense paragraph, but it can also slow a student who already reads cleanly. Test it once and keep it only if it prevents a specific error.
The pencil is for marking a diagram or crossing a part of a figure, not for writing an essay in the margin. If a drawing is taking longer than writing the equation, stop drawing.
Practice on a computer, not only in a book
The official Student Readiness Tool is the right first stop. It shows the live controls without pretending to be a full scored exam. After that, take digital practice that includes highlighting, notes, equation entry, and a running clock.
SHSAT Prep includes those tools on fixed-form digital exams. That is useful even though the official test is adaptive. The student should finish practice knowing which two or three tools they will actually touch.
Official sources
SHSAT policies and digital testing details can change. Confirm current information with NYC Public Schools:
SHSAT Prep is an independent practice product and is not affiliated with NYCPS.
Frequently asked questions
Can students bring their own highlighter or calculator?
No. The exam is on DOE computers with built-in tools. NYCPS publishes what students may bring. Confirm the current list in the official guide before test day.
Do ELLs get extra on-screen tools?
ELLs and eligible former ELLs can receive extended time, translated directions, footnote translations, and a school-provided bilingual glossary. They still use the same universal tools as other students.
Continue your study plan
NYCPS has a tutorial and four official online practice tests. Use those first, then add extra digital exams for more review cycles.
Next guideWhen You Can Change an SHSAT AnswerOn the digital SHSAT you answer before you advance. Passage sets can be revisited until you submit. Math items cannot. Practice that rule.
Next guideUsing Paper SHSAT Books for a Digital ExamPaper books can still teach content. They cannot train digital tools, no-return navigation, or adaptive item selection. Use each format for the job it can do.