Plan the session before the clock starts moving.

Current rules

SHSAT time management must match the adaptive format.

• Students choose whether to begin with ELA or Math.
• The standard testing window is 180 minutes.
• Students may divide the total time between the subjects as they choose.
• The first subject must be completed and submitted before the second begins.
• Once a subject is submitted, the student cannot return to it.
• Math and stand-alone ELA items cannot be revisited after advancing.
• Questions within an active ELA passage set may be revisited until the set is submitted.

Source: NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 Admissions, pages 3 through 6.

Create a subject budget

Divide time based on evidence, not a universal formula.

There is no official requirement to split the 180 minutes evenly. A useful subject budget reflects how long the student needs to read ELA passages, complete Math work, and maintain accuracy.

1. 01

   Collect practice data

   Use several realistic sessions to estimate how long each subject takes at an accurate, sustainable pace.

2. 02

   Choose the starting subject

   Consider confidence, energy, reading demands, and the student's ability to leave the first subject on schedule.

3. 03

   Set a switch threshold

   Decide in advance how much total time the first subject may use before the second subject is at risk.

4. 04

   Test the plan

   Use official practice to confirm whether the planned split works under the actual digital rules.

Question pacing

Averages are diagnostic, not a countdown for every item.

Dividing 180 minutes by 100 questions produces an overall average of 1.8 minutes per question. That number does not account for passage reading, easier items, harder items, subject transitions, or review within a passage set.

Use broader checkpoints instead. For example, monitor whether the subject is approximately on plan after a meaningful group of questions or a passage set. If the student is behind, the response should be a deliberate adjustment, not rushing every remaining item equally.

Pacing practice

Train decisions at several scales.

ELA pacing

Budget reading and questions as one task.

• Read each passage carefully enough to understand the big ideas and important details.
• Use short notes or highlights when they reduce rereading.
• Decide how much time a complete passage set may use before practice begins.
• Use the bookmark only for questions that can realistically be revisited before the set is submitted.
• Do not leave an active passage set without resolving every bookmarked item.
• For stand-alone editing, make the best correction before advancing because there is no return.

Math pacing

Protect setup time without getting trapped in one problem.

• Read the requested quantity and all constraints before calculating.
• Write an equation, diagram, or proportion so the setup can be checked.
• Use estimation and units to eliminate impossible options quickly.
• If a method is not progressing, restart with a different representation rather than repeating the same steps.
• Commit to the best supported answer before advancing, since the question cannot be revisited.

A written test-day plan

Make the key decisions before test day.

• Which subject will come first?
• What is the planned time budget for that subject?
• At what clock time should the student prepare to switch?
• Which digital tools will the student actually use?
• Will the platform clock stay visible or be hidden?
• What will the student do when uncertain and unable to return?
• What signs indicate the current pace needs adjustment?

Students with approved extended-time accommodations should build their plan around the time and breaks provided to them, not the standard 180-minute schedule.