STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City students who are looking to gain entrance into New York City’s specialized high schools can now register for the exam, which will be offered digitally for the first time this year.

Students are offered admission to the eight specialized high schools based on their score on the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, or SHSAT.

These schools are: Staten Island Technical High School in New Dorp; Stuyvesant High School; Bronx High School of Science; Brooklyn Latin School; Brooklyn Technical High School; High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College; High School for American Studies at Lehman College; Queens High School for Sciences at York College.

Staten Island Technical High School recently ranked as the third best public high school in the city and state, according to Niche, a website dedicated to ranking and reviewing schools across the country.

Registration for the SHSAT opened on Oct. 7.

How to register

Students can register online with their MySchools.nyc account. Students can also register through a school counselor during the school day.

The city Department of Education will notify registered students and their school when test tickets are ready to print from MySchools. The ticket will include information about when and where a student will take the SHSAT. Students should bring this ticket when they take the exam.

The deadline to register for the exam is Friday, Oct. 31.

A digital exam

For the first time, students who register will take the test digitally, instead of the traditional paper format.

This transition from paper to computer is motivated by the increased support, security, and convenience that accompany digital-based models.

To help students prepare, city middle schools will conduct a digital SHSAT readiness activity.

After taking the SHSAT, students will be considered for admission to the specialized high schools.

For the one audition specialized high school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, families should apply by registering their child to audition by Dec. 3, then submit the audition materials. The SHSAT is not used for admission to LaGuardia.

Testing dates

Registered students can take the SHSAT during an in-school day testing date on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Weekend testing dates are also available.

Testing dates include:

Wednesday, Nov. 12: Test will be held at student’s current school. For students who attend an NYC public school that terminates in the eighth grade.Saturday, Nov. 15: Test will be held at a central NYC public school location, which will be listed on the test ticket. For eighth-grade students who attend charter or private school, who are homeschooled, or who attend an NYC public school with grades 6-12.Sunday, Nov. 16: Test will be held at a central NYC public school location, which will be listed on the test ticket. For eighth-grade students who attend charter or private school, who are homeschooled, or who attend an NYC public school with grades 6-12.Saturday, Nov. 22: Test will be held at a central NYC public school location, which will be listed on the test ticket. For all ninth-grade students. Sunday, Nov. 23: Test will be held at a central NYC public school location, which will be listed on the test ticket. For all ninth-grade students.

Students who attend school in Staten Island’s District 31 will take a weekend exam at Staten Island Technical High School in New Dorp.

Test results

There are three ways to get your SHSAT results:

In MyschoolsThrough a school counselorBy visiting a Family Welcome Center

These results include a student’s SHSAT score and up to one offer to a testing specialized high school. However, not all students who take the SHSAT will get an offer to a specialized high school. These schools also do not have waitlists.

Students will be notified if they gained entrance into a specialized high school when all high school offer letters are released — slated for Thursday, March 5.

Offers to the testing Specialized High Schools are based on each student’s SHSAT score, school preference order and the number of seats at each school, according to the DOE. These offers are made to each school in descending SHSAT score order until all seats at each school are filled.

The education department noted that the lowest qualifying score changes each year based on students’ preferences and SHSAT scores, so students who are testing for a different year should not use past scores to determine their chance of an offer to any of the specialized schools.

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