Admission to one of the Specialized High Schools is based solely on your SHSAT score. Each school has its own cut off score, and this number changes every year. A good score on the SHSAT depends on which school you are aiming for. Though you are asked to rank the 8 schools in your personal order of preference, you will only be eligible for acceptance to (at most) one school - the school you ranked highest on your list for which your score qualifies. In other words, if your score qualifies you for any school that you ranked third, but not for ones you ranked first and second, you run the risk of not getting into ANY school, since others with lower scores than you may have ranked the school first (or second). Consult your guidance counselor for more information, but the point it, how you rank the schools is a very important decision.
Why is the SHSAT important? How is the SHSAT structured?