How to Convert SHSAT Raw Score to Scaled Score

A student can answer more questions correctly on the SHSAT and still score lower than someone who answered fewer. 

That’s because the SHSAT doesn’t use a simple points-based system. 

The SHSAT converts raw scores into scaled scores that determine specialized high school placement. And without understanding this conversion, practice test results can be misleading, goals can be miscalculated, and school eligibility can be misunderstood. 

Knowing how SHSAT raw scores translate into scaled scores is essential for accurate evaluation, smarter test prep, and informed school placement decisions.
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Understanding SHSAT Scoring: Raw vs. Scaled Scores

The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) uses two different types of scores to evaluate students: raw scores and scaled scores. 

While raw scores reflect how many questions a student answered correctly, scaled scores determine actual school placement. 

What Is a Raw Score? 

A raw score is the total number of questions a student answers correctly on the SHSAT. The exam has 114 total questions: 57 English Language Arts (ELA) and 57 Mathematics. For the raw score, each correct answer earns 1 point, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers. 

For example, if a student answers 35 ELA questions and 40 Math questions correctly, their raw scores would be the sum of the two (75 out of 114).

Raw scores are straightforward to calculate, but they do not determine admission outcomes in isolation.

What Is a Scaled Score? 

A scaled score is a standardized score that adjusts raw performance based on test difficulty and statistical comparisons across different test versions. SHSAT scaled scores typically range from 200 to 900, and the ELA and Math sections are scaled separately. Then, the two scaled section scores are combined to form a final composite score.

For instance, if two students get a raw score of 75, but student A took a harder test than student B, that means student A did better. So, after scaling, student A might receive a scaled score of 560 while student B might receive only 540.

Even though their raw scores are identical, the scaled scores better reflect relative performance.
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How SHSAT Scoring Works?

The SHSAT scoring process happens in multiple stages. While students experience the exam as a single test, their results are:

• Evaluated section by section
• Adjusted for difficulty
• Then they are combined into one final score
• Used for admissions decisions.

Understanding this process helps explain why SHSAT scores can feel unpredictable and why raw scores alone don’t tell the full story.

The Two-Section Structure

The SHSAT is divided evenly into two sections:

• English Language Arts (ELA): 57 questions
• Mathematics: 57 questions
  

Therefore, the total number of questions is 114. 

Each section tests different skills, but both sections carry equal weight in the final score. 

Performance in one section cannot fully compensate for a very weak performance in the other, which is why balanced preparation matters.

The Scoring Process

SHSAT scoring follows a structured, multi-step process:

1. Raw scores are calculated for each section: For each correct answer, the student earns 1 raw point, with no deduction for incorrect answers. Raw scores are calculated separately for ELA and Math.
2. Raw scores are converted into scaled scores: Each section’s raw score is converted using a year-specific conversion chart. This conversion accounts for test difficulty and statistical performance patterns.
3. Section scaled scores are combined: The scaled ELA and Math scores are added together.
4. The final composite scaled score is determined: It is a single composite score typically falling within the 200–900 range. This final number is the score used to rank students and determine specialized high school offers. At no point are raw scores used directly for admissions decisions.

Why Scaled Scores Matter

Each year, multiple test forms are administered. Some versions may be slightly more difficult than others. If admissions decisions were based solely on raw scores, students who received more difficult test forms would be unfairly disadvantaged.

To prevent this, the SHSAT uses a statistical process known as equating, in which:

• Raw scores are adjusted based on overall test difficulty
• Performance is standardized across all test versions
• Students are compared on a common scoring scale
  

This is why:

• Raw-to-scaled conversions change every year
• The same raw score can result in different scaled scores depending on the test administration
• Scaled scores (and not raw scores) are the only meaningful metric for admissions and cutoff comparisons
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SHSAT Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversion Chart

Unlike many standardized tests, the NYC Department of Education does not publicly release an official raw-to-scaled conversion table for the SHSAT. The conversion is done through a statistical equating process that adjusts scores each year based on test difficulty and the performance of the full testing cohort. This means there is no single official chart you can look up for all years.

Here’s how a Reddit user explains how to score high:

Below, we’ve created an estimated conversion table based on historical scoring patterns to help students and tutors approximate scaled scores from practice and actual raw scores. 

Note: These are not official, but they reflect typical scoring behavior observed over the past years.

Estimated Raw-to-Scaled Conversion (Per Section)

Use this table to approximate how many scaled points each raw correct answer might translate into for ELA or Math:

Note: On the actual SHSAT, only 47 of the 57 questions in each section are scored; the remaining 10 are unscored field questions. However, during preparation, students answer all 57 questions without knowing which ones will not count. Because of this, using a conversion that assumes only the scored questions is not practical for test prep. For students and parents, it is more useful to evaluate performance based on the total number of questions attempted, since every question counts toward the final score.

Composite Score Calculation

Here’s how to use this chart to calculate your student’s SHSAT score:

• If a student gets 30 correct in ELA and 35 in Math, they might receive ~218 scaled scores in ELA and ~236 in Math.
• Their approximate total SHSAT score would be 218 + 236 = 454 (estimate).
• This can be a useful benchmark during prep and for setting goals.

Note: The figures in the table are estimates based on historical patterns from unofficial scoring tables. The DOE creates new conversion curves for each test administration, so scaled scores for the same raw score can differ slightly from year to year. 
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Make SHSAT Score Conversion Easier with EdisonOS

Manually estimating SHSAT scaled scores without official conversion tables creates unnecessary friction in test analysis and parent communication. EdisonOS eliminates that overhead.

With EdisonOS, tutors can:

• Automatically convert SHSAT practice test results into estimated scaled scores
• View ELA and Math performance separately, exactly as the SHSAT is scored
• Track student progress across multiple tests without spreadsheets or guesswork
• Spend less time explaining score math and more time refining prep strategy
  

Instead of reverse-engineering conversions after every test, tutors get consistent, explainable score insights instantly.

👉 Start with EdisonOS to streamline SHSAT test prep for your students.
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SHSAT Score Ranges and What They Mean

An SHSAT composite score provides a quick sense of how competitive a student is for admission to specialized high schools. While exact cutoffs change every year, these score ranges help tutors set realistic expectations and prep goals.

Important: These ranges are directional, not guarantees. Outcomes depend on yearly cutoffs, student rankings, and overall test performance across the applicant pool.
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Factors That Affect Score Conversion

The SHSAT raw-to-scaled score conversion is not fixed. Several variables influence how raw performance translates into a final scaled score each year. 

• Test difficulty: The SHSAT uses multiple test forms with slight difficulty differences, so the scoring system adjusts results to maintain fairness.
• Overall student performance: The performance of the entire test-taking group shapes how raw scores are spread across the scaled score range.
• Multiple test forms: Each SHSAT version undergoes separate calibration before final score calculations.
• Section balance: ELA and Math contribute equally to the final score, so uneven performance limits the overall composite score.
• Year-to-year variation: Changes in difficulty and student performance require new score conversions every year.
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How to Use Raw-to-Scaled Conversion for Test Prep

Tutors can use raw-to-scaled score conversion as a practical planning tool and not just a reporting metric. Here are some tips to create an SHSAT study plan as you use the raw-to-scaled conversion for test prep.

• Set realistic score goals: Start with the cutoff scores for a student’s target schools and work backward to estimate the raw scores needed in ELA and Math to stay competitive.
• Track progress over time: Compare scaled score estimates across multiple practice tests to confirm whether raw-score gains translate into meaningful score improvement.
• Identify weaknesses early: Use section-wise scaled score gaps to determine whether ELA or Math limits the student’s overall score growth.
• Refine pacing and strategy: Translate target scaled scores into the approximate number of correct answers required per section, helping students prioritize accuracy over guesswork.

Used consistently, raw-to-scaled conversion helps tutors move beyond intuition and anchor prep decisions in measurable outcomes.
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Common Mistakes When Converting SHSAT Scores

Even experienced tutors and students can misinterpret SHSAT scores if they rely on the wrong assumptions. Avoid these common pitfalls:

• Using outdated conversion charts: Always remember that raw-to-scaled conversions change every year; older charts can mislead score estimates.
• Treating conversions as exact: Use conversion tables as directional guidance, not precise predictors of final scores.
• Ignoring test form differences: Different SHSAT versions vary in difficulty, which affects how raw scores scale.
• Misunderstanding composite scoring: The SHSAT calculates ELA and Math scores separately before combining them into a final composite score.
• Comparing scores across years without context: A scaled score from one year does not translate directly to another year’s cutoff.
• Overlooking section balance: Strong performance in one section cannot fully offset weak performance in the other.
• Relying on inaccurate tools: Unofficial or poorly calibrated calculators can produce misleading score estimates.
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SHSAT Cutoff Scores by School (Recent Years)

Below is a snapshot of SHSAT cutoff scores for several top New York City specialized high schools from recent admissions cycles. These numbers reflect the lowest composite scores that earned offers in those years. 

Cutoffs can shift annually based on the applicant pool, seat availability, and student ranking patterns, so use this table as guidance rather than prediction.

Note: Cutoff scores are composite SHSAT scores from recent admissions cycles. These figures show typical baselines but do not guarantee future results.
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How EdisonOS Helps with SHSAT Score Analysis

Interpreting SHSAT scores manually takes time and often leads to inconsistent explanations, especially when official conversion tables aren’t available. EdisonOS simplifies this entire process for tutors.

With EdisonOS, tutors can:

• Automatically convert SHSAT practice test performance into estimated scaled scores
• Track ELA and Math progress separately across multiple tests
• Identify score-limiting sections using performance and difficulty analytics
• Monitor improvement trends instead of recalculating scores after every assessment
• Build data-backed study plans aligned with a student’s target schools and score goals
  

By centralizing score conversion, analysis, and progress tracking, EdisonOS helps tutors focus less on decoding results and more on driving measurable score improvement. Book a demo to see how EdisonOS streamlines SHSAT test prep and score analysis for tutors.
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