SHSAT EMERGENCY FAQs
Q.It’s two days before the SHSAT and I’m clueless. What should I do?
A.First of all, don’t panic. If you have only a day or two to prepare for the test, then you don’t have time to prepare thoroughly. But
that doesn’t mean you should just give up. There’s still a lot you can do to improve your potential score. First and foremost, you
should become familiar with the test. Read Section 1: The Basics. And if you don’t do anything else, take one of the full-length
practice tests at the back of this book under reasonably testlike conditions. When you finish the practice test, check your answers
and look at the explanations for the questions you didn’t get right.
Q.Math is my weak spot. What can I do to get better at math in a big hurry?
A.Read through 100 Essential Math Concepts in the appendix of the book. Read Introducing SHSAT Math in Section 3. Review the
rest of Section 3, focusing on the content areas that give you the most trouble. Then do as many of the problems in the Math
Practice Sets at the end of each chapter as you can. If you don’t have time to do the problems, just read the sidebars in the math
chapters. They contain really helpful facts and tips.
Q.I’m great at Math, but Verbal scares me. How can I improve my Verbal score right away?
A.Turn to Section 2 and read through Introducing SHSAT Verbal. Then do as many of the Practice Set problems in the Verbal
chapters as you have time for. If you don’t have time to do the problems, just read the sidebars in those chapters. These strategies
can help boost your score.
Q.My parents are upset with me for waiting till the last minute to study, and now I can’t concentrate. Help!
A.Take a deep breath! Anxiety and stress are the enemies of all test takers—no matter how much time they have to prepare. Turn to
Section 4 and read through the Stress Management chapter. Do the suggested exercises. And don’t forget to think positively!
Q:The SHSAT is tomorrow. Should I stay up all night studying geometry formulas?
A:The best thing to do right now is to try to stay calm. Read the Countdown to the Test chapter in Section 4 to find out the best way
to survive, and thrive, on Test Day. And get a good night’s sleep.
Q:I don’t feel confident. Should I just guess?
A:There is no wrong-answer penalty, so you should definitely fill in an answer for every question. However, this does not mean that
you should always guess randomly. Whenever you can eliminate wrong answers, you increase your chances of guessing correctly.
Therefore, you should guess strategically whenever possible.
Q:What’s the most important thing I can do to get ready for the SHSAT quickly?
A.In addition to basic Math and Verbal skills, the SHSAT mainly tests your ability to take the SHSAT. Therefore, the most important
thing you can do is to familiarize yourself with the directions, the question types, the answer grid, and the overall structure of the
test. Make sure you know how to get to your testing location and so forth. Read every question carefully—many mistakes are the
result of simply not reading thoroughly.
Q.So it’s a good idea to panic, right? RIGHT?
A.No! No matter how prepared you are for the SHSAT, stress will hurt your performance, and it’s really no fun. Stay confident and
don’t cram. Just breathe, stay calm, and do your best.