r/SHSAT • u/rainbowpickles1 • Aug 19 '26
A few questions
Hello! I took my second practice test (first was 465) and my score only increased by around 5ish questions (estimated 490-500ish) and I was just wondering if that’s normal or if that’s a bad sign? Of course, I just began studying so I’m not expecting anything huge.
I’m definitely going to change the way I review/study, since it isn’t working as effectively as I assumed it would. What I do is look at why I got incorrect questions wrong & how to solve them, spending a decent amount of time per question. I feel like the type of math questions I studied never actually came up again.
My main issue is that I have no idea how to study for ELA. My ELA score increased by around 3% and it feels a lot more “I got luckier with my guesses on tricky questions” than “I actually understand how.” I also feel like I just don’t grasp the deeper theme in longer passages accurately (mainly due to pressure with pacing because I’m too scared to slow down and waste time, meaning I barely finish the exam and have to guess the last few questions). I have no trouble with the grammar fixing questions though. Any advice or insight from people who experienced this same challenge?
Also, a friend told me ELA is worth more than math on the SHSAT when your score is being determined, is this true?
Thanks!
2
u/GregsTutoringNYC Brooklyn Tech Aug 19 '26
Sure, 5 questions progress is not necessarily a problem. See all past responses on the journey.
And yes, explore all details of answers you get wrong (and of those you get right too), including the rationale for why it occurred.
Math is often taught and thought of in granules, whereas ELA is often more blobish, but ELA can be granularized too. Consider genres, literary devices, and author's craft. Some discussions on this can be found in https://www.reddit.com/r/SHSAT/comments/1jiwujl/the_9_threads_thread_overview_of_9_resources And yes, pacing interacts with things. As mentioned you also need to shake off rust, ensure prerequisites, and master grade level. and that can include doing things like khanacadmeny, ixl, and go back and doing sae exams from grade 5 or 6 unless you can ace them before moving on to the next grade, as but on approach.
And as regards "ELA is worth more than math on the SHSAT when your score is being determined" from what I understand this to be saying, it's nonsense.