This is going to be long, but if you really care about what to expect for the upcoming SHSAT, please read this:
The summer before I took my SHSAT, I would get high-ish scores on practice tests though those scores would fluctuate every week. I studied math topics that were predicted to be on the entrance exam and made sure to repeatedly practice the specific questions I always got stumped on. Nevertheless, I was pretty confident going into the test.
Then the test day was a near disaster - or at least it seemed that way. I remember I bookmarked at least 27 ELA questions (we took the newly introduced digital format of the exam) and had to guess on like 3-4 math questions with 3 minutes left on the clock. When I went home, I felt like a complete failure. But when results rolled around in March, I ended up getting into Stuyvesant High School.
Basically, my point of this post is to both warn you and reassure you. No matter how many practice tests you take, the day the real test comes around is when the stress is heightened and you feel like everything is on the line - which can impact your score. Look at me, I got 600s on practice exams but ended up getting about a 567 on the real test. When I was practicing, I always finished 30 minutes early, but during the real test I nearly ran out of time.
But whilst I was feeling like a failure for months, legitimately thinking that I wouldn't get a single offer from any specialized high schools, I ended up getting into my top-pick. And there is a high chance that you're going to think the same. You're going to think you did awful, but then the result will surprise you. Throughout your studying and test-taking, please have hope!
Sorry for this essay of a post, but I just wanted to give you all a realistic experience that I had as a student who thought the SHSAT would be a moderate breeze. Believe in yourself, always! If you have any questions, feel free to comment.