The SHSAT ELA section is 57 questions, taken in approximately 90 minutes. Of those, 47 are scored — 10 are unscored experimental questions that look identical to scored ones.
Unlike school English tests, the SHSAT ELA has three distinct question types — two of which (Revising/Editing and Scrambled Paragraphs) most students have never practiced before. Understanding each type before test day is the fastest way to improve your ELA score.
The three SHSAT ELA question types
### 1. Revising & Editing (~20 questions)
Revising/Editing questions ask you to identify and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and word choice. There are two subtypes:
Standalone sentences (~11 questions): Each question presents a single sentence with an underlined portion. You choose the best revision (or confirm no revision is needed).
Passage-based (~9 questions): A short passage is presented, and you answer questions about how to improve its organization, transitions, or style — including questions about which sentence to remove or move.
The 8 error types that appear most often:
| Error Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Subject-verb agreement | "The group of students *are* ready" → "is ready" |
| Pronoun case | "between you and *I*" → "me" |
| Comma splice | Two independent clauses joined with only a comma |
| Run-on sentence | Two independent clauses with no punctuation |
| Dangling modifier | "Running to the door, the bell rang" |
| Misplaced modifier | "She nearly drove her kids to school every day" |
| Parallel structure | "She likes swimming, hiking, and *to run*" |
| Redundancy | "The end result was a *final* conclusion" |
Practice these 8 patterns specifically. SHSAT R/E questions are highly formulaic — the same error types appear year after year.
### 2. Scrambled Paragraphs (~6 questions)
Scrambled Paragraphs present 5–6 sentences from a short excerpt that must be put back in the correct logical order. One sentence is given as the fixed opener.
This question type doesn't exist in any school curriculum, which is why most students find it disorienting at first. The good news: it's one of the most trainable question types on the test.
The strategy:
Practice method: Read op-ed columns or news articles and, after reading, try to summarize the logical flow in 3 steps: claim → evidence → conclusion. This builds the paragraph-sequence instinct the SHSAT tests.
### 3. Reading Comprehension (~37 questions)
Reading Comprehension makes up the majority of SHSAT ELA. Students read 6–8 passages (fiction excerpts, informational articles, science texts) and answer 4–6 questions per passage.
Passage types you'll see:
Question types ranked by difficulty:
The #1 reading comprehension strategy: Read the questions *before* reading the passage. This lets you read actively — you know what to look for and can annotate relevant sections as you go.
For inference questions: The correct answer is always supported by evidence in the text. If you find yourself relying on outside knowledge or making assumptions not grounded in the passage, that's the wrong answer.
SHSAT ELA study schedule
Here's a 4-week focused ELA improvement plan:
Week 1: Revising/Editing foundations
Week 2: Revising/Editing at speed
Week 3: Scrambled Paragraphs + Reading Comprehension
Week 4: Full ELA section timed practice
How ELA score improvements translate to composite score
Every 47 ELA scored questions contribute equally to your ELA section score. Improving from 28/47 to 33/47 correct can add 15–20 points to your composite — the difference between Brooklyn Tech (cutoff 506) and qualifying for HSAS or Staten Island Tech.
Revising/Editing is the fastest area to improve. Reading Comprehension takes longer but has the most questions. Most students should pursue both, but if time is short, prioritize R/E.
The underrated ELA skill: reading speed
At 90 seconds per ELA question on average, students who read slowly are at a serious disadvantage on the RC passages. If your child reads below 250 words per minute, consider spending 10 minutes per day reading independently — not SHSAT content specifically, just any reading — to build fluency.
The best long-term ELA prep is consistent reading at home. Students who read regularly for pleasure score measurably higher on SHSAT ELA than those who don't.
Take the free practice test to see where you stand
The free SHSATlab practice test gives you a breakdown of your ELA performance across all three question types — so you know exactly which ones to focus on.