Your FREE SHSAT Flashcards 2026 – 200+ Cards

Two complete sentences (independent clauses) joined by only a comma. Fix with a period, a semicolon, or a comma + a conjunction.

A group of words with a subject and a verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

A subject + verb that cannot stand alone because it starts with a subordinating word (because, although, since, when).

Two independent clauses joined with no punctuation or conjunction between them.

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

The coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. A comma + FANBOYS can join two independent clauses.

Only with a coordinating conjunction (comma + FANBOYS). A comma alone is a splice.

Use a period or semicolon, or add a coordinating conjunction after the comma.

Joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction.

After a complete sentence, to introduce a list, an explanation, or a quotation.

A verb must match its subject in number: singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb.

Has. The subject is the singular noun 'list,' not 'volunteers.'

Singular — it names one field of study, so it takes a singular verb ('Mathematics is...').

A pronoun must match the noun it refers to in number and gender (a company = 'it,' not 'they').

'Its' = possessive (its tail). 'It's' = it is / it has.

A describing word or phrase sitting next to the wrong noun, so it seems to describe the wrong thing.

An opening phrase that doesn't logically describe the noun right after the comma.

'Walking to school, we were soaked by the rain.' The noun after the comma must be the one doing the walking.

Items in a series share the same grammatical form: 'to stretch, to drink, and to rest.'

Words like however, nevertheless, on the other hand, instead, conversely.

Therefore, thus, consequently, as a result.

Furthermore, moreover, in addition, also.

For example, for instance, specifically.

Decide the logical relationship between the ideas first, then pick the matching word. Transitions test logic, not vocabulary.

A word (FANBOYS) that joins two equal grammatical parts, such as two independent clauses.

A word (because, although, when, since, if) that begins a dependent clause.

Always set off an introductory word, phrase, or dependent clause with a comma before the main clause.

With a pair of commas (or a pair of dashes) around the extra, removable detail.

Switching tense inconsistently within a passage's timeline; keep tense consistent unless time changes.

Saying the same thing twice ('annual yearly report'). The SHSAT often asks you to cut it.

Using more words than needed; the SHSAT favors the most concise correct option.

Plural possession — the books belonging to multiple students (apostrophe after the s).

Class's (add apostrophe + s): 'the class's project.'

Items in a series are separated by commas; the last comma before 'and' is the Oxford (serial) comma.

To set off a nonessential interruption (like paired commas) or to create emphasis before a closing remark.

Check whether each side is a complete sentence; that decides whether you can use a comma, semicolon, period, or conjunction.

They're. 'Their' = possessive; 'there' = a place.

'Your' = possessive (your book); 'you're' = you are.

The noun that a pronoun refers back to.

Make every item the same form — all infinitives, all -ing words, or all simple verbs.

Fixing errors in standalone sentences (grammar, punctuation, usage).

Improving sentences within a short passage, including organization and transitions.

The shortest option that keeps all needed meaning and is grammatically correct.

A clause has a subject and a verb; a phrase does not.

A semicolon.

The central point the whole passage makes — broad enough to cover the entire text.

A specific fact, example, or piece of evidence that backs up the main idea.

A conclusion the passage strongly implies but does not state outright.

Pick the conclusion the text most directly supports — not the most dramatic or one needing outside facts.

Choosing a word's meaning based on how it's used in the passage, not its most common dictionary definition.

Reread the full sentence, predict your own meaning, then match the closest choice.

Tone = the author's attitude toward the subject; mood = the feeling created in the reader.

The reason the author wrote the text — to inform, persuade, entertain, or describe.

Giving human qualities or actions to something nonhuman ('the wind whispered').

A comparison that calls one thing another, without 'like' or 'as' ('time is a thief').

A comparison using 'like' or 'as' ('quiet as a mouse').

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create a picture or feeling.

The central message or insight a literary work conveys about life or human nature.

How a passage is organized — sequence, cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution.

First, then, next, finally, after, before.

Because, therefore, as a result, so, leads to.

Similarly, in contrast, however, on the other hand, both.

They create an alarmed or critical tone and shape how the reader feels before facts arrive.

Locate the single sentence in the passage that most directly supports the stated claim.

It's too narrow (just a detail) or too broad (beyond what the passage says).

The passage itself — never outside knowledge.

The feelings or associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning (denotation).

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.

Deliberate exaggeration for effect ('I've told you a million times').

Saying the opposite of what is meant, often to mock ('How kind of you' after harm).

A point that opposes the author's claim, often raised so it can be answered.

A statement the author argues is true and supports with evidence.

State the main idea plus the key supporting points in your own words, leaving out minor details.

The sentence (often first) that states the paragraph's main point.

A brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work.

Repetition of the same beginning consonant sound ('wild and windy').

A grouped set of lines in a poem, like a paragraph.

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem, labeled with letters (ABAB, AABB).

Using an object or image to represent a larger idea (a dove for peace).

Look at its images, tone, and what the speaker realizes or feels, then state the central message.

The perspective the text is told from: first person (I), second (you), or third person.

Explicit = stated directly; implicit = implied, requiring an inference.

A question asked for effect, not to be answered.

Pin down each author's viewpoint separately, then describe how the second relates to the first.

Its role — to introduce, give an example, contrast, qualify, or restate — not just what it says.

A comparison of two quantities, such as 3 to 4 (written 3:4 or 3/4).

An equation setting two ratios equal; solve by cross-multiplying.

7 parts total; 28 ÷ 7 = 4 per part; girls = 3 × 4 = 12.

Convert the percent to a decimal and multiply: 8% of 350 = 0.08 × 350 = 28.

Change ÷ original × 100. Always divide by the starting value.

0.15 × 8,000 = 1,200; 8,000 + 1,200 = 9,200 (or ×1.15).

Up 15% = ×1.15; down 15% = ×0.85.

A rate per one unit; divide to get it (miles per hour, cost per item).

Subtract 11: 6x = 36; divide by 6: x = 6.

Subtract 2x: 3x − 3 = 12; add 3: 3x = 15; x = 5.

Isolate the variable: undo addition/subtraction first, then multiplication/division, doing the same to both sides.

Collect all variable terms on one side and constants on the other.

x⁸ — multiplying powers of the same base adds the exponents.

x³ — dividing powers of the same base subtracts the exponents.

x⁶ — a power of a power multiplies the exponents.

1.

A number written as a value between 1 and 10 times a power of 10 (6,400,000 = 6.4 × 10⁶).

Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division (left to right), Addition/Subtraction (left to right).

5² = 25; 4 × 25 = 100; 100 − 100 = 0.

32 (2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2).

The largest factor shared by two numbers (GCF of 24 and 36 is 12).

The smallest number both values divide into (LCM of 4 and 6 is 12).

A whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself (2, 3, 5, 7, 11).

The average — sum of the values divided by how many there are.

The middle value of an ordered data set (average the two middle values if the count is even).

The value that appears most often in a data set.

The largest value minus the smallest value.

The median resists outliers; the mean is pulled toward extreme values.

Favorable outcomes ÷ total outcomes — a number from 0 to 1.

3 ÷ 8 = 3/8.

Divide to a decimal, then multiply by 100: 3/5 = 0.6 = 60%.

Put it over 100 and simplify: 60% = 60/100 = 3/5.

Find a common denominator, rewrite each fraction, then add the numerators.

Multiply numerators and multiply denominators, then simplify.

Multiply by the reciprocal of the second fraction (flip and multiply).

A whole number and its negatives: ..., −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, ...

Its distance from zero, always nonnegative (|−7| = 7).

2y − 8.

Rise over run — the change in y divided by the change in x.

y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

Distance = rate × time (d = rt).

Total work 4 × 18 = 72 worker-days; 72 ÷ 6 = 12 days.

The number multiplying a variable (in 3x, the coefficient is 3).

Terms with the same variable and exponent that can be combined (4x and 7x).

6.4 × 10⁶.

Reverse PEMDAS: undo addition/subtraction first, then multiplication/division.

A reciprocal: x⁻² = 1/x².

A value more than the whole; 150% of a number is 1.5 times it.

Add the parts, divide the total by the sum, then multiply by the part you want.

A rule pairing each input with exactly one output, often written f(x).

A student-produced-response Math question with no answer choices; you enter an exact numeric answer.

5 of the 57 Math questions are grid-ins.

There's no penalty, so never leave it blank — but there are no choices to work backward from, so accuracy matters.

No — enter the exact value (whole number, fraction, or decimal) unless the question says to round.

No — each scored question is worth the same.

For a right triangle with legs a and b and hypotenuse c: a² + b² = c².

10 — since 6² + 8² = 36 + 64 = 100, and √100 = 10.

3-4-5, 5-12-13, and 6-8-10 (a scaled 3-4-5).

Length × width.

½ × base × height.

πr² (pi times the radius squared).

2πr (or πd, pi times the diameter).

Length × width × height.

The sum of the lengths of all its sides.

180°.

180°.

360°.

12 — the side equals √(area), and √144 = 12.

An angle of exactly 90°.

Two angles that add to 90°.

Two angles that add to 180°.

A triangle with two equal sides and two equal base angles.

A triangle with three equal sides and three 60° angles.

60%.

81.

12.

7 — ordered: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11; the middle is 7.

A straight line through the center, equal to twice the radius.

The distance from the center to the edge, half the diameter.

About 3.14 (or 22/7).

Yes — angles opposite each other where two lines cross are equal.

360°.

Base × height.

Enter it as the fraction 3/8 or its exact decimal 0.375 — both are acceptable.

6s² — six equal square faces.

Equal in size and shape.

Same shape, proportional sizes (equal angles, sides in the same ratio).

Total distance ÷ total time.

(0, 0).

x is the horizontal position (first), y is the vertical position (second).

Specialized High Schools Admissions Test.

The NYC Department of Education (developed under contract by Pearson).

114 total — 57 ELA + 57 Math.

47 scored + 10 unscored field-test questions per section.

180 minutes (3 hours), self-paced across both sections.

English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.

An unscored question used to try out new items; you can't tell which, so answer all.

No — admission is by competitive rank order of your composite score.

Your ELA and Math scaled scores added into one number (max about 800).

A converted score that adjusts for slight differences between test forms so versions are comparable.

Seats fill from the highest composite down; you're placed in the highest-ranked school whose cutoff you meet.

Eight.

Stuyvesant High School.

No — answer every question, including grid-ins.

No — no calculator is permitted.

Up to all eight specialized high schools, in order of preference.

No — LaGuardia admits by audition or portfolio, not the SHSAT.

Revising/Editing and Reading Comprehension.

52 multiple-choice questions and 5 grid-in questions.

Yes — fully digital since fall 2025 for most students (paper for certain accommodations).

The SHSAT becomes computer-adaptive, adjusting difficulty based on responses.

The match places you in your highest-ranked school whose cutoff you meet — ranking has no downside.

Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech (also Brooklyn Latin, HSMSE, HSAS-Lehman, Queens Science, Staten Island Tech).

There's no guessing penalty, and you can't tell the scored questions from the field-test ones.

Your composite scaled score (ELA + Math).

Eighth grade (current 8th graders for 9th-grade admission); some 9th graders also test for 10th-grade seats.

NYC residents in the appropriate grade applying for admission to a specialized high school.

Yes — there is no fee for NYC students to take the SHSAT.

It improves your rank, giving access to more (and more competitive) schools.

Each section has 57 questions; their scaled scores combine into the composite.