The SHSAT is in a few weeks—maybe a month if you're lucky.

Your child just took another practice test. The score? Still in the 300s.

Maybe they cried. Maybe they shut down. Maybe they said "I'm just not smart enough."

As a parent: Should we keep pushing? Is it too late?

Here's what I've seen working with families in this situation:

It's not too late. But you can't keep doing what you've been doing.

Why Practice Tests Keep Coming Back Low

They're Taking Full Tests Too Early

Biggest mistake: Parents give their child a full SHSAT practice test week one, see low scores, panic, then give another test next week.

The child scores low again. Because nothing changed.

Here's the thing about the SHSAT: It's not testing what your child learned in class. It's testing how fast they solve unfamiliar problems under time pressure.

A straight-A student can bomb the SHSAT because:

They've never solved 57 questions in 90 minutes
They don't recognize SHSAT patterns (very specific)
They haven't built stamina for 180 minutes focused
They panic on unfamiliar problems and waste 5 minutes

More practice tests don't teach these skills. They just confirm your child doesn't have them yet.

What Works When Time is Running Out

Step 1: Stop Full Practice Tests (For Now)

If your child has taken 3+ tests and scores aren't moving, another test won't help.

For the next 2 weeks, no full tests. Instead:

Take HALF a section (ELA or Math)
Untimed—just focus on getting answers RIGHT
Review every question
Ask: "What pattern was this testing?"

Once they can solve 80% of a half-section correctly (even if it takes double the time), THEN work on speed.

Step 2: Teach Pattern Recognition

The SHSAT reuses question structures constantly.

In Math:

"If 3x + 7 = 22, what is 6x + 14?" (Don't solve for x—double everything)
"Average of 5 numbers is 40. Remove one, average is 38. What was removed?" (Same pattern every time)

Once students recognize these, they solve in 30 seconds instead of 3 minutes.

Your child doesn't need more content. They need to see the same 15-20 SHSAT patterns until automatic.

Step 3: Focus on Low-Hanging Fruit

You don't need every question right to qualify for specialized high schools.

For most schools, students can get 40-50% wrong and still make it.

That means: Never miss easy and medium questions.

We mark every question as:

Easy — "Should get right every time"
Medium — "Can figure out with time"
Hard — "No idea"

Focus 100% on never missing Easy, get 70-80% of Medium right. Ignore Hard—guess and move on.

This strategy alone can boost from 300s to 400s in 2-3 weeks.

Week-by-Week Plan

Weeks 1-2: Rebuild Confidence

No full tests
One half-section daily, untimed
Review EVERY question for patterns
Goal: 80% right, even if slow

Weeks 3-4: Build Speed

Same half-sections, now timed
Focus on easy/medium—skip anything >60 seconds
Goal: Finish in time, 75% accuracy

Weeks 5-6: Full Tests

2-3 full practice tests, real conditions
Review patterns you're still missing
Goal: See score jump from targeted practice

Week Before: Light Review

NO new tests
Review pattern list
15-20 questions daily to stay sharp
Rest, sleep, confidence

When You Need Outside Help

If you've been prepping 4+ weeks and scores are stuck in the 300s, your child has blind spots you can't see.

As a parent, you can help with motivation. But you probably can't diagnose:

Which specific SHSAT patterns they're missing
Whether they're misreading vs. not knowing content
Optimal pacing strategy
How to break through test anxiety

An experienced SHSAT tutor spots patterns in 20 minutes that would take weeks to figure out.

More importantly: Sometimes kids need to hear advice from someone other than parents.

I've worked with students scoring 300s with 6 weeks left who ended up qualifying for Brooklyn Tech or Stuyvesant.

The difference? They stopped doing what wasn't working, focused on patterns, built confidence before speed, and got help early enough.

My Child is Failing the SHSAT Practice Tests — What Now?