TACHS and SHSAT compared, for families considering both

A family considering Catholic high schools and New York City’s specialized public high schools may encounter both TACHS and SHSAT. The names look similar, and both involve reading and mathematics, but they serve different admissions processes. Begin with the schools the student wants to consider, then work backward to the tests and applications those schools require.

For dates and rules, use the current official TACHS and NYC Public Schools pages linked below. Do not use an old calendar for either exam.

The exams serve different school systems

TACHS means Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools. The official handbook describes it for eighth graders applying to participating Catholic high schools in the New York area. Individual schools have their own admissions requirements alongside testing.

SHSAT means Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. NYC Public Schools uses it in the admissions process for the eight testing specialized high schools. LaGuardia High School uses a separate audition process. A school being specialized does not mean the SHSAT is the relevant route.

Make a list of actual school names before selecting a preparation schedule. If the student’s list includes both systems, keep separate records for their applications. Exam registration in one system does not register the student in the other, and a preparation-product account does not register the student for either official exam.

The subjects overlap only partly

Both tests require reading comprehension, attention to language, and mathematics. Practice explaining a passage answer with evidence or setting up a mathematics problem can support work on both. Those underlying habits are worth building before spending every session on timed tests.

TACHS also includes three picture-question families: Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Figure Classification. These appear in the handbook’s Ability samples and need their own introduction. A student who has prepared only for SHSAT should not assume those tasks will be familiar.

The official SHSAT preparation materials describe English Language Arts and Mathematics. Use those materials to learn its specific question formats and directions. Familiar content can still be presented differently, and practicing one interface does not teach every interaction in another.

Learn each testing arrangement separately

The TACHS Parent Guide describes online testing from home with a supported computer, required browser and proctoring setup, and an official pre-check. A family should prepare the actual device and space it plans to use, following the program’s current requirements.

For the SHSAT, use the NYCPS test ticket and current instructions to confirm the assigned location and session. Do not transfer a home-testing assumption from TACHS. Keep the student’s registration details and the official instructions for each exam in clearly named records.

Before either exam, have the student practice reading the relevant directions independently. Navigation, permitted tools, and what happens when an answer or part is submitted are rules to learn from the appropriate exam’s materials. A routine learned for one test can be unhelpful if applied automatically to the other.

Timing and pacing need separate practice

The TACHS Parent Guide describes six timed subtests and approximate regular testing time of two hours and ten minutes, plus breaks. TACHS Prep uses per-part estimates based on public information. Those practice counts and clocks are not an official blueprint.

NYCPS publishes the current SHSAT structure and timing on its official pages. Check that information when choosing practice materials. A book or webpage for an earlier administration can teach useful mathematics while describing a different test structure or set of directions.

For students preparing for both, label practice records by exam and timer mode. A student who can sustain a long reading session may still need to improve transitions between TACHS parts. Another may work well in short sections but struggle to manage the SHSAT’s overall work. Look at the particular session rather than treating stamina as one universal score.

Results do not use a shared scale

The official TACHS Home Report shows national and local percentile ranks for its reporting areas. These are comparisons with reference groups, not percentages correct. The report is not a conversion table for a preparation product’s raw answers.

The SHSAT has its own scoring and offer process described by NYCPS. A number from that process cannot be used as a TACHS admissions prediction. Do not compare a TACHS percentile, a school percentage, and an SHSAT score as though they measured the same quantity.

During preparation, examine concrete work across both exams. Which reading claims lack evidence? Which mathematics errors recur? Can the student explain the relevant visual rule? These questions can guide study without inventing a score conversion between systems.

Build a combined schedule around distinct needs

Begin with a short review of the official samples for each exam. Note which skills overlap and which formats are unfamiliar. Then assign study sessions to actual needs instead of dividing time equally simply because there are two tests.

A shared content session might focus on fractions or finding evidence in a passage. A TACHS-specific session might teach reflection in Paper Folding. An SHSAT-specific session should use current official directions and question formats. Keep review time in the schedule so that completed work changes the next session.

As a test approaches, include practice under its own conditions. Avoid switching rules halfway through a session. Afterward, record whether an error came from content, directions, tools, or pacing. That distinction tells you whether the next step is instruction or more practice using the particular format.

Keep accommodations and costs separate

Each program has its own accommodation process. A school plan or approval in one system is not proof of approval in the other. Start the requests using each program’s current form and instructions, and confirm the outcome through that program.

The same separation applies to preparation products. TACHS Prep and SHSAT Prep have separate accounts and subscriptions. Consider the student’s school list and study needs before selecting either product. The official exam registration process and any school application costs are also separate from purchasing practice.

Use our TACHS overview to organize that side of the process. The study plan helps turn observed mistakes into weekly work, and the score-report guide explains why practice results should guide review rather than predict an offer.