Paper vs. Digital SHSAT: 7 Things to Practice Differently
Now that the SHSAT is digital, some test-day habits help and others hold your child back. Here are seven concrete things to practice differently for the on-screen exam.
1. Annotate on screen, not in the margins
On paper, strong readers underline and jot notes. On the digital test there's a highlighter but no pencil in the margin. Practice tracking a passage's structure using the on-screen highlighter so you're not lost without your usual markup.
2. Think on paper, answer on screen
Scratch paper is provided for math — use it. The habit to build is the hand-off: work the problem out by hand, then enter the answer on screen cleanly. Mixing the two (trying to do everything on screen) slows multi-step problems down.
3. Master the technology-enhanced items
Select-all-that-apply, drag-to-reorder, choose-from-a-dropdown, plot-a-point, type-an-expression. None of these are hard once you've done them, but fumbling the mechanics on test day wastes time. Rehearse each type until it's automatic.
4. Get quick at entering math answers
Typing a fraction or expression, or plotting a point, simply takes longer than filling a bubble. Build that muscle so answer entry isn't a tax on every question.
5. Use flag-and-review deliberately — but learn to commit
On the fall 2025 digital test you can flag a question and come back. Practice using it with intent rather than flagging everything. Keep in mind that the computer-adaptive format coming in 2026 removes backtracking on Math and standalone questions — so it's worth practicing answering and moving on, too.
6. Build screen stamina
Three hours of reading and problem-solving on a screen is different from paper — it's easy to lose focus or strain your eyes. Do full-length practice on a screen, and learn the zoom control so small figures and dense passages stay comfortable.
7. Practice on the right kind of device
The exam is taken on a DOE-provided computer — a real keyboard and mouse or trackpad at a desk, not a phone. Practice that way, so the input feels familiar and your child isn't adjusting to a desktop for the first time on test day.
The common thread: practice in the same medium as the real test. Because claura runs in the browser, your child rehearses on screen by default — reading, annotating, and entering answers digitally.
Aiming for one of these scores? claura is adaptive SHSAT prep built for NYC families — full-length practice exams, the Ask claura AI tutor, and a parent dashboard that shows exactly where your child stands.
Frequently asked questions
Is the digital SHSAT the same test as the paper one?
Same skills and same score scale — the differences are the on-screen interface and some technology-enhanced question types (drag, multi-select, plot a point, type a response).
What's the single biggest adjustment from paper?
Working on screen: reading and annotating passages digitally and entering math answers by typing or plotting instead of bubbling. Practicing in the same medium is the fastest way to close the gap.
Should we still use paper to practice at all?
Yes — for scratch math work, which is provided on test day. But do the reading and the answering on a screen so that part feels routine.