SHSAT Sunset

How Often the SHSAT Sample Questions Are Reused

Analysis

The DOE’s sample tests on this site, from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, print 2,225 questions. 1,002 of them are different questions: 1,223 printings (55.0%) repeat a question printed before, and 74 of the different questions are earlier questions with their wording changed.

New and reprinted questions, year by year

Questions printed each year, new and reprintedOne stacked bar per year: new questions, rewordings of earlier questions, and reprints by how many times they had been printed before. The table below has the same numbers.0100200300400500New questions: 2282282282018New questions: 226226Earlier questions reworded: 22282019New questions: 160160Earlier questions reworded: 23Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 45452282020New questions: 18Earlier questions reworded: 29Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 177177Reprinted, printed 2 times before: 42282021New questions: 184184Earlier questions reworded: 1Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 3030Reprinted, printed 2 times before: 132282022New questions: 3939Earlier questions reworded: 4Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 157157Reprinted, printed 2 times before: 282282023New questions: 12Earlier questions reworded: 10Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 169169Reprinted, printed 2 times before: 3636Reprinted, printed 3 or more times before: 12282024New questions: 22Earlier questions reworded: 5Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 3131Reprinted, printed 2 times before: 151151Reprinted, printed 3 or more times before: 192282025New questions: 3939Reprinted, printed 1 time before: 121121Reprinted, printed 2 times before: 7676Reprinted, printed 3 or more times before: 1651654012026
  • New questions
  • Earlier questions reworded
  • Reprinted, printed 1 time before
  • Reprinted, printed 2 times before
  • Reprinted, printed 3 or more times before
Questions printed each year
YearPrintedNew questionsEarlier questions rewordedReprinted, printed 1 time beforeReprinted, printed 2 times beforeReprinted, printed 3 or more times before
20182282280000
20192282262000
2020228160234500
2021228182917740
2022228184130130
2023228394157280
20242281210169361
20252282253115119
202640139012176165

Different questions over the years

Questions printed and different questions, added up over the yearsTwo lines, one point per year: every question printed so far, and how many of them are different questions. The gap between them is the reprints. The table below has the same numbers.05001,0001,5002,0002,5002284566849121,1401,3681,5961,8242,2252284566396868719149369631,002201820192020202120222023202420252026
  • Questions printed
  • Different questions
Added up to each year
Up toQuestions printedDifferent questionsReprints
20182282280
20194564560
202068463945
2021912686226
20221,140871269
20231,368914454
20241,596936660
20251,824963861
20262,2251,0021,223

Where each year’s questions were first printed

Where each year’s questions were first printedA grid: each row is a year’s tests, each column the year in which its questions were first printed. Darker cells hold more questions. The table below has the same numbers.201820192020202120222023202420252026201822820192282020396183202111464347202262112418520231111417241943202419114623532220259920162019198272026102593425971562439
Rows: the year printed. Columns: the year first printed.
Printed in201820192020202120222023202420252026
201822800000000
201902280000000
2020396183000000
20211146434700000
20226211241850000
20231111417241943000
202419114623532200
20259920162019198270
2026102593425971562439

How many times each question has been printed

How many times each question has been printedOne bar per number of printings: how many different questions were printed once, twice, and so on. The table below has the same numbers.01002003004005002721 time4222 times1363 times1594 times135 times
Different questions by times printed
PrintedQuestions
1 time272
2 times422
3 times136
4 times159
5 times13

Passages

Reading and revising passages each year
YearPassagesNewPrinted before
201814140
201914140
20201468
202114212
202215105
202314212
202414113
202514014
202628226

How these are counted

  • A question is the same question when its text, choices and answer are identical apart from typography, small words such as “the”, and the order of the parts of its stem. It has one page on this site and is listed in every test that prints it.
  • A question with a changed word or choice is a different question. When it rewords a question from an earlier year it is counted as a rewording.
  • A year is a handbook’s school year. Each handbook holds two sample tests, Form A and Form B, each with an English and a math section.
  • Reprinted passages are counted separately: a passage can return with new questions about it.