SHSAT, Hunter, SAT & ACT Prep: Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about how preparation works on SHSATprep.com, where our practice questions come from, and how the 3-day free trial, billing and cancellation are handled.
Preparation process
How a student moves from a first diagnostic to exam-ready practice for the SHSAT, Hunter College High School entrance exam, SAT and ACT.
How do I start preparing for the SHSAT, Hunter, SAT or ACT here?
- Every student starts with the free AI diagnostic. You choose your exam, answer a short adaptive set of questions, and get a score estimate plus a list of weak topics. From that result you can generate an AI study plan with weekly targets, then move into daily practice and full-length mock exams.
What does the study workflow look like week to week?
- The recommended loop is: practice a level, review the end-of-level mistake summary, ask the subject AI tutor about anything unclear, then retry that level until the topic is solid before moving up. Missed questions come back automatically through spaced repetition, and mock exams are used to check timing and pacing.
Can I practice by year and question type instead of random questions?
- Yes. The practice page lets you filter by subject, difficulty, exam year and question type. There is also a policy-match mode that recommends the questions closest to the current year's official exam format, and a year-rotation mode that draws from several years at random.
Do you cover all four exams separately?
- Yes. SHSAT (NYC Specialized High Schools), Hunter College High School, SAT and ACT each have their own question bank, tutor and mock exams. A subscription unlocks the exam you chose; you can switch plans at any time.
Where the practice questions come from
How our SHSAT, Hunter, SAT and ACT question bank is written, reviewed and kept current.
Are these real past SHSAT or SAT exam questions?
- No. Real past exam items are copyrighted by the NYC Department of Education, Hunter College, College Board and ACT, so we do not copy them. Every question in our bank is an original, official-style item written to match the format, wording conventions, topic mix and difficulty of the real exam.
How are the questions written and checked?
- Questions are generated against a blueprint that describes the current exam's question types and difficulty distribution, then passed through a second automated review step that checks the answer key, distractors, wording and formatting. Only reviewed items are added to the bank, and each review decision is logged for audit.
How do you keep up with exam policy changes?
- A scheduled sync reads the official SHSAT, Discovery, Hunter admissions, SAT and ACT pages every week and publishes a summary. When the format changes, the question blueprint for that exam year is replaced, new questions are generated to match, and older questions that no longer fit the format are retired. Earlier exam years stay available for reference.
Will I run out of questions during a year-long subscription?
- No. The bank is topped up automatically several times a day toward a target of several thousand active questions per exam, and missed questions are re-served through spaced repetition, so a student practicing 50 questions a day will not exhaust it.
Free trial, pricing and cancellation
What is free, what the trial covers, and how billing and cancellation work.
What can I use for free?
- The AI diagnostic is free, the study plan generated from your diagnostic result is free, and every signed-in account gets 5 free AI tutor messages. Full practice and mock exams require a plan.
How does the 3-day free trial work?
- New subscribers get a 3-day free trial with full access to the plan they picked. You are not charged during the trial, and you can cancel any time before it ends at no cost. The trial applies to your first subscription only.
How much does it cost?
- Monthly memberships are $59 for SHSAT, $79 for Hunter, $59 for SAT and $69 for ACT. Prepaid packages cost less per month: SHSAT $199 for 4 months, Hunter $299 for 4 months, SAT $249 for 6 months and ACT $279 for 6 months. Packages are a one-time payment with no auto-renewal; monthly memberships renew automatically until you cancel.
What is your refund policy?
- If you cancel during the 3-day trial you are never charged. After the first charge you have 24 hours to request a full refund. After that window the current month or prepaid package is non-refundable, but you can turn off auto-renewal at any time and keep access until the period you paid for ends.
How do I cancel or switch plans?
- You can cancel from the billing portal on the pricing page. Cancelling stops future charges; access continues until the end of the period you already paid for. Switching between exams replaces your current monthly plan and is prorated automatically.
How does the $50 referral reward work?
- Share your 4-digit code. When a friend subscribes with it, your $50 reward is recorded right away and held for 7 days while their payment settles. After that it becomes available and is applied automatically to your next invoice. If your friend refunds or disputes that first payment, the reward is cancelled.
Where can I see my invoices?
- The subscription status card on the pricing page links to the billing portal, where you can view past charges, download invoices and update your payment method.