Some math skills show up far more often than others. Knowing which ones can help families decide where to spend their study time.
If your child is preparing for the SHSAT, their math study plan probably includes fractions, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics. All of those subjects matter, but they don't appear equally often on the practice tests. Spending the same amount of time on each may mean missing opportunities to improve.
At Bell Curves, we classified 308 math questions across six official SHSAT practice tests from 2025 and 2026. Roughly half involved algebra or proportional reasoning. That finding gives families a useful starting point, especially when a student has more than one area that needs work.
Where are the math points?
Math skill | 2025 practice tests | 2026 practice tests |
|---|---|---|
Ratios, rates, proportions, and percentages | 23.7% | 29.4% |
Algebra, expressions, and equations | 25.4% | 21.6% |
Number operations | 19.3% | 18.0% |
Probability and counting | 14.9% | 14.4% |
Geometry and measurement | 10.5% | 10.8% |
Statistics and data analysis | 6.1% | 5.7% |
Algebra and proportional reasoning combined | 49.1% | 51.0% |
2025: 114 questions from two tests. 2026: 194 classifiable questions from four tests. Each question was assigned one primary math category, even when it used several skills. The combined row summarizes the two categories above; it is not an additional category.
The balance shifts a little from one year to the next, but algebra and proportional reasoning consistently account for about half the questions. Number operations add another 18–19%. Geometry, probability, and statistics still offer plenty of points, so the lesson isn't to skip them. It's to use the distribution when deciding what deserves the most attention.
The concentration is striking when compared with New York State's broader sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade math standards. Those standards also include topics such as transformations and congruence, irrational numbers, scientific notation, the Pythagorean theorem, and relationships between two variables. These receive little attention in the practice materials compared with the repeated use of algebra and proportional reasoning. Reviewing three years of math as though every topic is equally likely to appear isn't an especially efficient preparation plan.
Start with your child's results
A practice-test score tells you how your child performed overall. The questions they missed tell you what to work on.
Suppose your child struggles with both algebra and statistics. Algebra represents about 22–25% of the questions in our analysis; statistics represents about 6%. If the student has similar room to improve in both, strengthening algebra offers substantially more opportunities to pick up points.
But if your child is already answering most algebra questions correctly and keeps missing geometry questions, geometry is the better place to spend time. More practice in a skill they've mastered may produce little benefit while other points remain within reach.
We look at both sides of that equation: how frequently a skill is tested and how well the student handles it. The best study priorities are often the common skills where the student is still losing points.
Practice the variations
Algebra and proportional reasoning cover a lot of ground in sixth and seventh grade: expressions, equations, variables, unit rates, percentages, proportions, and scale drawings. Students need to recognize those ideas even when a question doesn't announce which one to use.
A student may solve a straightforward proportion correctly but miss the same relationship inside a word problem. A geometry question might require a proportion to establish a relationship and an equation to find a missing measurement. Several familiar skills can appear together in one problem.
That is why repeating one version of a question isn't enough. Students should practice easier and harder variations, including problems that combine skills, until they can identify an approach without waiting for a familiar-looking prompt.
The digital SHSAT adds another layer. In the four 2026 online math practice tests, 27% of questions used something other than traditional single-choice multiple choice. Students may need to enter an equation, select several answers, move responses into categories, or work with a number line. We explored the time cost of navigating these interactions in The Digital SHSAT's 20-Minute Problem. Familiarity with the interface helps students spend their time solving the math instead of figuring out how to submit an answer.
Put the study time where it can help
Bell Curves teaches through Knowledge–Recognition–Execution (KRE™). Students need to know the mathematics, recognize which ideas a question calls for, and take productive action under time pressure. That last part includes choosing a workable method, avoiding unhelpful calculations, eliminating answers when appropriate, and moving forward rather than freezing when a solution isn't obvious.
The topic distribution helps identify where knowledge gaps may cost the most points. A student's diagnostic results show which of those gaps actually need attention. Practice then builds the recognition and execution habits that let students use what they've learned, including on unfamiliar or multiskill questions.
For one student, the next few weeks should be devoted to algebra and proportions. Another may need geometry or probability while keeping already-strong skills sharp. Both students should continue practicing across the full range of math content; they simply shouldn't spend equal time on every topic by default.
Start with the questions your child misses, weigh those weaknesses against how often the skills appear, and put the most effort where improvement can earn the most points.
This analysis concerns the Grade 8 SHSAT practice materials. The Grade 9 exam has different content requirements.