This past season the SHSAT went digital for the first time.
This coming season, which means the test your kids will take next November will not only be digital, it will utilize computer adaptive testing.
More changes:
after submitting an answer you will no longer be able to go back and change your mind
you cannot skip ahead as as each answer determines what question comes next
From the DOE website:
Beginning with the fall 2026 administration, the SHSAT will transition to a computer-adaptive test (CAT). A CAT is an exam that selects the questions that a student sees based on their ongoing performance. For example, a test-taker who performs well on a moderately challenging prompt will then receive a more difficult item; a student who does not answer such an item correctly will then be asked a less difficult question. Students will all be tested on the same grade-level standards, but the level of complexity of each question will be dependent upon the preceding response. Students will not be tested on standards that are above-grade level. Students will not be able to revisit questions or move around within sections and will need to respond to advance in the exam. All students will answer the same number of questions for each subject.
In addition, for passage-based question sets in the ELA section, students will be able to return to questions within the set and alter their responses; once they complete and submit all questions in the set, they cannot review their responses. In the Math section and for stand-alone items in the ELA section, students must respond to each question before they will be able to move on to the next question. Students will not be able to return to the question after they have advanced in these sections. Once they complete and submit their responses in each subject, they will not be able revisit the questions for that subject.
NOTE: if you are preparing for the SHSAT, think about checking in with programs/tutors you might be working with to find out how they are changing things to reflect these changes.