SSAT Parent FAQ: 10 Questions Answered

The SSAT (Secondary School Admissions Test) is a standardized admissions test used by private and independent schools in the United States and internationally. It is developed and administered by the Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB), a nonprofit organization.

The vast majority of private boarding schools and a large number of competitive independent day schools require applicants to submit SSAT scores as part of their application. Many schools also accept the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) as an alternative, but the SSAT has historically been more common among students applying to Northeast boarding schools.

Schools use SSAT scores alongside grades, teacher recommendations, essays, and interviews to evaluate academic readiness and potential. The test is designed to provide a common academic yardstick across students from very different school backgrounds.

The SSAT deducts ¼ of a point for each wrong answer. Unanswered questions score zero. This is called a "correction for guessing" and it means that random guessing — on average — leaves your score exactly where it would be if you'd left the question blank.

The practical decision rule for students:

• Answer if you can eliminate 2 or more answer choices — the math favors guessing among the remaining options
• Answer with caution if you can eliminate 1 choice — the expected value is roughly break-even, so individual confidence level matters
• Skip if you have no idea and cannot eliminate any choices — guessing randomly is more likely to hurt your score than help it

Many students hurt their SSAT scores by over-guessing on hard questions they have no reasonable basis to answer. Building disciplined skipping habits — through timed practice sessions where you consciously practice leaving questions blank — is an important part of SSAT preparation.

The level is determined by your child's current grade at the time of testing, not the grade they're applying to enter:

• Lower Level: Students currently in grades 3–4; applying to grades 4–5
• Middle Level: Students currently in grades 5–6; applying to grades 6–7
• Upper Level: Students currently in grades 7–11; applying to grades 8–12

For the most common boarding school application (8th grade students applying to 9th grade entry), the relevant level is Upper Level. There is no choice involved — if your child is in 8th grade, they take the Upper Level regardless of which grades they're applying to.

If you are unsure which level applies based on an unusual grade placement or accelerated schooling situation, the SSATB's website provides current guidance on level assignment.

This is the question families ask most — and the answer is more nuanced than a single number.

SSAT percentile ranks compare your child to all students in the same grade and gender who took the SSAT in the past three years. That is an entirely self-selected, highly motivated group of private school applicants — not a general population sample. As a result, SSAT percentiles are significantly harder to achieve than percentiles on grade-level assessments your child may have taken at school.

Rough benchmarks from publicly available data and school counselor guidance:

• Above 60th percentile: Competitive for moderately selective independent schools
• Above 75th percentile: Competitive for most selective independent and boarding schools
• Above 85th percentile: Competitive for highly selective boarding schools (Hotchkiss, Choate, Loomis)
• Above 90th percentile: Range of typical admitted applicants at most selective schools (Andover, Exeter)

These are reference points, not cutoffs. Every school evaluates applications holistically, and test scores are one factor among many.

The SSAT allows students to test up to 8 times per academic year (August through July). This is considerably more flexibility than the ISEE, which allows only 3 sittings per level per year.

In practice, most families find that 2–3 sittings are optimal. The first sitting establishes a baseline; the second or third (after structured preparation) typically shows the most meaningful improvement. Beyond 3 sittings, gains tend to plateau, and score reports showing many test attempts can occasionally raise questions in admissions offices about whether a student is over-testing.

The typical strategic approach: take one official sitting in September or October of the application year (fall of 8th grade for most boarding school applicants), then take a second sitting in November if there's room for improvement. A January sitting is a last resort for students with January 15 deadlines.

Yes. The SSAT does not offer a Score Choice policy like the SAT. All scores from all test sittings are reported to every school that receives the student's SSAT record. There is no way to hide an early, lower score.

This has two important strategic implications:

• Do not use official test sittings as "baseline" diagnostics. If you want to assess where your child is starting from, use official practice tests at home rather than a real test registration.
• Score improvement tells a positive story. Schools that see a student improve from the 65th percentile to the 85th percentile across two sittings view that growth positively — it signals work ethic and coachability. The improvement itself becomes part of the application narrative.

Neither test is universally harder. Individual students perform very differently on each, based on their specific strengths and test-taking style.

The structural differences that most affect individual performance:

• Guessing penalty: The SSAT penalizes wrong answers; the ISEE does not. Students who tend to guess aggressively will generally score better on the ISEE relative to their true ability level.
• Verbal question type: The SSAT uses analogies; the ISEE uses sentence completions. Students with strong pattern-relationship reasoning tend to prefer SSAT analogies. Students with strong contextual reading skills may prefer ISEE sentence completions.
• Comparison group: Both tests compare students to a self-selected pool of private school applicants, so percentiles are compressed and hard to achieve on both.

The best way to find out which test suits your child is to take a timed practice test for each and compare the results honestly. Many families do this before committing to either test.

Structured preparation consistently helps. The SSAT is not purely a measure of innate ability — it tests specific content and question types that can be learned and practiced.

Realistic expectations based on available evidence:

• 8–12 weeks of structured prep typically produces 5–15 percentile point improvements
• Larger gains (15+ percentile points) are achievable but require sustained effort and meaningful starting gaps to close
• Vocabulary is the highest-leverage area — students who build vocabulary over 6–12 months consistently outperform those who cram the same number of words in the final weeks
• Analogy reasoning is learnable — the relationship types used on the SSAT are finite and systematic; students who master them systematically improve measurably
• Math gains tend to be more predictable — specific content gaps identified in practice can be directly addressed

What does not help much: "test-taking tricks" without genuine content knowledge; cramming vocabulary lists without building contextual understanding; taking many practice tests without reviewing errors deeply.

The SSAT Writing Sample is administered at the end of the test. Students have 25 minutes and choose between two prompts — typically one creative writing prompt and one essay prompt. The writing sample is not scored by the SSATB. It receives no numerical score and does not affect the student's SSAT scaled score or percentile rank.

However, the original handwritten essay is scanned and sent to every school the student designates. Schools receive it and evaluate it themselves as part of their holistic review. This means it matters more than many families initially assume.

Admissions officers use the writing sample to assess:

• Writing ability and vocabulary (separate from the scored Verbal section)
• Ability to organize thoughts and develop an argument quickly
• Maturity of thinking and voice
• Handwriting legibility (yes — admissions readers notice illegible essays)

Practice timed writing before the test. Practice both prompt types. Practice writing quickly, legibly, and with a clear structure. A weak writing sample does not disqualify a candidate, but a strong one can leave a positive impression.

Yes. The SSATB provides testing accommodations for students with documented disabilities or learning differences. The accommodations process requires advance planning — families should not wait until the month before the test to start this process.

Common accommodations include:

• Extended time: 50% additional time (time-and-a-half) or 100% additional time (double time)
• Separate testing room to reduce distractions
• Reader for students with visual or reading-related disabilities
• Scribe for students with writing-related disabilities
• Large-print test materials
• Computer for the essay for students with documented writing disabilities

To receive accommodations, families must submit documentation from a qualified professional (psychologist, educational specialist, or physician, depending on the nature of the disability) and complete the SSATB's accommodations request form. The documentation must generally be recent (within 3–5 years for learning assessments) and meet the SSATB's specific guidelines.

Timeline: Apply for accommodations at least 6–8 weeks before the desired test date. Earlier is better, especially for families navigating this process for the first time. The SSATB's website provides current documentation requirements and the application process.

If your child already receives accommodations at school (documented in an IEP or 504 plan), that documentation is typically a strong foundation for an SSAT accommodations request — though additional testing-specific documentation may also be required.