The SSAT

Do you think it's crazy that fifth-graders need to take a test to see who gets into middle school? Or even that eighth-graders need to take a test to see who gets into high school? So do I! But if you're shooting for a seat in a top flight private middle or high school, you need to play their game, so SSAT (that's Secondary School Admissions Test) it is!

What is the SSAT?

First, what it's not: the SSAT has nothing to do with the SAT, and it's not even written by the same testing company. The SSAT is offered in three levels, Upper (for students applying for admission to 9th-12th grades), Middle (for students applying for admission to 6th-8th grades), and Elementary (for students applying for admission to 1st-5th grades). All levels have the same three scored sections: Quantitative (Upper and Middle each have two Quantitative sections, Elementary has one), Reading Comprehension, and Verbal. All levels also include an unscored essay, a copy of which is sent to schools to evaluate as they see fit. Want a bit more info about when it's offered, how much it costs, how to register, and all that other good stuff? Check out the About the SSAT page from the folks who make the test.

Okay, so what do we do to help your student get the best score they can?

The good news is that all three scored sections are coachable, especially since most students at this age have never spent any time learning about standardized testing and how it differs from the ways in which they're asked to learn in school. These differences are huge, and the learning curve is steep on some of the most important techniques, strategies, and psychologies, so tutoring can have a big impact on scores. And the added bonus is that most of what we cover during their SSAT prep will carry forward to be applicable on standardized tests they do in the future, like the SAT!

What about the ISEE?

There's a big overlap in how the SSAT and ISEE are structured and almost all of the same test-taking concepts apply. So yes, I do ISEE, too.

Get started

Check out the Work with THAT DUDE page, which lists contact info and explains many of the FAQs.