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SAT SSAT/ISEE

Test Preparation: SSAT/ISEE

What is the SSAT?
Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is a test used by private high schools and boarding schools, along with academic and extra curricular records to make admissions decisions. The two hour and thirty five minute exam is broken up into five sections: a 25 minute essay, a 40 minute reading comprehension section, a 30 minute mathematics section, a 30 minute verbal section, and a 30 minute experimental section, which is not scored. The test is administered on two levels. The Lower exam is given to students currently in fifth to seventh grade and the upper is given to students in grades eight through eleven.  

What is the ISEE?
The Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) is used by private New York City schools as an admission test for entrance into grades five through twelve. It may be taken in lieu of the SSAT. The test has three levels: a Lower Level for students currently in grades four and five, a Middle Level for students in grades six and seven, and an Upper Level for students in grades eight to eleven. The three hour exam consists of five sections: one quantitative, one mathematic, one reading, one verbal, and one essay. The essay is not scored, but a copy is forwarded to the recipient schools along with the Individual Student Report, which shows scaled scores, percentiles, and stanines.

Prep Program:
Gramercy Prep teaches SSAT and ISEE specific strategies for tackling each of the test’s disciplines. Although students will learn academic skills in the preparation process, the Prep Curriculum will primarily focus on creating the greatest possible raise in score.

When should your child begin preparing for the exam and how many hours should be spent tutoring? Though game plans vary, a smart rule is to consider working about eight months before an expected test date, because techniques take time to master and standardized tests do not lend themselves to “cramming”. Most students work with a tutor every week. Plan to dedicate at least six hours to each subject area.

How is the SSAT scored?
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The scaled scores on the test are sometimes confusing. For the lower test given to 5-7 graders, the verbal, quantitative and verbal sections each receive a score between 410-710 and are added together for a composite between 1320-2130. On the upper level test given to 8-11 graders each section receives a score between 500-800, for an overall composite between 1500-2400.

The more important evaluator used by admissions offices seems to be the percentile ranks which compare your son or daughter to students who have taken the test in the last three years. The SSAT ranks each section and the overall performance with a percentile between 1-99%. For example, if your child’s Reading Comprehension SSAT Percentile is 75%, she scored equal or better in the Reading Comprehension section than 75% of students (of her gender and grade) who took the SSAT in the past three years. An estimated national percentile is also calculated for students grades 5-9.

How can I find out more about the tests?
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