Hi all,
I know that there’s no golden score for private schools. What I’m asking is should I retake the test since I got an 89% on it. I have straight A’s in school, and my teachers all really like me. Any advice?
You will have to decide for yourself if you want to retake however 89% is fine provided other aspects of your application are strong. I have two kids there both of whom scored lower than 89%. They had good grades and recs and both were/are exceptional musicians and one was a potential impact athlete in two sports. After you have the scores and grades and recs, a bit of pointiness can help you stand out.
I’d retake since that’s a good score but you might do better with a little focus. Look at the score carefully and see what you should focus on before retaking. It’s not a bad score at all, it’s just not an outstanding score.
89th percentile is fine. Now focus on making the rest of the application shine and on choosing the schools that are the very best fit! Every year, there are dozens of kids with scores in the 95th percentile and above who are REJECTED from each school. Your current score tells them you are capable of handling the academics. That’s all they want to know from your score. Now you need to convince them that you would greatly contribute to campus life through the arts, sports, and any other passions you might have already started pursuing.
I’d suggest retaking it, especially if you have room to improve in verbal. One month of Quizlet SSAT word lists alone could easily put you in the low to mid 90s, making it not even a lingering question in your mind.
Your score is probably fine but you have time to retake it if you think you can do better.
My sense, based on the kids I know who go to Hotchkiss, is that they know what kind of kid will thrive there and that’s who they admit. In other words, if your SSAT score clears the bar, that’s all you need.
89% is absolutely fine. I guess what I would ask is what do you offer besides As. Straight As and an 89 is excellent but there are likely to be straight As with 95%. If you dont do anything else compelling then yes you may want to try to improve it. However As with a 95% is no guarantee either.
Alright, thanks to everyone who’s responded. I’m probably going to try applying with an 89th percentile.
Shoot your shot! If you want to, retake it, but an 89% is a fantastic score and you should be very proud. 
Thank you