<p>Hey! I'm applying to Exeter, Andover, Cranbrook and two other mid-level schools. Any suggestions for the other two schools I may or should want to apply to? Please comment down the names. Since I'm applying to these 3 schools I want to know my chances. I am currently an 8th grader and I've had all 4.0s in middle school. I play basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer, chess. I am in the National Junior Honor Society, Student Government, Chess Club, and COOL2BEKIND club. I also do community service and was previously in an orchestra. My class rank is 1 of 212. I have stellar recommendations and essays. I am also a minority. BUT there is one BIG problem. My SSAT score is a disaster and below average. I think this test isn't showing my actual abilities and strengths. How big of an impact can it have on my admission? PLEASE HELP. I've got nearly everything it takes to get accepted in these particular schools.</p>
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Does “below average” literally mean below 50th percentile? If so, the most academically selective schools will be concerned about your ability to keep pace in the classroom. </p>
<p>The higher the school’s avg SSAT score, the more it matters to the school. And A & E have the very highest avg of all the boarding schools.</p>
<p>To the OP, schools use the ssat as a back up for your grades. If you have all As in school but a 40% ssat then the school will know your grades don’t mean much and that your school is very easy. For schools like Exeter, you need at least an 80 overall most likely above an 85.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say you “need” a certain score, but anything below an 85 could impact you very negatively.</p>
<p>To be honest, SSAT scores really are not one of the big factors. Your actual grades are much more important and since your grades are so impressive, I don’t think the schools will even really look at your SSATs.
You have an excellent chance of being accepted.</p>
<p>^^^This is absolutely not true. Grading systems vary wildly among schools, so the SSAT scores are helpful to ferret out grade inflation or deflation. A student with a transcript full of A’s, but low SSAT scores indicates to a BS either that there is grade inflation at the student’s middle school or, possibly, that the student has difficulty with standardized tests. A student with lower grades and higher test scores could possibly indicate a lazy or bored student or a rigorous middle school. Each of these situations is of interest to the BS but, both pieces of information–scores and grades, tell a better story than either piece alone, so each is useful.</p>
<p>No one but the school evaluating the applicant is able to “chance” them.</p>
<p>^ Sorry, you’re right! My initial statement really wasn’t what I meant. Instead of saying grades, I should have said academics. Strong academics (most rigorous classes, awards, ECs, etc) will overshadow not-so-great SSAT scores. Which fortunately, the OP seems to have.</p>
<p>Unless u are socio-economically disadvantaged or are an elite athlete, I believe your chances of getting admitted into A or E w below avg SSAT are nil.</p>
<p>You would have to be an extraordinary applicant in every other way. There are people who have gotten into Exeter and thrived with a 70th percentile. However, if your score is much below that, you should apply to a few safeties. Are you taking the test again?</p>
<p>I retook the test on December 7 and got a overall percentage that is a little above average. Not sure if that would help my chances get better.</p>
<p>I recall an older thread about low SSATs in which I think newyorker (an educational consultant?) noted that scores well below the 50th percentile can often indicate a learning disability to the adcoms. But that doesn’t automatically rule the candidate out OR necessarily indicate grade inflation. I do believe Exeter is on record as feeling test scores are often indicative of ability to succeed but there are some lower-scoring kids there. Meanwhile, both Andover and Choate hold themselves out as offering support programs for students with ADHD/ADD, e.g., and I know there are low-scoring kids with those disabilities (and dyslexia) who have thrived at those schools. It might be the rare candidate with super-low scores who gains admission to the superselects, sure, but I don’t think we can say definitively here that the applications of low-scoring kids are deemed academically non-viable (or dead) on arrival at any of these schools. The overall package matters, as GMT notes re elite athletes, disadvantaged kids, etc. If the low-SSAT student is otherwise strong with an attractive/unique application, I say go for it. Can’t win if you don’t play…</p>
<p>Mindwizz, this is not to suggest you have a learning disability, BTW!! 
Some perfectly amazing students simply don’t nail standardized tests. If you are a good fit, the school will recognize that, not hold this one component of your application against you.</p>
<p>@MindWizz,
In post #1, u mention u are a minority.</p>
<p>If you are a under-represented minority from a socioeconomically disadvantaged school, Andover & Exeter may still admit u w very low SSAT scores. </p>
<p>If u are an over-represented minority (i.e. asian-american), u probably don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell getting admitted into A or E w substandard SSAT scores unless u are a recruited athlete (i.e. Olympics-qualifying swim times).</p>
<p>Just try to.make yourself look different and unique</p>
<p>IMHO, I must disagree with the post stating that good grades override SSAT scores. Grades often times suffer from inflation, but SSAT scores are constant. If you had bombed the SSAT essay, I would say don’t worry about it, but the actual scores do have weight. Doing poorly does not necessarily mean that you will not be admitted, but it will be difficult for you to compete with someone who got perfect scores across the board. BUT, if you have something particularly interesting or fantastic to contribute, the school will probably still want you. If not, consider retaking the test. Best of luck!</p>