I’m taking the SSAT (and maybe the ISEE) once in October and in December if I completely fail. I can definitely say that I’m not really confident going into it, I know I have a few months to prepare, but the way I’m studying doesn’t really seem efficient. The part that especially irks me is that some of the material tested on the standardized tests are high school material, as in stuff I haven’t gone quite into depth yet (I’m going into 8th, btw). The verbal and reading sections are ok, but it’s the math that I’m really getting stressed about. I took an advanced math course in 7th grade so I’m ok with most of the material (except it was a 8th-grade math course), but there’s a lot of Algebra and Geometry concepts I hadn’t covered yet. So please, if you did well on the SSAT, comment down EVERYTHING-- like study tips, test “hacks”, what got you stumped, etc. below. Thanks.
One of the things I did was actually do old SAT tests. I ran out of SSAT practice tests to do, and so I started with old SAT booklets since I heard that the two tests were somewhat similar. When I took the test, I found that the types of questions asked in the math section were actually really similar. In terms of reading and vocabulary, my main tip would just be read as many books as you can, and amass as much vocabulary as possible. When you do read books, try to find the author’s meaning as well as you can-this will help you analyze the passages on the test. Make sure that you read different types of literature, since most likely the passages on the SSAT won’t all be in the same style. These are the things that I did, hope these helped!
Thx @fencer557, I’ll be sure to try it out.
My main struggle with the test which I took 3 years ago was the vocab. I don’t know if they still have that, but I just looked at vocab lists and kept a notebook that I looked at for a few minutes everyday. It also helps to read a lot but it is difficult to do that in such a short time. That will obviously help you with the reading section as well. The reading section is a time crunch so you want to stay focused. Reading a passage and then realizing you did not remember any of it is not a good idea. As for the math, I am lucky to be in a good school district with a great math program where most good students get perfect scores on their math standardized tests. Just make sure you know the concepts and practice until you not only know them on their own, but can apply them to other sorts of problems with other concepts.
-I know that basically everyone says this, but it is so true: quizlet is without a doubt what helped me the most in the vocab section
-for the reading section, I underlined anything that seemed important; even though it may seem unnecessary, it definitely helped me remember details
-with math, I would definitely go with the “do what you know first” method. It is the first multiple choice testing section on the SSAT, and messing up on this can no doubt screw you up mindset-wise for the rest of the test (that happened to me the first time I tested). Other than that, I would just go over practice problems as much as possible. If all else fails, just go with your gut (but do use this in times where you can eliminate some answers)
There are also many other threads similar to this one, and I bet you can find a lot of helpful info, good luck!
I ended up taking the SSAT 4 times in the span of 2 years (twice per year).
Here’s some tips that helped me.
Recognize your strength and play to it.
I recall how poems kept messing with me. During the test, I would ask myself “what am I even reading?” However, I knew that I did much better on narratives, so I did that first. There is no use struggling on something that you don’t get. (Applies to math as well)
Verbal section is simply looking up quizlet sets and knocking them out. I used the book Hot words for SAT. I know it sounds weird to be using a SAT book for SSAT, but trust me, the words are exactly the same. As an added bonus, it will prep you for SAT. If you come across a word you don't know, ask yourself if it has a negative/positive connotation, study root words, and go from there.
Analogies were also an obstacle for me to traverse through. Not sure if this is the best method, but it worked for me. Don't look at the question, read the choices first, and ask yourself if this relationship makes sense. If not, immediately cross it out. Usually, you can knock out two answer choices because there is no relationship. Then see what you are left with. I'll make up an example and show you my thought process.
- Read answer choice first and identify potential relationship
A) ephemeral is to sky (???)
B) Dog is to Beagle (General to specific)
C) Panda is to tiger (nothing)
D) Mouse is to computer (part to whole)
E) Mars is to Philips Exeter Academy (nothing)
-
Eliminate answer choices that don’t make sense.
So you would cross out C and D because there is no relationship. Now, most kids do not know what ephemeral means, so A could be a potential answer. Nonetheless, you are down to three answers with clear relationships (A,B,D) -
Read the given question and identify the relationship.
Branches is to tree
You figure to yourself, hmm bark is part of a tree, so this is a PART TO WHOLE question. -
You can cross out B, but you think D works because a mouse is part of a computer, but you aren’t sure what ephemeral means and don’t know if A could be a better answer. What do you do?
-
Ask yourself if the unknown word has a clear relationship with the known word.
In this made-up example, ask yourself “Could ephemeral be part of a sky, like how branches are part of trees?”
At this point, you should conclude that this relationship doesn’t make sense, so you can choose answer D with confidence.
Now, onto math. Honestly, I can’t really give much advice here cause I had more knowledge from school going into the test, so I apologize.
Nonetheless, I hope the analogy tip really helped because for me personally, I struggled immensely with that particular part. Especially since you mentioned that you did not learn some of the concepts for math, I will be blunt and say that there aren’t many one and done students when it comes to SSAT for that particular reason. So, I suggest that you mentally prepare yourself and know that you probably will not pass with one go. But try your best! It really is only a PORTION of your application. Your GPA and character matter MUCH more.
Other miscellaneous tips:
Always talk a brief walk to the bathroom during breaks to mentally rejuvenate.
Always bring water
NEVER bring sugary snacks
I suggest apples, beef jerky, granola bars.
DO NOT touch ANY material the day before the test, trust me, you will stress yourself out.
Hope this helps, and good luck!
some other tips that I though of:
-take many practice tests; not only do these prepare you for the types of questions there will be, but also the time limits. I would definitely practice pacing yourself for all of the sections, as hearing "5 min left’ while still having many answers blank can mentally screw you over a little (this happened to me a lot)
-I know that some people may think that it is overpriced, but the official SSAT practice stuff does help to a certain extent. While doing it online is definitely not optimal, it really lets you know what the questions are going to look like on the real thing (also for vocab, some of those words on the practice tests there will show up on the real thing)
lastly, this is really quite random and probably unnecessary, but it was a key part of my testing thing:
At one of the locations I took my test, I was literally met at the door with a pat-down, stripping me of my jacket and basically anything on my person. At the other location, the person running the test was completely fine with jackets and was overall very chill and relaxed. I never went back to the first testing site, and I never plan on going back there :))
-site note on that, make sure to wear long pants/jeans and a long shirt. It can get very cold very quick in there.
My kid had similar experience at one location as @willmo …also you may want to bring a watch. The first testing center we went to did not have a clock on the wall. You should keep track of your time. Many kids todayrely on their cell phones for telling time - you won’t have your phone during the test ^#(^
If you need math review/study, I recommend this book. It’s costlier than other books, but I strongly believe that it’s worth the cost.
https://www.amazon.com/Ivy-Global-SSAT-Math-2nd/dp/1942321023/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1535613646
I would also buy all sub $20 SSAT books on amazon just for the full length diagnostic and practice tests. After using the tests, I would cut all the missed questions and collect them in a empty spiral notebook with glue, and occasionally review them.