<p>Some folks in many threads said so. Is that true?</p>
<p>99%</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>I think there is a big difference between a high SSAT “hurting” chances and people reporting cases of 99%-ers getting turned down (which is what I recall, and can vouch for from our first-hand experience last year).</p>
<p>The thing to take away is that just because you’re a 99%-ile scorer (or even a 2350+ scorer), that doesn’t make you a “sure thing” at any of the more selective schools.</p>
<p>I do remember someone posting about an AO’s boast of how many 99%-ile kids they turn down…but I don’t know how pervasive that attitude is.</p>
<p>There is no way that a high SSAT score can HURT your chances, but just having a high score does not guarantee acceptance either. I speak from personal experience - 2268 (98 percentile) last year, waitlisted at 5 schools and rejected from Andover. But I really don’t see how there is any way a high score could actually hurt your chances… logically, it just doesn’t make sense. xD</p>
<p>I have no real knowledge of this, but I actually believe that getting a 99% COULD hurt your chances. Like, take this example scenario: </p>
<p>At a boy’s interview, the AO can’t get a real sense that he is a hard worker. Then he gets a 99% on the SSAT. The AO raises his eyebrows, realizing that he formed a correct assumption about the boy. </p>
<p>Obviously, many people who score a 99% studied their brains out, but some, are just naturally extremely smart - and they don’t need to work. From an AO at a day school, I learned that they would prefer the hard worker A/B student then the A+ student who doesn’t try. So I don’t think it applies to some people, but to others, it might. Of course, this is just my opinion and I have no real proof.</p>
<p>^ doesn’t make sense. I would prefer naturally stellarly smart kids, not those who unhealthily cram the SSAT 5 hours every night just to get a 99. Remember, the academics at the top school are tough. They need more than just diligence. They need someone that could actually handle the work with relative ease.</p>
<p>I think how a high score is viewed is subjective to the person reviewing your application. I agree with pinkandgreenprep in the scenario she gave. Also, think about this: you have a C-D in math, but you manage to score a 99% on the math portion of the SSAT. Now, you might be taking an advanced course, but mostly it shows that the student is lazy when it comes to schoolwork, but knows how to ace a test. Probably not what most BS are looking for. Certainly if your 99% backed up As and Bs in math, then I don’t think it could hurt you. There was once scenario (described by my NMH AO) that they view negatively. Say a student has stellar verbal scores, but mediocre reading scores. They assume that the student just studied the vocabulary, while a student who has a stellar score in reading but a mediocre score in verbal would just need to brush up on vocabulary–nothing reading a bit more can’t fix. Do you kinda see what I mean?</p>
<p>TheatreGeek, I agree. </p>
<p>Enemy, I never said that the kids cram to get a 99%. What I mean is that, schools don’t want geniuses. If a kid can slide by without trying, they have no motivation to do great things at a BS. S/he may give them good SAT scores, but these schools are looking for driven, motivated kids who work hard, not those who are given everything. That being said, there are also a lot of great kids who score a 99%. It all depends on the situation.</p>