<p>I am in 7th grade, white. I play the tuba, alter serve, am school mascot, do the aerial silks. I got straight A's all last year and am doing well this year. I am in all accelerated classes, and all of my teachers like me no one hates me. I am studying for the SSAT and I was wondering if:
A.) Anyone could tell me what my chances are to get into Phillips Academy Andover</p>
<p>B.) You know of any tips for the SSAT</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Please be very truthful. Thanks agian.</p>
<p>Alright. I took the ssat last year and ended up getting a 75 overall. Over this past summer, I got one prep book, I believe barrons. Know that vocab, math and reading in that book very well. This year I raised my score to an 87. I really didn’t study as well as I could, kinda half-heartedly studying, so if you study one book really well your scores could very well be in the mid to high 90s. Just get a prep book and try to study for 1 hr a day during the summer. 1 hr isnt that much. May seem like a lot at first but you will see time passes quick.</p>
<p>This is the advice of a 9th grade reapplicant. </p>
<p>Read a lot. Keep a thought journal. Start thinking about who you are (and be honest). Start thinking about what you want to do this summer. Read. A lot. In fall, order the official SSAT study guide and take the tests. See where you’re strong and need work. And read.</p>
<p>For the SSAT, your best prep is (shockingly) reading. If words aren’t your forte, I recommend an SAT word book. Barron’s ‘Hot Words for the SAT’ helped me score a 779 on the verbal (which, if you recieved that score, would give you, a then 8th grade male, a high 90%ile score). For math, a solid understanding of Algebra 1 and Geometry is needed. I didn’t need to prep for math;thus, I can’t tell you what I used to prep. But, I’d recommend Khan Academy and Art of Problem Solving for math. For reading, again, read, and get used to the format. When taking practice tests, give yourself 5 min less than the normal given time (e.g. 35 min for reading instead of 40).</p>
<p>Most importantly, start thinking about your life. You might need to wait a bit: I know I was living in my own world in 7th grade.</p>
<p>Would do so about 3-4 weeks in advance, for vocab. Learn 10-20 words a day, have a cumulative review on weekends.</p>
<p>For reading, start doing a few passages every day 2 weeks in advance. Get passages from Barron’s critical reading for the SAT workbook, and there are some in the Princeton review SSAT/ISEE book. Start w/ the SAT workbook so you get your mind in the analytical mode, and then move to the SSAT to get your mind wrapped around the SSAT test format.</p>
<p>For math, I’m unsure. You could learn the topics months in advance and still remember it (considering you usually don’t forget math). Or you could learn the material a week before. I’m not sure if you’re a strong math student, so see how you do on the math practice test. The desired score for math is an 800, and it’s easy to get it if you know the material.</p>
<p>You don’t necessarily need to start well in advance to do well (I learned 300 words the day before the test and practiced reading passages 3 days before the test and pulled a 94%ile(779) in verbal, and high 90%iles for reading and math) but I would recommend doing so.</p>
<p>Read fiction & non-fiction; read newspapers & magazines. The best way to develop critical reading skills & vocab is to do it gradually over a long period of time. Look up words that are unfamiliar.</p>
<p>JUST KEEP READING!</p>
<p>Neither of my boys studied for the SSAT; they were just always avid readers.</p>