<p>Hi, I was just wondering how similar SSATs found in practice books are compared to real SSATs. Are the real ones harder? Easier? How do the scores one receives on a practice test compare to the scores from a real one?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for answering.</p>
<p>My daughter’s taking the real one next Sat, so I’ll let you know what she says. I read somewhere here on CC that people felt the Princeton Review practice tests were harder than the real one.</p>
<p>I hate the SSAT.</p>
<p>@Sevendad, thank you, that info comforts me.</p>
<p>@2010hopeful, TRUST ME, I know. Especially the STUPID vocab. I can get 100% on math and reading, but 75% on vocab. UGH.</p>
<p>My kid scored higher on the real one than on the practice tests. Don’t know why though–that could have been the extra burst of adrenaline he gets in testing situations!</p>
<p>dont get too stressed out about ssats, kids DO get into good schools with 70’s. trust me, i did it :)</p>
<p>@Gabiiwoz, aha thanks, its encouraging to know that you dont necessarily NEED high 90’s to get in.</p>
<p>For me the real one was more difficult than the Princeton Review practice one</p>
<p>I scored higher on the real test than I did on the PR practice test. If I remember correctly, it was something like a 10 percentile points difference overall.</p>
<p>Definitely do not need 90’s to get in, even in the most selective schools. It’s just one aspect of the application.
I think under EQUAL testing conditions, most will score LOWER on the real test than the practice tests. That’s because most kids do not take the practices tests under the same conditions [take extra time, etc].
The bunch of kids that took the SSAT from our kid’s old school all said the real test was harder.</p>
<p>I’ll say something else on the SSATs–it is a very good indicator of success at these fierce BSs. A student who scores 70/80s is very likely to struggle at a BS where the AVERAGE is in the 90s–even if they get it and even if they work their tail off. Consider grades, class rank, honors/APs, academic recognition, math/science clubs, etc. --all get acutely competitive at a school filled with SSAT of 90+. But a kid with 70s/80s (Even 90s) that attends a very good school with an average SSATs in the 80s is likely to have more success and a more fulfilling experience there. Based on my kids and my friends’ kids, we’ve concluded that a kid with 70/80s has a better change of success in a school with an average in the 80, then to struggle, work extremely hard, and simply not be able to achieve. Getting in is only the beginning.</p>
<p>@ginzing: That is really a great point.</p>
<p>SSAT’s are an indicator, but not a guarantee. Just as a 99 doesn’t guarentee acceptance, and a 50 is not outright rejection. As my favorite Vermonter once said, “determination alone is omnipotent”.</p>
<p>yeah same…
I got like 50% on vocab, but nearly aced the math…
Any tips for vocab?</p>
<p>Just make flashcards…</p>
<p>Daughter reports that she felt Oct 16 SSAT was easier than the practice tests. She always did practice test under timed conditions. We’ll see how she scores…</p>
<p>I wanted to follow up on my previous post today, which was sent from the car as soon as my daughter came out of the testing facility.</p>
<p>I was not trying to be cavalier about the Oct 16th test or boastful about my daughter’s abilities. While she is bright, there are several kids (or kids of parents who post here) on the forum who eclipsed her scores on the SAT last year. I was merely trying to address the OP’s question regarding the practice tests vs. real test — based on the experience of one child (my daughter). </p>
<p>I think a few things were working in her favor in terms of not being intimidated by the real SSAT today. And I want to share them with the thought that perhaps her experience can inform yours or your child’s. I don’t think it’s too late to help even kids applying for the January 15 deadline.</p>
<p>For starters, her taking of the SAT as a 7th grader as part of the JHU CTY talent search probably played a large part. As she noted to me today, it’s a lot different walking into a room of kids your age than being one of the only middle schoolers among a sea of high schoolers. And then on top of that, the SAT is designed to test kids at a higher grade level than the SSAT…so the SSAT will itself be less intimidating. I think confidence matters a lot with these things. She recounted today’s essay topic to me and explained the POV she took, with the specific examples. She wasn’t stressed because she had faced similar “take a position on this statement” questions on the SAT. So my tip is see if you can sit for the November SAT if you are taking the December SSAT. It’s cheaper than the SSAT by a lot…note that you have to send in a paper registration if you are under 14 years old.</p>
<p>Second, she had already been through a few practice SSATs. These came from the books that are commonly available. She did not enroll in a class or get a tutor. Note that she did both of these practice SSATs with test-day timing. A previous poster notes that the real test will be harder because of the time factor — not if you give yourself the same limits that you will experience on test day. So buy the books, and take the practice tests using real-world timing. If you have the luxury of taking more than one practice test in the weeks and months to come, maybe you even do the first without a clock, and then the second with a clock.</p>
<p>My daughter did read through parts of the SSAT prep books we bought, but not in any detailed or disciplined way. After her experience on the SAT where ZERO words featured in a prep book were on the real test, she didn’t want to get fooled again. </p>
<p>(Hah, she just ran in her and told me to tell you all that if you are to buy a single book on test taking, buy “Up your score”, a book written by kids who had gotten 800s on the SAT. That book is more about strategies and tactics to apply rather than word lists. I would say get that and whichever SSAT prep book offers the most sample tests.)</p>
<p>One final thought, based on some recent threads about vocab: Forget about the word lists in the prep books. Someone in another thread today confirmed that none of the words in his prep book were on the test. Just read a ton of books. And not just young adult stuff. Go read Malcolm Gladwell’s books like Outliers. Or the New Yorker. And make sure you have a good dictionary if you don’t already, an OED or something like it. When you don’t know a word, look it up, and put a little pencil mark next to it. Best of luck.</p>
<p>@sevenad, thank you very much for your reply, I know that it will help others, it helped me.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity though (and i’m NOT trying to start an argument here), would you be comfortable saying what your daughter got on the SAT last year? I am also a current 8th grader who took the SAT last year and am simply curious what others who are applying to BS got.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>@markalex1: It’s posted somewhere else on CC (the thread on 7th grade scores vs. HS scores), so I don’t mind sharing here: M660/CR680/W720. Pretty darn good, but short of SET and the National Award Ceremony. She’s going to take it again in Dec,the last month of her 12-year old eligibility. I think she’ll get SET this year, but doubtful on the national prize (the threshold goes up to 750 for 8th grade vs. 7th). We’ll be attending our state ceremony in a few weeks.</p>
<p>FWIW, I don’t take for granted that my D will be accepted by any of the top tier schools…such is the level of competition you/she are up against. It’s pretty crazy and I don’t envy you all.</p>
<p>I would like to add that SAT is much more rational than SSAT.</p>
<p>My S did much better on real SAT than on practice SAT. Same thing with April '10 SSAT. About 150-200 points better. Let’s see how he did in today’s SSAT. Last practice test he took, from the SSAT board book, he scored above 2200.</p>