<p>To add a data point to Dakshina’s: I just looked and my D’s last practice test was a 2270 (using McGraw-Hill test).</p>
<p>@SevenDad: I have “Up Your Score”! It’s pretty funny and it’s great for kids who need motivation with studying.
Also, I studied all of Princeton Review and Kaplan’s vocab and some of the words were on today’s SSAT. The analogies and math problems were also pretty similar to the previous SSAT I’ve taken.</p>
<p>OK. To close the loop on this topic, </p>
<p>Practice SSAT (From SSAT “preparing and applying” book, under simulated, timed conditions): 2255</p>
<p>Real SSAT: 2300+ (99th percentile SSAT rank)</p>
<p>Take the practice tests ONLY to be familiar with the style. They aren’t going to have the same questions (or words) but there may be patterns to how problems are framed.</p>
<p>Read a book a week. Make sure the language is post high school. Read NYT, Wall Street Journal, News Magazines and adult literature - each week. You need to see the language used in context. </p>
<p>Making flash cards won’t help and schools tend to know who is just doing “rote” memorization because the same sophistication doesn’t show up on their essays.</p>
<p>Adcoms are also aware that some top scoring students used test prep courses or come from schools that emphasize prep. Which is why lower scoring students who are admitted aren’t always “less” academically qualified.</p>
<p>My favorite story is of a student who scored perfectly, was admitted to a BS, but didn’t speak single word of English.</p>
<p>Schools look at the WHOLE student and how they fit in the student body - not a single test. Some students with high scores crash and burn, and some with low scores go on to be top ranked. It’s an art - not a science - to build a diverse student body.</p>
<p>So - do your best - but don’t sweat it as the be all and end all of your career.</p>
<p>I just found out that I got an 84%. I got a 94 in verbal, an 80ish in reading, and a 59 in math. I’m sooo mad!!! I did well last time I took it AND on the practice test! Arrghhh!</p>
<p>@ExieMITAlum, thanks fro the useful info.</p>
<p>@ifax108, 
I’m sorry. Just a quick question though, when you took the test, did you feel confident on the math section, or did you already have the feeling that you didn’t do as well as you had hoped?</p>
<p>@markalex1,
I thought I was going to get like a 70% on the math. I was really not very confident, but a 59 is ridiculous! I talked to my parents and I might be retaking it in November and I’m definitely getting a tutor for the math. I guess I’ve calmed down now and I realize it’s going to be alright.</p>
<p>@ifax108, I hope things work out for you when you retake it in November. BTW, I guess the question I asked you wasn’t worded very well. I don’t mean what percentile you got (this has no meaning to me because the practice books I used didn’t have percentiles in their scores for the practice tests), I mean approx. what was your level of uncertainty on some of the questions? How many did you think you would miss?</p>
<p>Also, how many questions did you end up missing on the math section?</p>
<p>@markalex1,
I missed I think 17 of them? And I was uncertain on a lot of them b/c of time. God I am actually pretty sad. Unless I get above a 70% on math I have no chance of getting in anywhere.</p>
<p>@ifax108, 
again, sorry. No worries though, just look at the areas of math that you had difficulty, and work on those specifically.</p>
<p>We still have not received D’s scores…will update when they arrive.</p>
<p>ifax108, you may have lost track of your bubbles on the math section. Standardized tests are thought to be quite consistent.</p>
<p>Does it say something about the SSAT if I can get a perfect score on the math SAT but like a 70% on the math SSAT? Some of the math questions were pretty ridiculous on the SSAT last year.</p>
<p>@2010,
Some of the SSAT math questions are ridiculous. We only had a half hour and some of these questions were word problems that would have taken a good five minutes to do. And the practice tests were MUCH easier IMO. I could actually finish it unlike the real test. </p>
<p>@Periwinkle,
Well, not always. I got a 98% on the reading on the SSAT last spring. Even though it was the lower level, I still thought I would score well on the reading. I missed about 5 questions, so my score was an 81%. On another day, I could have missed 3 and I would have gotten a 92% or something like that on the reading. And for the math, it’s the same thing. If you miss 10 math questions you are at an 80%. So thats around 2% off per question. Even a few questions can make a big difference on your score.</p>
<p>Daughter just called me from the car ride home from school. Scores arrived today and she just opened them. Oct 16 SSAT scores: 2300+, 99th percentile in all sections.</p>
<p>Going back to OP question…D’s highest practice test numbers were 97th percentile aggregate. She was weakest in the math sections on the practice tests, and she did better on these sections on the actual test.</p>
<p>@SevenDad, congrats! I hope I do as well…</p>
<p>@markalex:</p>
<p>I will offer two pieces of advice from a parent: A) Don’t stress (or let your parents stress you) the night before, the day of the test, or even after you receive your scores — remember that it’s just one component of a complex “black box” equation; and B) I think confidence and time management on test day are two major factors…don’t let the test or any single question rattle you. In the words of rap icon Jay-Z, “on to the next one”.</p>
<p>Best of luck everyone!</p>
<p>“@markalex: I know you meant “as well” ;-)”, haha thanks for the info, I guess my grammar still needs a bit of work. And thanks again for all the advice, though I’m actually feeling pretty confident!~ I just took the ISEE and found it MUCH easier than practice tests. I am feeling very confident!</p>
<p>@markalex1: Is there are reason you wanted to take both? Don’t most schools accept either?</p>
<p>@SevenDad, I took both because one of the schools I am applying to (a local private day school) only accepts ISEE.</p>