<p>I'm an eigth grader in Georgia. I have a chance to get a full scholarship to Choate through the Ichan Scholars program. Ive always made all A's in school I'm a skilled Alto singer and can also sing Bass to 1st Soprano but prefer Alto. I do a lot of volunteer work and have done dance for many years, but I dance non competitively for a Christian dance studio. We only do preformances. The problem is I took my SSAT scores and got an 89% in Reading, 72% in Math and a 40% in Verbal. That made my total an 69%. I'm worried this won't please Choate. But for National Percentile I made 97% for both Reading and Math and 82% in Verbal. I'm not sure if I stand a chance anymore but I've absolutley fallen in love with this school. Should I retake the SSAT and if so where could I go to try and study Verbal or do I stand a pretty good chance and they look at National percentile?</p>
<p>Definitely retake the SSATs. A 40% reflects poorly on you, and the math, while it’s okay, could be improved. Also–the National percentile, to me, isn’t looked at that much. I don’t think it carries much weight when looking at the scores.</p>
<p>retake the ssat, if you dont… you dont stand a chance :/</p>
<p>Retake the SSAT, as for what to use. Get SSAT Secrets. It has amazing tricks and tips on everything from math to analogies (they are a pain). But if you do not retake it, you have no chance whatsoever. What was your raw score? Mine was 2100 and I recieved a 70 percentile D: I was surprised. I have to get a 2300 for a 96 that I’m hoping for. National percentile means bull**** to the Admissions Committee.</p>
<p>Think the advice here so far is half right. Yes, you should retake it, but don’t place too much emphasis on the SSAT, whether the scores are very good or very bad. It’s an indicator of how you test, not your intelligence or worth. It sounds like your application would be very strong based on other aspects of your education and life. Make sure you interview well; a bad interview will tank you immediately, while a good interview can make them look right past low SSATs. But it’s worth doing a little tutoring (online, with a prep book, whatever) and taking a second stab at it. Good luck!</p>
<p>I would say you have to retake the SSAT, but it is not the most important part of your app. AO’s can probably approach your intelligence in 2 ways. If they see that you have VERY strong grades but not so great SSAT scores, then they see you are generally intelligent, but not a good test taker. If they see VERY good SSAT’s and not great grades, then they see that standardized testing defines your intelligence not your grades. I myself am retaking the SSAT and I have been rigorously studying for the past few weeks, I suggest you do the same. Stay confident and good luck!</p>
<p>I’m sure that your background would make you attractive to many schools, but I advise you against having your heart set on one, highly-selective school (especially if you seek financial aid). The SSAT pool is elite, and so the curve is high. I certainly think it’s worth taking again, to see if you can boost the verbal score - sometimes, analogies are easier once you are more familiar with the test. There is no guarantee that you will improve your score, much less your percentile, however, and so I recommend that you look at some more schools with good music and dance programs, and the sort of community service focus you have demonstrated. Quaker schools, like Westtown and George, Portsmouth Abbey, Northfield-Mount Hermon, Millbrook, Peddie, Saint Andrew’s, and some all-girls’ schools (if you aren’t committed to co-education) like Miss Porter’s and Emma Willard, are options. If you love Connecticut, try casting a wider net by applying to Kent, Taft, Westminster, etc., along with Choate. If you qualify for full scholarship, you might well be eligible for an application-fee waiver.</p>