We just received our November SSAT scores and my dd got a 96% on reading, but her math score is only 5%!!! Her verbal was 37% so her total is only 39%!!!
She says she really did try on the math so I don’t know if a retake will help at all.
Is there ANY school she would be able to get into with this score? I am totally shocked. She was part of the Duke talent search last year and has always scored above the 90th percentile in standardized tests. :-SS
I would have her do practice tests and focus on the Maths section, have her do Quizlet for vocab whenever she is in the car, and re-take the test in two weeks. Just being more familiar with the format and pacing might really help, too…
Is it possible that there was a scoring error? Or perhaps she got off by one in her bubbling or something?
Take some practice tests ASAP and retake. Was this her fist test? Is she a junior or senior?
That’s very unusual, to say the least. Sure, some people freeze up on math, but you wouldn’t expect that sort of spread between verbal and reading. Take practice tests asap to try to diagnose the problem. This may have been a " bubble in error." What process does she use to transfer answers to answer sheet? One at a time? Skip hard ones and go back? Transfer in groups of choices?
well I can give her a tip for verbal, use quizlet. if you click the ‘test’ option on quizlet, you can change the options to multiple choice, which will give you the closest ssat verbal simulation you can get.
i know this worked for me because i got 48% and 52% on my practice tests, but a 94% on the actual!
i really do wish you guys the best of luck, and i hope everything goes well for you 
I hadn’t thought of the possibility that she could be off on the answer sheet, but that could be possible. She usually does pretty well at verbal also. I am just so stunned right now. She almost cried. I made sure she realized that a 96% on reading is an amazing score, especially since we live in a terrible school district.
She took lots of practice tests before and she isn’t great at math, but usually got at least 50%. When she used a calculator she got nearly all of the questions.
She has ADHD, but I didn’t ask for accommodations since she has never needed them before. I have sent in requests for that, but she won’t be able to take the test with accommodations - if she is approved - until January. There is only one school on her list that has a deadline before that and I am contacting them Monday to ask if they will still accept the score. It is Thomas Jefferson School. It’s not my favorite, but she really liked it and it is the closest one to where we live.
We have to get close to full tuition, though, and I am terrified that if she can’t get her scores a lot higher that will never happen.
I think she is going to have to spend her whole winter break studying, poor kid.
This was her first test. She is an 8th grader. We are applying for 9th grade prep school.
@LauriJo I’m sorry about how upset she is, standardised tests are a pain. Could there be any unique, non-recurring factors that may have affected her test? (e.g. sickness, long bathroom break, messing up bubbles, stress for upcoming event) If so, perhaps she would achieve higher scores doing another test? As you did mention she typically scores above the 90th percentile.
Either way, good luck, and I truly wish you and your daughter the best.
Well my scores were similar and I went to Taft (99% verbal, 6% math) but this was the 70s. My daughter also had similar scores (I think her verbal was low 90s and math low 50s) and she went to NMH and had similar SATs and is in a top 20 University now, so yes, it is possible! Chin up but definitely take the test again. Most schools will take a Jan and even a Feb score if you explain/ask even if it is past their deadline. My daughter’s score went up 40% percentage points on her 2nd test which is pretty rare but shows that sometimes kids just have a bad day. If your daughter is actually strong in math, you might consider having her math teacher write a recommendation. Schools will want some evidence that test is a fluke. Check for bubbling mistakes as well as suggested. Also take a practice test with the standard amount of time and with the extra time granted by accommodations, some ADD kids actually do worse with extended time (longer to focus, more time to stress) so
I wouldn’t assume extended time will help - if she has an IEP and can qualify for use of a calculator that might be a big help. It helped my daughter who has dyscalculia.
Maybe it was a bubbling error. Check with the schools to see if they will take the January test. In the meantime, have her take some practice tests to identify the area of weakness and work on that.
NMH is on our list so that’s good to hear. She is retaking in January and I have requested accommodations for her ADHD (extra time and a calculator). I have also requested that the test be rescored by hand in case it was a bubbling issue.
Has she had a neuropsych done? Some schools will accept a neuropsych in lieu of SSATs or in combination so that they can get a more holistic view of a students strengths and weaknesses.
She has and it shows a high IQ and ADHD. I can ask if they will accept that. Thanks!
@LauriJo when you are having her take it again can you then have results Super Scored?
The mismatch between math scores and verbal are consistent with ADHD. Contact the admissions office and see if they will accept the neuropsychologist testing, which are better indicators
Look at the schools with academic support. They are more likely to accept neuropsych testing and also more likely to “take a chance” on a student with uneven scores as they have services in places to support them if needed.
I wanted to update everyone about this.
We chose not to retake the SSAT. It was rescored and she really just did that badly on her math portion. HOWEVER, it has not hurt her admission chances for at least 3 schools, likely due to her very high reading score. Wayland Academy (WI) and Thomas Jefferson School (STL, MO) have accepted her and offered incredibly generous FA. She was also accepted to Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock, but the FA was ridiculously low so we have turned that down.
We still have 5 schools to hear from on Saturday. The one I was most concerned with was Episcopal High School, but I have a welcome email from the chair of the English department so I think she may have given her acceptance away. The other top tier school is Kent and they told me they were not concerned with her scores.
Just 48 hours until we all know for sure which schools!!!
Good luck, everyone!
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