<p>Aren't they like one of the least important parts of the application? More of a formality?</p>
<p>We were told by the admissions counselor we spoke to at one school that it's "one of the last things I look at". He said that he looks first at the student's essays, then the math and English recs, then the parents' statement, then the student's grades, and <em>then</em> the SSAT.</p>
<p>I think everyone has their own opinion (and each school is different). The people on here aren't exactly qualified (meaning they aren't an admissions officer, and are only theorizing), but some, including myself, have heard straight from the top schools that much of the time it's one of the least important facets of an applicant.</p>
<p>Some people on here say that if you don't get into the late-80th percentile you have no chance of admission sot EADSHC etc., while others say that as long as you're over 70 and have great grades with great recs you'll be strongly considered. I personally think it's subjective to each school, and unique to each applicant. For example, if you've played select ice hockey for 8 years, and have won some awards and are highly regarded by your coach(es), than I don't think an SSAT score carries as much weight as it would if you were an all-round mediocre applicant.</p>
<p>In my opinion, and this applies to all aspects of the application, each part only matters more than another if you do particularly bad or good on it.
So if you do average on the ssat for a school, then they will look at the next thing and the next thing till they find something that sets you apart from the rest of the applicants, good or bad.</p>