<p>I had my daughter take the SSAT just to see if she might do well enough to be a candidate for merit aid, or perhaps financial aid as a form of merit aid. I've got a higher-than-average net worth (all tied up) and on paper it might look like we have plenty of money for boarding school, but we don't.</p>
<p>She made a 27 on the ACT this past February; took it again in June in hopes of making a 30 and made a 27 again. This put her in the top one percent of Duke TIP participants, virtually all of whom are in the top 10 percent of their class, so figure 99.9th percentile nationally compared to all seventh graders.</p>
<p>She scored in the 93rd percentile on the SSAT, which was a bit of a disappointment when compared to her ACT scores. She was in the 97th percentile on reading, 91st percentile verbal and 82nd percentile (eek!) in math. She skipped five analogy questions and missed five, so there was clearly a problem with a lack of familiarity with this type of question.</p>
<p>I've suggested she take the SSAT again, but she says now she isn't sure she wants to go to boarding school. I do have her signed up for the ACT on Dec. 14. She is going to take a shot at making a 30 so she will be eligible for dual enrollment, taking a college class next semester (we may have to squabble with the school on this, as my guess none of their eighth-graders have ever done this, but my reading of state law is that a 30 qualifies her for dual enrollment).</p>
<p>She says she doesn't want to take the SSAT again. We have until Dec. 4 to rush-register for the Dec. 7 test. I think she would pull her score up to the 96-98th percentile level if she took it again. But I think she has a real shot at a 30 on the ACT, which in my opinion is more impressive. But will it, or a 27 for that matter, be impressive to the boarding school folks? Or should I browbeat her into taking the SSAT again, just in case.</p>
<p>Many of you are no doubt ready to hit your keyboards to tell me it is mighty late to still be undecided about boarding school. Yet most application deadlines are in January, and I'm not going to apply anywhere unless my daughter is absolutely sure she wants to go.</p>
<p>93 percentile on SSAT is a mighty fine score. She is in top 7% of applicants to elite prep schools this year, and is at the average score for admitted students at all the best schools. No need to repeat SSAT.</p>
<p>The schools do not want to hear about talent searches much, all the kids they admit would qualify. Maybe SET might make a difference, not so sure. So probably would not mention the ACT (the schools don’t ask for it and have no comparison except they own junior/seniors and it will not wow them in comparison to those students). </p>
<p>Instead work on why she is a good match in ways other than academics - a sport, club, passion, music, etc. And don’t forget community service.</p>
<p>Incidentally, our choice was dual enrollment vs. boarding school too, and we came from CTY. Happy we chose boarding school because of the peers, feeling at home with similar-aged friends, having a shot at great universities (which transfer students don’t have, and if she is starting in dual enrollment in 8th grade, may end up with too many credits to be a freshman when those applications actually matter), and the excellent teaching. It was a good choice and our D has gotten more than enough academic challenge and a chance to learn with equally bright peers.</p>
<p>I agree with 2prep on everything.</p>
<p>Me too! I would be proud of the 93 percentile.</p>
<p>I would put the ACT score in an “honors/awards” section…that’s where we put 7D1’s CTY scores. I don’t think the schools care too much about it, but we felt that it was worth putting in (all scores above 650) as it speaks to relative strength vs. age cohort. FWIW, based on the experiences of some folks I know, I think SET could mean a lot, but not be a slam dunk.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments.</p>
<p>SevenDad, we’re definitely going to put the ACT score somewhere. It was an honor and award, given to 1,670 out of 75,000 participants, with all participants being from the top five or 10 percent nationally. Mere participation really isn’t worth mentioning. Sure wish I could submit the ACT instead of the SSAT, though.</p>
<p>I doubt it helps… to the extent OP wishes. 800 SAT CR in 7th grade, and 99 percentile SSAT did not help much. But I guess it depends on what schools are in your radar. Andover? No. Mercersburg? Maybe.</p>
<p>SharingGift, you seem to be suggesting that neither a high SSAT nor a high ACT will help. Clearly there are no guarantees of getting in a top boarding school, but I would think an SSAT in the 99th percentile would make admission more likely than one in the 90th percentile.</p>
<p>When the schools say that any score at or above their average is enough, they really mean it. They only use those scores as a benchmark for determining whether or not an applicant is likely to be able to handle the level of academics at their school. They are not impressed by uber scores; they see them all the time, reject most of them, and know how prepped many kids are who take these tests. Nothing wrong with noting the ACT score in the honors/awards section, but a score on a test that is not a requirement by any of the boarding schools is not going to be used as a significant part of the decision mix.</p>
<p>If you read here long enough and go back far enough in the archives (especially around M10 each year), you will get a good feel for just how much high stats play in the admissions game. No one will argue that being at or above the average for the schools to which your daughter applies is important, but once the numbers indicate that she is academically admissable, other factors become more important. It is much more likely than some other “holistic” factor will break a tie in your daughter’s favor than her test scores. I think what neato is pointing out is that a school may pick the 90th percentile (or the 85th percentile) over the 99th percentile if that applicant plays the brass instrument the band needs or is the athlete one of the teams need or fills in a diversity slot the community needs. If an applicant brings little else, test scores will not tip the scales.</p>
<p>Given her current SSAT score, it’s a waste of time and money to take it again. A higher score will give her no advantage; more likely, the schools will just see her chasing a statistic that is meaningless at that level.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for your comments. My daughter will stick with her current SSAT score. She will report her ACT score as part of her Grand Recognition award by Duke. And if her eighth-grade PSAT score is any good, she will cockle-doodle-doo about that as well.</p>
<p>EVD, you’re a quick learner! Good luck with BS applications.</p>
<p>Earl, my kid had a 32 ACT, SET membership, and 99th percentile on the SSAT. He had great interviews. He was not accepted everywhere. I don’t think anyone paid much attention to the extra test scores. They were much more interested in talking to him about his activities and academic experiences. FWIW.</p>
<p>Relax. They don’t want over prepped bookworms. They want well rounded kids who can handle the coursework and the time away from home. Oh and kids whose parents have money. Duke Tip led to scholarship offers from some high end boarding schools after SSAT. </p>