<p>Hi
I took a practice test online just to see where I was at with the SSAT
For Math I got a 800 (99%)- no worries with that.
However, I happened to receive a 690 (78%) for reading and a 645 (63%) for Verbal
I'm going to apply for Exeter, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc. And I don't think I can get in with these scores.
I'm going to take the SSATs in October, so I don't have that much time.
So, does anyone have any tips on raising a verbal/reading score? I would truly appreciate it.
Also, any comments on workbooks you would recommend would be helpful.
Thank you.</p>
<p>Read. Like, a lot.</p>
<p>The usual prep books, Kaplan, Princeton review, Barrons, but make sure they are specific to SSAT. The verbal depends on analogies, which can take some time getting used to.</p>
<p>And make sure you take math under timed conditions, the challenge there is finishing within the time allowed.</p>
<p>Our daughter used a test prep company that gave her 1,000 of the most common difficult words used on the Analogies section as flash cards. She spent about 3 months memorizing them (about 1/2 of them she knew already because she reads a lot). When she came out of the test, she said that almost every hard word was in the 1,000. While this can raise questions about what, exactly, is being measured by this test, , it also demonstrates that you can nail it if you put in the effort. I see that online there are companies that sell SSAT vocabulary flashcards. Alternatively, you can buy a couple different review books and do the analogies. Any word you don’t know you can write down and make a flash card. Or you can work with a tutoring company, of which there are many. A quality tutoring company will have very current insight on the SSAT and the questions they are likely to ask. If you can swing the $4-5K (that’s what it costs in NYC, anyway), it will make it much easier to perform well.</p>
<p>@wintergirl
There aren’t a lot of things you can do to improve language skills in a couple of months. You CAN improve your test skills by getting yourself more familiar with SSAT test format and taking a few mock tests under strict time constraint, as 2prepMom suggested. For vocabulary, flash cards are great, especially at this point and if you find yourself room for improvement. I would suggest trying out at quizlet.com. (Disclaimer: no affiliation other than having an account). It’s free and there are many SSAT vocab lists uploaded by others and if you don’t like them, you can create your own. You can do it on the computer or print them out. Good luck with your test!</p>
<p>freerice.com is a free vocabulary drill site. It now offers drill in other subjects.</p>
<p>[Student</a> Resources: Verbal Analogies](<a href=“Higher Education Support | McGraw Hill Higher Education”>Higher Education Support | McGraw Hill Higher Education)</p>
<p>Read the front section of a newspaper every day. The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, or The Wall Street Journal. The New Yorker has challenging, lengthy articles.</p>
<p>You should get into the habit of reading “meaty” material everyday for the same reason that you should eat a balanced diet. It’s not enough “just to read” if what you are reading is the literary equivalent of junk food. Periwinkle’s suggestions are good. Even if it doesn’t help in time for the SSAT, you’ll be taking the SAT before too long.</p>
<p>There are no quick fixes for literacy. Memorizing lists of definitions will help to a point, but remember that the SSAT test secondary definitions as well. Luckily, the verbal section has an extremely generous curve. I think you can miss something like three or four and still get an 800 on that section.</p>
<p>You are starting with decent scores so it’s possible to bring them up. A common mistake with the reading is using outside information (even when true) to answer a question. If you cannot support an answer choice with a specific part of the text, it’s not correct.</p>
<p>You should also order the book from the SSAT people because it will have the most accurate practise tests. I don’t know how reliable an online test would be.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice
Would you say that some SAT words would appear on the SSATs?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Definitely!</p>
<p>I used flash cards and they raised my reading and verbal score almost 20% in two months (part of this is the variability of the test, of course). I would suggest making your own flash cards instead of buying them; it really drills the words into your brain.</p>
<p>do you have the list of the 1.000 words available for the ssat</p>
<p>Hi Devolution ,
Would you be so kind as to let me know the name of the SSAT 1000 words you see that online there are companies that sell SSAT vocabulary flashcards? I send him to local training center and spent about $4k but did not see any improvement. I am really worried. Please!</p>