<p>Okay, so lets just be clear that there is technically no way one can “fail” the SSAT. Sure, you can get a percentile score that is below 60% (or whatever threshold would be considered an F in your school), but here’s the amazing truth that people fail to grasp year after year: there are plenty of good boarding schools where even a 60%-ile score is in the sweetspot of admitted candidates.</p>
<p>tomura0704, I hope you’ll forgive me for using your thread to muse on some general points that I think are applicable to all applicants — in this cycle and in the future.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Were you surprised by your 71%? Unless you had some unexpected issue the night before (which would lead to a bad night’s sleep) or the day of the test (such as an illness or argument with a friend or parent or anxiety attack), I don’t see how anyone can truly be surprised by their results. There are readily available practice test forms that allow you to get at least a ballpark of where you might score on the real thing. Yes, I know people will cite instances of scoring much lower (or much higher) on the real thing vs. a practice test…but in my experience with two kids going through the process, their test day scores were in line with their practice test scores.</p></li>
<li><p>Now here’s the truly important point that I’m trying to make: regardless of where your SSAT %-iles are, there is probably a school out there that will be happy to take you. Let me repeat that: regardless of where your SSAT %-iles are, there is probably a school out there that will be happy to take you.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>It may not be one of the “most selective”, nor one of the most “prestigious”, nor one that is mentioned on this forum with any frequency. But it will give you a great education in the US…which is what you after, right?</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be a downer, but in my years on the forum, I’ve seen wave after wave of applicants targeting nothing but the most selective boarding schools — before they even know where their SSAT/ISEE scores might place them in the pool of applicants.</p>
<p>Many of the most selective BS in the US have acceptance rates below 20%. It’s not a stretch to flip that statistic around and consider that 80% or more of applicants are rejected.</p>
<p>I never want to talk people out of applying to their “dream” school(s)…I really don’t. I just think that people focus far too much on a handful of the most selective schools without candidly considering A) their strength as an applicant to these schools; B) how they might actually fare at one of these ultra-selective (and generally ultra-rigorous) schools if they are admitted.</p>
<p>Finally, please don’t read this and think that I feel there is some “secret formula” that will get you into one of the most selective BS. I don’t think there is some magic number %-ile that will unlock the gates of St. Exoverhotchton Hall for you. But I am of the opinion that, to think you have a better than average chance at these schools, you’ve got to be in the upper reaches of their “middle 50% of admitted applicants” test score range.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>