<p>I have a stupid question. Our son has applied to 5 top level schools (Exeter, Deerfield, Groton, NMH and Governors). He has had all A's straight through middle school and takes both honors math and English courses. He is a very good singer and is active in both the honors choir and the drama progrms. He is also school VP. My fear is that even with all of this, his mediocre SSAT scores are going to kill his chances. He took it twice...63rd percentile the first time and 71% the second (SSAT percentiles). He is applying to the Third Form (grade 9). Any opinions as to his chances? I would imagine his recommendations were really good---his teachers love him, and he inteviews pretty well. Thoughts?</p>
<p>I don't think it will hurt him too much</p>
<p>The weight that schools give to SSAT scores may depend on the middle school he's applying from. If the prep school sees a lot of applicants from your son's middle school, his stellar grades fit into a context they are familiar with and will likely weigh much more heavily than SSATs. If you son is applying from a middle school that doesn't send many applicants to these particular prep schools, they may rely more on the SSAT as an indicator of academic strengths---the admissions people may not be able to interpret what an A average means at his particular school. My hunch is his SSAT scores will look good anyhow at all but the superselective schools---Exeter, Deerfield, and Groton. At these last three schools, admissions is so challenging that nothing is a guarantee but great grades and recommendations put him in the running.</p>
<p>I think Exeter, Deerfield and Groton are reaches for everyone. His SSAT scores are in range for Governor's and NMH. </p>
<p>Is his voice exceptional? Has it broken yet? A marvelous singing voice can be a hook.</p>
<p>Does he have any other hooks? Is he a legacy at Exeter, Deerfield, or Groton? Is he very sporty? </p>
<p>I am not trying to scare you. I think you have a good list of schools. I think if he were my child, I would choose to add a couple of schools at which his SSAT score would not be unusual. Have you looked at Brooks School, Lawrence Academy, or Tabor Academy?</p>
<p>Yes, his voice broke over the Summer. I have had his choir director and the drama teacher send rescommendations. He also submitted a copy of his resume. No legacy :)</p>
<p>Exeter andover deerfield hotchkiss SPS Groton seem to have an 80% minimum, but you always have a shot. He seems to be a very active student and a 71% is good enough for many schools (Govs and NMH) You still have a shot everywhere. Schools all put different emphasis on the SSAT. Exeter is very mindful of the SSAT. Deerfield and Groton are less so, yet the average SSAT score for them is a 90%. Still, dont let this influence you or get you down. A 71% is not bad at all. PS... college confidential prepsters are not your average applicants!! Don't worry about the abundance of 95+ scores!</p>
<p>Good Luck!!!</p>
<p>Maybe I missed it, but is he applying for financial aid?</p>
<p>Yes, on the FA</p>
<p>What is the breakdown for his scores in each category? </p>
<p>Upper left box, “Your SSAT Scores”: SSAT Score=?, Personal score range=?, ssat percentile=?. </p>
<p>Middle box, “Test Question Breakdown”" :number right/wrong for each category=?.</p>
<p>Lower right box: “Estimated National Percentile” for each category=?</p>
<p>from what i heard (dean of admission at E) the ssat is used to group the children. For intstance E chooses most kids from the 95-99 range, lets say 100. then like 40- from the 90-94 range. 30- from 80-89. Do u get what I’m saying? They use it to group and seperate kids. plus if ur kid is really an exceptional singer that teh schools are interested? Special interests get taken out quickly</p>
<p>Do the schools consider any one component of the SSAT’s three components (verbal, math, reading) more important than the others?</p>
<p>Mainer,</p>
<p>I remember this response about a split score from last year and found it for you. The question may not be exactly like the one you’re asking, but the answer comes from an actual A/O (GemmaV from Hogwarts 
)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>OK, I’m a country bumpkin. Which real boarding school is called Hogwarts? (And, yes, my son and I are both Harry Potter fans.)</p>
<p>My son and I tried to visit it, but we couldn’t find the correct platform. We’ve heard great things about it, though…HIGHLY selective.</p>
<p>I went through the admissions process with my son last year. His math score was much higher than his reading score on the SSAT. He had solid A’s and B’s in reading and was an overall good student. He had a “hook”, was full pay, interviewed well, strong athlete, and a legacy at one of the schools. He was waitlisted everywhere. We didn’t realize the emphasis placed on the SSAT. We should have had him study one of the prep books and retake it. We do not live in New England and were going through this process without guidance. He only applied to 3 schools, and we should have applied to twice as many. We just didn’t realize how competitive admissions is these days.</p>
<p>We went through a 2nd round of admissions in April which is very common. By this point, it was too late to retake the SSAT. We were very upfront about his scores and discussed them with admissions during this 2nd round. Several schools shared with us that they put more emphasis on the math score, which was good for my son, because they feel, with their strong English programs, they can improve upon the reading score when it comes to the SAT. A study was done comparing SSAT scores to SAT scores at one of these schools that showed a significant jump in the reading score on the SAT. This is just what we heard through our discussions with admissions. It looks like schools may use these scores differently after reading some of the above responses. I just thought I’d share what we were told. It all worked out in the end and my son is at a great school loving every minute!</p>
<p>@jyun: I thought the ssat score didn’t matter as long as it’s over an 85, so why would Exeter group their applicants?</p>