Low SSAT scores? Do I still even have a chance?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

<p>I took the SSSAT and the first time I got a 65% overall. TERRIBLE. 78% in reading, 68% in verbal, 51% in math. I know...</p>

<p>Second, I thought I would do much better. After I took the test I thought that I for sure got in AT LEAST the 80% or higher. I did TERRIBLE. 59% overall. 58% in math, 58% in verbal, and 60% in reading. I have NO IDEA how I did so bad.</p>

<p>I'm applying to Deerfield, Exeter, Taft, and Blair. Do I stand a chance at any of these schools? I speak Spanish and Italian, I have around 3.8 GPA, I do volleyball, track, field hockey, drama, choir, dance, and tennis. (each for about 3 years). I need FA. I live in Kentucky, middle eastern descent, female, 60 hours of community service since August, applying for 9th grade.</p>

<p>ANY chance? Be honest, please. Should I write a letter to these schools explaining why I did so bad? Or is that a bad idea?</p>

2

<p>someone pleaaase answer !! im so nervous :&lt;/p>

3

<p>It will be EXTREMELY hard because SSAT’s are there to prove to them that the applicant can handle the workload at said schools. Think about this logically, many people of many different intelligence can get a’s but they want to see how the applicants stack up to each other.
So make sure you blow them a way on everything else and try retaking it if you can.</p>

4

<p>I doubt there is any advantage to writing to the schools to “explain” your scores. You have many other positive attributes, but you took the tests twice, and did not have a dramatic change in results. Your test scores might be competitive for Blair, especially because you come from outside of the mid-Atlantic region. I don’t know how generous they are with financial aid. Do you have time to add one or two additional schools? Consider George School or Westtown, in PA, or - if you aren’t opposed to the idea - an all-girls school.</p>

5

<p>Here is a post from someone who matriculated at PE with a relatively low SSAT…70% overall.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12106447-post18.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12106447-post18.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>what are my chances to get into deerfield, lawrenceville, hotchkiss, st. andrews, mercersburg, and middlesex?</p>

<p>My Fall Average is a 90
I sing opera
I work as a waiter in the summer
my SSAT last year as an 8th grader was: 2190 87%
Verbal: 737 (88%)
Quantitative: 731 (70%)
Reading: 722 (92%)</p>

<p>I took the SSAT this year as a 9th grader and my score dropped significantly: 2118 (65%)
Verbal: 689 (58%)
Quantitative: 722 (57%)
Reading: 707 (78%)</p>

<p>Will the schools consider last years’s SSAT too?
What chance do I Have of getting in?</p>

7

<p>Exeter and Deerfield are mostly focused on academics. If your SSAT scores are low, then you need to compensate for it. The lower they are, the more compensation you need. Do you do anything at a National level? Any trophies in Sports? Write essays on your community service? Make sure you boost your strong points. There’s a website to check the average SSAT percentiles for different prep schools. Exeter’s Average is a whooping 94% overall and Deerfield ranks in the high 80’s, low 90’s range.</p>

8

<p>Does anybody know if we allowed to release the intial exam score if my son retakes the test and scores worse than previous?</p>