Hi everyone…
I know it’s not really “SSAT season” right now, but I have a few questions. I recently took the SSAT and I did pretty well in reading (95+) and verbal (85+) but I only got a 70 on the quantitative section. I was wondering if anyone had tips for how to improve your quantitative score?
I was also wondering about this since I am planning to apply to schools again next year. Is it likely that test scores will be required? Any insight or advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I improved my quantitative score a ton the last time I took the test. Use Test Innovators if possible. It is on the pricier side for test prep, but it’s so worth it. I did their practice tests and got my diagnostic from them. This allowed me to see where I was messing up and how to improve. The SSAT has its own test prep similar to this, but it never really helped me with the math. It only helped with verbal for me.
There are a few YouTube videos out that help with the strategies in the math section. I believe one even did the whole section and explained it.
It depends on the schools you’re applying to. My scores were:
63/65 Verbal
73/75 Reading
88/85 Math
79/79 Overall
I was accepted to 4 great schools, including one of my top choices.
I was waitlisted at schools like Choate, Hotchkiss, Lville, Loomis etc.
Your scores are just one part of the puzzle. Do not worry too much, you have time.
I would get the official practice online and physical booklet. They help a lot. Math is one of the hardest to improve: you either get it or you don’t.
I don’t have so many great math tips as I didn’t study for the math; it’s my best subject.
What level Math are you currently in? Many students have yet to learn some of the concepts on the test. Remember that 8-11th graders are taking the same test.
You can use practice tests to figure out if a certain concept is giving you trouble and learn/practice that concept. For example, DD had not learned (at school) quadratic equations at the time of the test, nor had she taken any geometry, so we covered those at home.
If you know what’s messing you up, use Khan Academy. They have all of the types of problems on the test. It’ll show you a video and then give you practice and then a quiz.
Just a different perspective. It’s not necessary to learn the math you don’t know to do well. The test is curved for your age. 8th graders are expected to skip questions on geometry. My kids did not learn math beyond their 8th grade curriculum for the ssat and they both did just fine.
My current 8th grader, taking Honors Algebra II currently in LPS, said there was little or no advanced algebra in the SSAT (taken in October, I think) but that it was very helpful to refresh himself on Algebra I and Geometry before the test.
im currently taking geometry but i think my school curriculum is a bit behind. ive also never taken math classes outside of school… its not really my thing
sorry, im just curious as to how you scored an 88/85 on math? wouldnt 85/85 be a full score?
ahh ok thanks for the advice!
no, 99 is the highest. 88 is the percentile out of 99 for gender and grade, 85 is just grade.
They scale you by grade, and by gender + grade.
I got an 88 for Gender+ grade, but an 85 for grade only.
So I did quite poorly on the verbal especially.
What schools are you applying to? SSAT averages vary by school
That is not behind if you are in 8th grade. In fact, a lot of the kids will not have taken geometry in Middle School. Try to take some practice tests (official SSAT or Test Innovators) and identify the kinds of questions that are giving you trouble. There are only so many types of questions that they test you on.
ohhh i understand now
im not sure which schools i’ll be applying to yet, but i know i definitely want to apply to exeter, choate, and deerfield
i know those schools are super competitive so i was a bit worried about my scores (especially quantitative)
thanks for the advice! i will make sure to check out test innovators!
those are great schools, but i would consider adding some lesser known, but still great schools. here’s a thread you should check out:
You are in luck. Quant is the easiest section of all to improve. Set a target on wrongs (like 5 wrongs) and simply skip time-consuming and difficult questions. Move fast like a SWAT team. Do not even spend time to guess them. Leave them blank, because the penalty for wrong guess is quite high. Plus, you will have more time to spend on easier ones that way. Good luck!
did you submit your scores?
Don’t worry about the SSAT too much. I did A LOT worse. I scored in the 49th quantiative, 63rd verbal, and 77th reading. I got into loomis and was waitlisted at deerfield and SPS. I was disappointed with my scores and ended up not submitting them. Trust me, they’re not as important as they seem. I had one B on my transcript throughout middle school. I’m just a bad test taker. These schools know that not everyone is a good test taker. That’s why they don’t weigh in standardized scores that much. Besides, your scores are a lot better than mine so don’t stress
Hey I had similar numbers on the ssat first 3 times I took it and also got into Loomis! I completely agree. Test scores aren’t the only thing they look at. There are aspects on your app that are far more important.
yes