<p>@london 203
You need to contact SSAT as soon as possible. My child also took the flex test and scored terribly. It was a 25 point drop from when the test was taken last June before entering 8th grade. This made no sense. Yesterday, we received an email from SSAT stating their had been some inconsistencies in the flex test only, and my child could retake the SSAT free of charge. A voucher number was also included in the email. Of course, my child will retake the test in December but will also take the ISEE. It was such a shock when I got the results that I immediately registered for both test. SSAT has refunded the cost of my 2nd registration.</p>
<p>Below is the content of the email I received. Of course, I have removed our name. Please don’t hesitate to contact SSAT to see if your child falls in the same category. Good luck!</p>
<p>Dear Family of </p>
<p>I am writing with important information about the SSAT your child took on
November 11, 2012. The form of the test your child took is referred to as
the “Flex Test”. Each year, there are nine forms of the SSAT, eight of
which are administered on scheduled Saturdays/Sundays throughout the year
(October - June). The ninth form (the Flex) may be taken at any time
during the testing year.</p>
<p>Our Testing and Research team has conducted and concluded a thorough review
of all our 2012-13 testing data. We have discovered that for some of our
testers, the Quantitative section of the Upper Level Flex test has a
“guessing” rate which appears to be twice our normal rate for other
examination forms. This is evidenced by significantly fewer omitted
questions.</p>
<p>Given this inconsistency in the way in which some students are taking this
test’s Quantitative section, we are offering to re-test for free students
who took the Upper Level Flex test beginning August 1, 2012. Please note
that this issue is isolated to the Upper Level Flex test; tests taken by
your child on any other dates are not affected.</p>
<p>As the parent of a child who recently took the SSAT, I deeply regret the
added stress and anxiety that re-testing may cause you and your child
during the independent school application process. Please note that many
students performed well on the Upper Level Flex Test and, therefore, do not
need to re-test. (In other words, students who are satisfied with their
scores are free to report them to schools; SSATB has communicated with
schools to treat these scores exactly as they would any other set of
scores.)</p>
<p>Please click the link provided below to access your SSAT student account,
from which you can register for a free test on any of the remaining
Standard test dates using the Fee Waiver code provided; no late
registration fees will apply. If your family is working with an outside
organization, educational consultant, or with a placement counselor at an
independent school, you may hear from them with additional information
regarding re-registering for SSAT. If it is a hardship for you to test on
one of the upcoming standard dates, please contact us at <a href="mailto:info@ssat.org">info@ssat.org</a>, and
we will do our best to work with you.</p>
<p>I sincerely apologize for any added burdens created by this situation,
particularly at this time of year. Please know that we are dedicated to
offering the best admission test to families and students in the
independent school admission process, and the best tool to admission
directors at independent schools, so that great decisions can be made to
enrich your child’s future education. Thank you in advance for your
understanding.</p>
<p>Sincerely,
Heather Hoerle, SSATB Executive Director</p>
Still deciding what to do about December test…</p>