<p>Just based on a 90% ssat score, with 97% reading, could I get into loomis chaffee, choate and taft? Is this a good score? Newbie to the whole prep school world! Thanks :)</p>
<p>Look up the average SSAT stats for admitted students at these schools. If you are at or above the average, then your test scores will be a non-issue - they won’t hurt you, and they’ll possibly help you - but even 99% SSAT scores will not guarantee admission. There are too many other factors that play into the entire admissions process: grades, test scores, interview, essays, recommendations, your ECs, etc.</p>
<p>If you test well but you get bad or average grades and do nothing extra you are an underperformer.
If you test not so well but get great grades and have recs and ecs it shows you have drive. Scores alone don’t matter. You just have to show you have the ability to do their work.
Schools want people who will get involved and try their best. There are enough people with perfect (or close to it) scores to fill all the spots.</p>
<p>To give you an answer you want to hear, average SSAT score percentiles were 78%, 85% and 84%, respectively. So your score is above these averages, which however, as others have replied here, does not secure your admission though. Best wishes,</p>
<p>What do you think of these scores:</p>
<p>Verbal: 764 (90%)
Math: 767 (81%)
Reading: 782 (99%)
Total: 2313 (97%)</p>
<p>this is from Nov 2012 test, results just came out today . Math was weird, only a couple questions wrong and score was pulled down to 81%. Any thoughts? Would you consider this a good score for Exeter, Andover, etc? Total is above avg but Math isnt.</p>
<p>Well of Corse those scores are fine. If you noticed that a few questions pulled your math scores down, then the admissions office will see that too.</p>
<p>90% is a great score. Depending on others, you coule get in there. But remember there are so many students who are denied despite almost perfect SSAT score. Schools would look more into the fit between you and the general class body.</p>
<p>I also got 90% and was wondering if it matted if one of my scores is less than 75%?
I did a lot better on the other two sections, but the lower score worries me.
Does it matter a lot?</p>
<p>Anybody that feels the need to publicly post their SSAT scores above 95%… and still have to ask about their “chances”, in my view are either too vain, insecure, or are not smart enough to justify acceptance. Honestly, anyone with a ballpark of 85%, and have a good GPA/EC and solid presentation on the rest of the elements of their application… letters of rec… etc… are in good contention for all of the highest rated schools. Period. A special talent, such as playing a specific musical instrument to fill a vacant spot, or a special athletic talent to help the school compete, may give a slight advantage. But by-in-large, it is the whole picture, not a narrow SSAT score that is the larger advantage. In some ways, I would give the interview more weight than the SSAT. What kind of personality do you have? Are you a nice person? How do you get along with others? Unless daddy is going to contribute a billion dollars, no school wants to be stuck with an arrogant, uncaring and not nice person for four years, no matter what they scored on the SSAT.</p>
<p>@exover: I think “good contention” is misleading. The fact is that most of the applicants will have the profile you paint, but still get rejected. If the acceptance rate is in the teens, that means that 80%+ do not get in…which is not how I’d define “good contention”.</p>
<p>That’s interesting, because I know about 20 people who scored in the 80’s and are in Andover and Exeter right now, and I can assure you there are a lot more that I don’t know of. Albert Einstein could have a bad day on the SSAT… depending on what he had for breakfast that day… etc… Considering that some SSAT’s are slightly more… (or less) difficult than others, there is simply no way to know (without reading the “back-of-house” statistical cross-tabs), within a reasonable range of 10% to 15% (arbitrary numbers), who the stronger student actually is. A 97% one month could be the equal of an 85% on a different month, without regard to the multi-year rolling average. Then, of course, there are the many other factors like personality. These schools would certainly prefer an 80+ nice person to a 99% jerk, that’s a guarantee. That’s where the interview, report cards (which usually include conduct) for two years and letters of rec are more relevant than the ssat. They would also prefer an 80+ well rounded extrovert to a 99% study-machine introvert who has never seen the world beyond their bedroom window, with mommy and daddy standing behind them with a whip. I am fully aware of the claim of 94% “average” scores. I would argue that is bunk, and I would argue that if it’s not bunk, than these schools are engaged in actively misleading people to pump up applications, and I absolutely do not believe that…I reject that because they don’t have to, it would not be in their interest (because it would rule out many superior candidates) and it would be unethical on top of that. In fact, Exeter sent out a letter a while back encouraging people to apply even if they were frustrated by their SSAT score. Obviously, a good score is one advantage, it’s not even close to the whole package of considerations. Students should be encouraged to put their best foot forward. But I would certainly agree that my use of the term “good contention” is perhaps too optimistic given the overall acceptance rate. Perhaps “meets the standards for serious consideration” is better.</p>