I am in the process of doing all my interviews. I have taken the SSAT once and got 2211, 86th percentile:
Reading :680, 63%ile
Verbal :731, 80%ile
Quantitative :800, 99%ile
I plan to retake it on February 3rd because I believe I can score better, especially in Reading where a poem packed with old English really threw me off last time.
My question is, do I mention this score in my interviews or do I just keep quiet and tell them I plan to take it on February 3rd. I don’t want a careless move to ruin my chances. Please help.
Others might disagree, but I would mention your scores very matter of factly in the interviews. No apologies or excuses, but just a simple statement that your reading score did not reflect what you believe you are capable of and that you are retaking the test for that reason.
Now, it’s a bit high stakes, if it turns out that you don’t do better on the next test. So, it’s up to you. Get working on your practice tests and hit it out of the park come February. Best of luck!
Thanks, @SatchelSF. Funny, you’ve just made me feel better when I’ve been feeling hopeless all morning. You make it sound as though I still have a chance :).
It makes sense what you say about mentioning it but making sure I do better in the next one. I really believe I can. And I hope the math won’t go down at all
My kids weren’t asked about grades and test scores in any of their interviews. It isn’t the point of the interview. They’ll see that on your application. The interview is about getting to know you more personally, stuff that isn’t data and numbers. Unless you are asked point blank, there is no reason to bring it up nor should you.
agree with @doschicos but …if you are an outlier for just about anything you have to bring up the thing you are lacking so you can explain or address it. I will be frank: your verbal is low (for PA) as well. If your verbal was 95, quant 99 and reading was 63 I might say that was possibly an anomaly. You are trying to explain the lowest score but the other isnt very strong either. So I dont know…
In 16 interviews over 2 cycles swim kid was never asked. During the parent convo at one school, we as parents were asked but it was from a recruiting standpoint.
At one school, the AO asked if we had seen them yet because they had just been released and he had them printed out for the Skype interview. But that is a school that is almost never mentioned on here.
Thanks, @doschicos. I’ll just keep quiet until asked
@Center , I’m very aware of the fact that 731 is not high for Verbal, but it is around the range I got in practice. In practice I only scored a little higher. But the Reading is waaaay below my average. When practicing, with different materials, I did not score that low. So it’s the one thing I know I can fix.
@momof3swimmers thank you. And with all your experience, would you have a couple of schools to suggest for me…in the East, Boston, New Hampshire, where they may accept me with my 86?
@TATS1234 you can be accepted anywhere with an 86. There is so much more that goes into it than just the score. It all depends on their needs and what you bring to the table. But I’m happy to answer questions for you.
I agree that it’s not often discussed in the interview, but at some point I think it makes sense to let them know that you’re taking the test in February. If this was your first time taking it, your score will probably go up. Work on some vocab if you can - that will help with both the verbal & reading sections.
If you want to widen your net a bit, there are still a few schools that are accepting applications. You would have to call them however, to see if they can still arrange an interview.
