First off all schools that we are applying to are SSAT optional.
We just got in first scores
V: 99 R: 92 Q:50 Average: 87
The quant is weak, but the others are quite strong. Would you submit if the schools average SSAT was below 87? Or would the Q be too low that the verbal would not balance out in the AO’s eyes?
Will likely retake
Thank you
Congrats to your child on the verbal and reading scores. The good news is the quant score is the easiest to improve with some study and practice. Definitely test again after some practice.
You don’t say whether you think the quant score is a fair reflection of you child’s math abilities. If it’s not, the math rec may offset the score.
1 Like
Just wondering how many kids take/submit the SSAT at these test optional schools? I guess I’m missing the point as to why even bother with the stress and expense of it. Is there an advantage of taking it when we hear that not everything lies in just one component of the application? Will showing up with a single point in time test score actually make or break a kid’s chance at these schools?
I think at best in Quant he would hit the low 80%. He is in Honor’s Algebra and has had the same teach for three years. He should have a really strong recommendation from her.
Do you think schools care more about the average of individual scores?
In another thread I asked about superscoring and from what people say it isn’t an average of scores but the best score that would be taken. I personally don’t get it, like does the one person at the school just write down on a separate piece of paper the best score then the sheet with both test results away and give the admissions team the sheet with the best scores? How do they unsee that a kid got a lower score on a section and not use it against them or use it to their benefit? Do they say “wow look at this improvement!” Or do they say, “hmm wonder what score really is reflective of what this kid knows?” (Can you tell I hate standardized tests 
). I mean I get the purpose but I also understand that it only shows a single point in time and how a kid tests at that single point. Like what if your son takes it again and gets an 82 in math but tanks the reading section getting a 65 that day. What does that tell an AO? I really don’t envy their job with all of this either.
One thing I’ve seen is that people recommend a second go at the test especially if you think it might help but that is for school that require the test. Maybe finding out from each school how many kids actually submitted test scores last year vs how many applied and then maybe they have the same number for the kids admitted. Ask if they recommend which students should submit scores (maybe it’s the ones who’s grades don’t really reflect their knowledge vs the kid with straight A’s) 
Ugh I hate these tests haha.
1 Like
My guess is that, at top schools, many kids test above the 90th %ile on all three SSAT sections and receive straight As. Those admitted that fall below those lines probably make compelling cases elsewhere in their applications. Also of note, many kids applying to the top schools, who test above the 90th %ile on all three SSAT sections and receive straight As, that do not make compelling cases are not admitted.
2 Likes
We were told by an AO at one of the frequently mentioned schools that they have experienced more students struggling to get passing grades in the classes that had test optional admissions. (This school has gone back to requiring testing as a result.) This feedback would make me want to submit my score if it’s at least mid-80s overall or higher, because I think AOs will see it as a sign you can likely do the work. If you can retake it and get the quantitative up, even better.
4 Likes
I would not submit a 50%. A very high verbal does not “balance out” such a low score in math. Schools are not trying to hit scores for bragging rights they are trying to make sure your kid can do the work successfully. That low a score does not help.
3 Likes
It shouldn’t just be about what to do from an admissions perspective. It should be about what’s best for the student. If a strong majority of a school’s students score in the high 80s or better (with many in the mid-to-high 90s), and your student gets a 50, perhaps the school isn’t right for him/her. I suppose it depends on if you think the test is actually indicative of ability (I suspect it has some correlation), but you really don’t want your kid to go to a school with a bunch of math standouts when he or she may struggle in the subject as you get up to algebra II, pre-calc and perhaps beyond. If the SSAT score is an 80, he or she will likely be OK. But if a 50 is indicative of true ability, and your kid attends, he or she may really struggle in all but the lowest-level math courses offered. That would be a difficult situation and would likely impact multiple aspects of the overall experience, not just math grades.
5 Likes
I would try the test again and try to get to 75%. You might be able to do that with specialized tutoring. I think the math score is probably not too far off of math level and only reads somewhat low. Congrats on the English scores.
My kids had some pretty strong swings between tests.
But I would still submit the 87 especially if the profile is strong in other areas.
2 Likes
I agree 100%. It is really important to find the right fit.
1 Like
This is not necessarily true. A score of a 50 may mean the kid has yet to be exposed to the topics covered on the exam. True, they should be at this point, but not all schools are created equal which is why schools also consider diversity of where these kids come from. It has no indication that the kid is not capable of learning some topics he missed with a little extra studying or tutoring, but what it does indicate, is at this single point in time, the child did not understand these particular questions. There is zero indication as to why or how.
4 Likes
Thank you everyone for your input, super helpful and informative. For what its worth I have been looking at SSAT as an x-factor to improve overall application strength. We are going to retake in December, and hopefully get a Quant that is more indicative of ability. Hopefully verbal stays the same so I don’t have to call a bunch of schools to ask about superscores. 
2 Likes
This actually echoes something else the AO I mentioned earlier said, which is that they brought back testing, not to rule kids out based on scores, but to know what gaps kids had in ability----particularly after COVID learning loss. I took that with a grain of salt at this particular school as I’m sure they will do some score-based “weeding” but it does make sense from the standpoint of seeing where a class is as a whole when planning for courses.
3 Likes
There’s certainly tons of truth to what you say; thank you for bringing this up. Aspects of geometry are on the test, right? If so, and your student hasn’t had geometry yet, this would certainly impact things. But I do think it’s difficult to go to an Exeter, for example, and not have had geometry beforehand. Most kids who apply to the tippy tops from our local school for gifted kids take Algebra 1 (honors) in 6th grade, and geometry/Algebra II honors in 7/8.
The same can be true at the other end, however, in that very advanced kids can suffer on the SSAT if they haven’t covered certain topics recently. I recall from what my kid said that the test included a lot of Algebra 1 type questions; my kid learned from practice tests that he had better refresh on that material before taking the real thing!
2 Likes
My kid was TO and got into all her applied boarding schools. I didn’t think SSAT would help her and she had other strong parts of her application and of items showing boarding school readiness. However she did not apply to very academic boarding schools, but more middle tier Mercersburg, etc. She chose Emma Willard in the end.
As a freshman her grades reflect the strengths and weaknesses she has always had. SSAT did not reflect on how she’d do. Subjects where she had been very strong are still very strong, even though SSAT score was poor. She’s been assertive in seeking out help as needed. The school seems to be a very good fit for her in many other ways.
So the SSAT is just one number that gives some guidance to you and the school, but you could have other data that gives a different picture.
I’d probably apply with that score especially if you show math strength through other means.
4 Likes
The ssat is not the be-all and end-all, and schools know it. They are not looking for every kid to be strong in everything. My son with the lowest ssat (of my 3 kids) – in the 77th percentile – was on the honor roll at Hotchkiss every semester after 9th grade. A score on the 87th percentile is an excellent score. If it were my kid, I’d submit.
1 Like
While Algebra 1 in 6th grade may be typical at schools for the gifted, plenty of kids apply and are admitted to prep schools from ordinary middle schools as well. These kids take 6th grade math curriculum and then pre-Algebra in 7th or even eighth grade. While I bet that most students applying to selective boarding schools have had some Algebra and many have had some geometry, I also bet that all of those schools offer at least one flavor of an Algebra 1 course for kids who have not had any real exposure to algebra before starting high school along with offerings for students who have had algebra but need a review. This will be particularly true for another year or two while the effects of the covid lockdown are still rippling through students who lost significant learning time.
All of that said, I think the OP student should try retaking the SSAT after some studying or even tutoring. I think that if the student is able to get the quant score up to 65+, their application will be in stronger shape. An overall 87th percentile is absolutely fine in general, but depending on the school, having a 50 quant score is probably low enough to raise some concerns that the student may struggle with the math curriculum.
3 Likes
This is my daughter’s middle school exactly. Pre-Algebra right now as an 8th grader. She is not applying to any of the tippy top schools as those aren’t a good fit for a lot of reasons (she is looking for a good balance between academic and social for instance).
However, it means that she is currently self-studying Geometry, equations of lines, how to find the slope, what the notation f(x) means, etc.
Hopefully it’s enough to get a good score on the SSAT, but if not, she will just apply test optional and move on. Only one of her schools requires a graded math test when applying test optional, so it seems like that one in particular may want students to have a strong mathematical background.
1 Like
In regards to this increase in the score (if it were to be the case), do schools consider that the score improved or are they just looking at the bottom line, a number? To me one score doesn’t show the full picture, but I’m also not in admissions! To me it would raise more questions than actually say to me the kid is capable of BS academics: was the first test a bad day for math, did the student cram after receiving a subpar score, does the student ACTUALLY understand and retain what they crammed in the last month or is it short term retention which in the end is meaningless? Especially if releasing both scores because other sections are great, would it still send up a red flag to admissions when there is quite a discrepancy of a section between the 2 tests?