Hi - We are late to the boarding school application process, but my 8th grade son really wants to apply this year and start test prep asap. I’m just not sure which test to sign up for: SSAT or ISEE? (Both are accepted by the schools he is interested in.)
The closest SSAT test sites are at least 3 hours away, so he would need to take the SSAT online at home. However, there are a few in-person ISEE testing options in our town for this fall.
Does anyone have experience with the online SSAT at home? Would you/your child have preferred to take a test in person? I’m worried about technical glitches, etc., but my son likes knowing that he can retake the SSAT as needed. (If it matters, he is a little better at verbal than math, generally, and he has not taken algebra yet.)
Thank you, and hope I’m posting to the right board!
We had 3 choices for SSAT - at home, testing site or at a school all quite close by. We both agreed (kid and I) that at home would feel the most comfortable. We are a tech savvy family so wasn’t too concerned about glitches. Kid took 2 times from home, no issues.
Personally, for me (and I think kid) a long drive would just cause a ton of nerves and “hype.”
I didn’t really look into ISEE much, so can’t speak to that or even the difference between them.
The problem with the ISEE is that you only get to take it 2x in an admissions cycle (and no you are not late to this party… right on time actually). The SSAT is great because they give it many times a month and you can sign up to take it as many times as you like (their online prep is fabulous btw and it’s worth the extra $135). We took it at home and it was great. The best part is that you can wait until you get your test scores and choose which one you want to send to which school. Also some schools ‘super score’ so do email/call/search to find out if your schools of interest do. You can submit your test scores at any time before the Jan 15 deadline, so everyone has plenty of time to study/take the test. Also beware: the essay is incredibly important to schools, so do spend time on that. Good luck!
I’m an eighth grader, and I actually took the SSAT at-home today. Technical glitches shouldn’t be too big of a problem for you; even if your secure browser crashes, I believe you can still resume your session after going through the preliminary checks again.
For your son, I would recommend the SSAT over the ISEE, for a multitude of reasons. The verbal section on the SSAT is considered harder than that on the ISEE, while the math sections on ISEE are likewise considered more difficult than those on the SSAT. Considering he’s better at verbal than math, (just like me!) I think it’d be advisable for him to take the SSAT.
I don’t know if your in-person testing options are computer or paper based, but I will say that (at least for me) typing on a keyboard at home is far easier than writing with paper and pencil. I don’t think I could have written the essay that I did today if I was given the same time with paper. However, it differs for some people, so I’d advise you to check with your son.
Finally, as some other people have mentioned, you can re-take the SSAT a lot. Pretty clear-cut advantage there. Also, the SSAT has great online prep; 4 full online practice tests and a bunch of other tools! They’ll allow both of you to see what he needs to work on, and if he even needs to prep - if he can consistently get high raw scores on the practice tests (46+ for quantitate, 38+ for reading, 50+ for verbal) he could save the effort of studying for those sessions. Personally, being able to spare the effort of preparing for reading and verbal allowed me to focus on math and bring my math score up substantially.
Best of luck to your son! (And if me and him are applying to the same schools, maybe we’ll be in the same freshman class!)
My son took the SSAT at home yesterday as well. Initially it did not load the link to test so i rebooted the computer and logged in again and it loaded the test. So if there is any issue try to restart the computer and that should fix the issues.
Hope this helps and good luck to your son
I have heard the SSAT at Home format is quirky – is there a visible proctor window looking at your child from the screen at all times? Are they allowed only two pieces of blank paper for the math section for the entire test? How do the breaks work? Are they allowed to leave the room to go to the bathroom, etc? We have been counseled to go to Prometric, but it seems so much more straightforward to take the test at home if it’s not too anxiety provoking for the kid! Thanks for any feedback on recent experience.
Taking test at home is very easy and exactly the way it states on SSAT.Org.
Two sheets are more than enough and when you finish a section and break time starts it will notify you. You know how much time you have and you can leave the room, use restroom etc. But get back to the computer before break is over. My DS did it and I helped him scan the room and then proctor tells you that you may leave and I left. Taking it home is much simpler than at a testing center . Also all tests taken prior to Sunday are scored by following Wednesday.good luck
As others have said, the online test tools are quite good for SSAT. If you have a choice, I’d chose it for that reason alone. All online proctored tests are miserable and my kids prefer taking them somewhere without their parent yelling at the screen but! If you can still register for two sets I would do it.