<p>Hello, Please let me know about the SSAT Upper Level exam in October 2014. How did those of you who sat for it find it. My daughter found the Reading Comprehension section extremely tough. Was it the same for most of you. Please advise. Thanks</p>
<p>Are scores out yet? I thought they typically came out 9 days after the test, as in today. I know there is no guarantee about when they come out, but if they are out and for seem reason our scores still show as “pending,” I would be curious. </p>
<p>I am waiting for the result, too. My child said critical reading was very difficult.</p>
<p>No scores yet for my son. He said the same about the reading comp, very difficult. </p>
<p>No scores here yet - I checked a few minutes ago. My daughter didn’t complain about a particular section. She had been prepping a lot for reading comp because that is her weakest area so maybe that is why she didn’t complain about that specific section. She said the test was hard which in her case could mean everything or nothing. The whole process is so nerve-wracking.</p>
<p>No scores yet…my daughter took the October test and found it long as well. A friend of hers remarked to his parents that the test was, “the longest five hours of his life!!” </p>
<p>Even though the test was only four hours… 
</p>
<p>I found the reading comprehension section to be difficult and very long.</p>
<p>So much for that 9 day rule! I wonder if the changes to the demographic calculations are stretching out the process. Or, perhaps the reading comprehension section was such a mess that they are needing to revnvent the scaling!</p>
<p>@blackbeard On the SSAT website, in the Scores FAQs, it says “Scores are delivered approximately 2 weeks after a standard test administration date.” So, I’m expecting them Friday ([color=orange]H[/color=orange]A[color=orange]L[/color=orange]L[color=orange]O[/color=orange]W[color=orange]E[/color=orange]E[color=orange]N[/color=orange]!) or over the weekend.</p>
<p>@ambitiouswolf Yes I know the basic party line, but if you go back and look on these forums at past score release announcements, they are very frequently on the Monday one week after the test date, or 9 days. SSAT folks told me today that it would be by end of week. Trick or treat!</p>
<p>Thanks for all your replies. Its makes me feel a little upbeat to know that I am not alone in this situation. It is really a difficult time. Also wonder whether the schools will take into the fact that October’s SSAT Reading Comprehension was may be tougher than the other following months. Its just a guessing and nail biting waiting game. These exams are so unpredictable. Besides I feel the main exam is also far more difficult than any of the practice exams that are available anywhere. What is your opinion? Please advise.</p>
<p>It really does not matter if the test is generally hard. It only matters if it is specifically hard for your child. If everyone does worse on one section because it is more complex, the percentiles will sort themselves out. On the other hand, if your child rocks straight essay text and gets crushed with poetry, test to test variation can make a difference. In this case, repeating the test can be a good strategy. So if the test is just a hard test, we can all rest easy that they just dialed it in a little off target. </p>
<p>Yesterday afternoon Heather Hoerle from SSAT tweeted: “Just under 6,000 student’s SSAT scores have been released today following our busiest October test administration ever.” The score report also shows that scores “were delivered” to the school on 10/28. So how come our kid’s score report still says “pending” ?</p>
<p>@bostdad2 From SSAT live chat this morning:</p>
<p>Blackbeard says:
Yesterday Heather Hoerle tweeted that scores had been released to 6,000 students. Our scores still show as pending on the student portal. Am I doing something wrong?</p>
<p>Cassie from SSAT says:
Yes. The scoring has been completed. Scores will be available by the end of the week.</p>
<p>Blackbeard says:
So when she said “released” did that not mean released to students?</p>
<p>Cassie from SSAT says:
Correct. Released from scoring.</p>
<p>Not to detract from the anxious waiting, but when she says “our busiest October test administration ever”…is that a leading indicator as to the competitiveness of this admission season? </p>
<p>Well, there are almost certainly going to be more test takers and applicants. This may or may not mean it is more competitive, particularly in certain categories. Given trends, it is likely that acceptance for international students, particularly from China, Hong Kong and South Korea, will be harder - applicants from these countries have been growing like crazy. (see <a href=“How China's New Love Affair with U.S. Private Schools Is Changing Them Both - The Atlantic)However”>How China's New Love Affair with U.S. Private Schools Is Changing Them Both - The Atlantic)However</a>, Some info from a post by SSATB about trends in test takers. </p>
<h1>1 They are increasingly international.</h1>
<p>Unique test-taker volume over time does indicate that a growing number of individual students are taking the SSAT, thus joining the overall pool. As you can see, the number of individual students taking the SSAT has been slowly rebounding since the 2006-07 peak and subsequent economic recession. The number of testers in 2011-12 was greater than the number of testers in 2006-07 by 3,446 students. However, the majority of these testers are international students, particularly in Asia.</p>
<h1>2 More are taking the SSAT a second time.</h1>
<p>The vast majority of students take the SSAT just one time (82%). Yet the number of students who take the SSAT more than once slowly increased between 2003 and 2012. In the 2003-04 testing year, 87% of students took the test once, as compared to 82% in 2011-12. Conversely, the percentage of students taking the test two times saw a slow but steady increase from 11% in 2004 to 15% in 2012. This change in test-taking behavior is likely attributable to the rise of test prep services and increased parental anxiety surrounding the independent school admission process. SSATB does not limit the number of times a student might take the standard test.</p>
<h1>3 They are casting a wider net.</h1>
<p>With the decline of the economy since 2008, domestic students may have been seeking more options for financial aid in the last few years, thus sending more score reports to more schools. Since 2007- 2008, there has been a steady decline in the number of students sending 1-2 score reports, and an increase in the number sending 3-5 and 6-8 score reports. The number of domestic students sending 3-5 score reports is up 6% for 2012-2013.</p>
<p>In comparison, the number of international students sending 1-2 score reports is down 4% in 2011-2012, while the number of international students sending 3-5, 6-8, and 9-10 reports has remained relatively consistent. However, the international student base continues to cast the widest net, with the number of students sending more than 10 reports up 5% over last year.</p>
<h1>4 Their financial pressures persist.</h1>
<p>The number of SSAT Fee Waivers used by applicants to member schools peaked in 2009 at 7,279. A steep decline of 15% occurred between 2010 and 2011 but promptly picked up again for 2012. There were 1,091 more fee waivers used in 2012 than in 2008. With the 2012-13 test season still underway, 2013’s number is sure to increase.</p>
<h1>5 They want a standardized application process.</h1>
<p>SSATB developed the Standard Application Online (SAO) to simplify the admission process for families. The SAO allows families to use one standardized form to apply to the over 500 schools which accept it. Use is up 447% in the last five years. More than 18,000 applications were submitted through February 2013. The total number of unique applicants has climbed rapidly – up 77% since 2008. The average individual applicant sends 3.2 applications in 2013, as opposed to 1.6 applications in 2008.</p>
<p>This was a neat line from the article “Today, many middle class Chinese students and parents can rattle off a list of American high school names in one breath – an duo fu, ta fu te, huo qi ji si, qiao te, luo si ma li – but the schools themselves, and the images of what life might be like there, are still distant and foreign.” Fun! I get that the first school is Andover and the 4th school is Choate. Have you figured out the others?</p>
<p>@bostdad2 Andover, Taft, Hotchkiss, Choate Rosemary</p>
<p>Ta Fu Te = Taft.
Huo qi ji si = Hotchkiss
Qiao Te Luo Si Ma Li = Choate Rosemary</p>
<p>Nice job! :)</p>