<p>I searched for this on the forum but nothing came up, so I thought I'd start a new thread. Forgive me, please, if it's already been covered. I'm new here.</p>
<p>I am hoping that some of the recent applicants can give me an idea of how the practise tests that come with the book you get from the ssat people compare to the actual test. In other words, how far off were your scores? I know that the ssat book doesn't have a percentile chart.</p>
<p>Same for the Princeton Review and Kaplan's books.</p>
<p>I stated this in another thread, but for my child it was too hard to really replicate the 3 hour timed testing experience. Anyone can do really well on the SSAT sitting in their comfy house with a mug of hot chocolate and the dog at your feet. My son had to figure out how to take the test in a drafty, impersonal, unfamiliar school with someone else imposing the timing restrictions. Use the practice tests as a way to get control over the format, but don't take the practice scores (low or high) as gospel.</p>
<p>"Anyone can do really well on the SSAT sitting in their comfy house with a mug of hot chocolate and the dog at your feet."
This isn't necessary in your home. It does sound cozy but is there nowhere in your house where you can just sit at a desk? Dogs and hot chocolate shouldn't be included.</p>
<p>Of course he is sitting at a desk. The point is that your home is not the testing site, and vice versa. Some people may not care about environment, and others may be totally thrown off their game. I have a child (children) who had never set foot in a public school and was rattled by the noise, flourescent lighting, and sheer number of students. Had he scored 99% at home a dozen times, it would not have mattered. He needed the practical life experience that is standardized testing to understand what a standardized test was. Has he been going to public school the last 10 years, it would have been familiar to him. So, the $100 we spent on the 'real life' practice test was money well spent.</p>
<p>I couldn't agree more. My son scored in the high 90's on all his home practice tests. He never did reach that score in the real thing, but it was extremely helpful to take the actual test, at the site, for a practice run.</p>
<p>My son took his first SSAT test in a well-lit, highly selective private school and he could not concentrate because a student was coughing and scratching his throat all through the test. There are all sorts of unexpected disturbances out there.</p>
<p>It was the Princeton Review practise that he took. I made him sit at his sister's dressing table with a clock in front of him! He finished all the sections with a few minutes to spare. (He refuses to go over his work) I gave him two five minute breaks. The only thing we didn't do was the essay and that is specifically what worries me. I'm afraid that if the essay is first, it will rattle him. It doesn't matter if he writes something utterly brilliant or unworthy of a second grader, he will think it's aweful and lose concentration for the scored part. Like I said, his scores were very high, but he's really worried that no one will be able to read his rushed handwriting. I guess we'll just have to work on penmanship a little.</p>
<p>What is measured? Your essay will be used by admission officers to assess your writing skills. The exercise is not scored by SSAT, but a copy of your essay is forwarded to each school you request as a score recipient.</p>
<p>From me: He should not stress about the essay. His English teacher's recommendation will carry much more weight than his SSAT essay. If he's a particularly strong writer, include samples of his best writing in his applications.</p>
<p>He's a very strong writer (with barely legible handwriting). That's what he's so stressed about. He always thinks he's performed much worse than he actually has. I'll tell him to blow it off and that should do the trick.</p>
<p>Actually a little performance anxiety is constructive in test-takers because it gets their andrenals going.So advising to blow it off might be too extreme! My son is the same, a strong writer with nearly indecipherable penmanship.</p>
<p>Hi-
I studied at prep classes,but I also studied at home.
My classes at Princeton were from 5-11 pm 3 times a week.
I fell behind in my school work, and lost countless hours of sleep. The information taught at the classes is all written in the books.
One benefit of the classes are the vocabulary quizzes- if you can get your parents to write those for you, I would strongly recommend self studying.</p>
<p>And finally, please don't put too much stress on the SSATs.
There are applicants who got SSAT scores in the low 70s and got into Andover. Then there is me, who got a 97%, and did not get into any of my top choice schools. Bleh.</p>
<p>There are several books to prepare for SSAT. You can go through those books, and I want to recommend to take SSAT several times. When I took the test at first I got 89%, but I got 97% when I took at the second test.
I know some of my friends took even three times. You can send the best score after all.</p>
<p>Aspirant94 is correct. SSAT is not everything. I did not get admitted from Andover and Exteter even though I got 97% and perfect grade reports.
I am confident about my EC records as well. It really depends on your cultural background, geographical location, family legacy. etc. Of course you should be good at academic as well. There are so many good students applying. I believe I did not get my first choice just because I am asian american. most of the schools admit about 20% day student, 20% family legacy, 10-15% international student, 10% sports or other talented students. The real competition among the general pool is less than 40%.
Even 40% should be distributed across the gepgraphical and racial board.</p>
<p>Reply to Erkybk-
From what I understand, it is different for every school.
Some schools accept the most recent, some schools look at the best score, and others (most of the schools I applied for) looked at all three.
It really depends on where you send them.
(:</p>
<p>When I took the Practice SSAT I got about 55th percentile, and when I took the real thing I got 99th percentile, so don't trust those things. I don't know what happened the first time, maybe I didn't take it seriously enough because it was a practice, but don't stress out if you do badly. Good luck!</p>
<p>GUYS!! the practice test si so fake ! I got 89% on my practice run and 99on the real thing and that was the night before the test !! (the first time i opened the Mcgraw hill book it is by far by REALLY REALLY far the best book you can buy)</p>
<p>It was opposite for my son...he took several practice tests (the one you get from the SSAT) and aced them all. He did not fare as well (mid 80's) on the actual test.</p>