<p>I honestly feel like giving up. My ssat scores were horrible. I'm applying to competitive and safety schools but these scores take me off of the chart completely. I am going to retake it in January but I feel completely discouraged now.</p>
<p>Math:671, 17%
Reading: 658. 71%
Verbal 664. 51%
overall: 42%.</p>
<p>What am I going to do? Please help I feel absolutely stupid and like I no longer have a chance with these schools.</p>
<p>I did horrible in math too. wierd math was your highest overall score, but lowest percentile</p>
<p>Yeah that is weird. Are you going to retake ?</p>
<p>The exam is flawed!!! Although you are compared against your "peers " some have been prepped beyond belief, also at a certain grade level some of your peers may be as far as two years more advanced ( not more intelligent or brighter ) in math! That raises their %tile while lowering yours! On the Regular SAT at least all the math that appears on this exam has been taken by those juniors and seniors who are taking the exam!</p>
<p>Yes I am retaking. We are applying to some similar schools too. Hopefully we do better next time</p>
<p>For everyone that scored low, don’t feel bad about it! A positive attitude will help you study. Trust me! Convince yourself that you are capable of doing it and then set realistic goals for yourself. With a bit of practice and hard work, you should be able to get into the school you want to!</p>
<p>Here’s the deal with the SSAT… the percentile is compared against the gender and age/grade similar to you, so therefore they try to make the percentile more fair. 42%ile does seem bad, but if you get a few more questions right in each section, you’ll probably be above 50%ile, which puts you in the middle of all potential applicants. Ideally, you want to be above 60%ile, and for that, you’d probably need more focused practice.</p>
<p>People need to keep in mind that the SSAT’s are not all the same. Some tests are harder than those given in a previous month or in a future month. The schools know the level of difficulty for each test compared to previous tests, and will adjust accordingly. They can also see it in the test results of the applicants. Some years, a lot of applicants are in the mid 90’s, some years a lot of applicants are in the mid 80’s… both groups are at the same level of acheivment, the difference being in the modest difference in the difficulty-level of the particular SSAT that they took. In the end it all averages out, but each test individually is modestly different. That’s why a swing of 10 to 15 points is not a deal breaker. The Students have no way of knowing if 95% is needed in a particular year or if 80% is OK too. Only the school will know. Those announcing with pride their high scores on one particular test, might actually be at the same level as those who scored 15% less than them a few months earlier or later.</p>
<p>Since you’re retaking it, I’m sure you’ll be fine. SSAT’s aren’t everything, to be sure. It is a standardized test, so the scores may not be a very good test of your skills.</p>
<p>My d also scored low (37%) on the SSAT and is taking again tomorrow. Should we just give up at this point? She really bombed on the Reading, which is weird because that’s typically been her strong subject. I attribute that to texting and twitter! Candid reponse would be appreciaed.</p>
<p>Hey everyone, thanks for the advice. I’m so NERVOUS for tomorrow, it’s my last chance. @djc22nac I was going to give up but my advice is DON’t. There will be AT LEAST one school who will see beyond those scores. It’s already January, just finish your application and hope for the best. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE !</p>
<p>The test was quite hard. You might want to memorize words in both Kaplan book and Princeton. I’m in korea so I took the Jan 5th one already. Holy crap I feel like I’ve been brain screwed</p>
<p>@endthestars all she can really study is for verbal. Reading basically comes with practice, and so does math. Verbal, no matter how many words you memorize, is going to be difficult. I memorized 800, EIGHT HUNDRED words for this test and I think I only got around 85 percentile.</p>
<p>Endthestars, you’re not alone. I took the SSAT in November and Decemeber and only got up to 43% (overall test score for December). I took the SSAT again this month too, but I haven’t yet received my test score. You still have a chance of achieving a higher score in Math. First, review the Geometry : Area of a circle/square etc. , different types of angles, etc. Secondly, learn how to convert word problems into equations (VERY HELPFUL). Finally, review basic math techniques.
Remember, SSAT scores are only part of your application. If you have an amazing interview and wonderful essays, then you should at least get accepted to one private high school.</p>
<p>I think the SSAT works very weirdly. I didn’t really study beforehand (didn’t know I had to?) and got in the 93rd percentile overall. I don’t think it’s a very fair test, and I hope they don’t put too much weight on it.</p>
<p>Dont stress to much, the schools don’t only look at your SSAT scores</p>
<p>My Jan 5th test score is in reading, 725, 87%- Verbal 704 , 65 % and Math, 698 ,53 %… Any chance of getting into a good school??? Over all 69% ??</p>
<p>@student : It’s a pretty okay score, you’ll definitely have chances in some mid-tier schools like Berkshire, Blair, Cranbrook, Wesminster,… if you also have a good application+essay and interviews. What schools are you gonna apply anyway?</p>
<p>Thanks…Concord Academy, Buckingham Browne & Nichols , The Rivers School, Middlesex ??</p>
<p>Retake and prep. Princeton Review is a good book.</p>