<p>I was planning to attend boarding school this year and applied to both Emma Willard and Phillips Exeter Academy. I got into Emma Willard and sadly got rejected from Phillips Exeter Academy. I think one of the reasons I got rejected was because of my SSAT scores: they were 692 or 73% on the verbal, 695 or 68% on the math, 680 or 70% on the reading, overall with a 2067 or 72 SSAT percentile. I am disappointed with the low scores but it's my own fault for not studying. I actually crammed on the car ride there. BIG mistake though.Analogies was the worst section for me getting 2 more right (16) than wrong (14). LOL. Can people with higher scores tell me how they raised it or achieved it? How I can raise my scores to the 80's or 90's? If you achieved this, how did you? Specific names and books? How can I learn those challenging words or analogies since those were the first time I encountered those words; on the test? Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>PLEASEEE!!!! help me. I really need this because I am applying for FULL financial aid. And before you ask what my parents income are....well their very very low.</p>
<p>P.S. I'm new to here so can you guys explain the lingo to me? THANK YOU!</p>
<p>ssat's aren't everything but with exeter you probably want around an 85. emma willard is a great school nonetheless</p>
<p>Lots of people think the SSATs aren't very important, but I believe it to be the contrary. If you think about it, the competition (everyone applying to the a specific school) probably has good grades, has ECs, and so on. Assuming everyone doesn't screw up on the interviews, the few things that can make a difference are teacher recommendations, SSAT scores and the essay. The teacher recommendation is beyond immediate control, so take that out of the picture. You're left with the SSAT and the essays. Unless you can do extremely well on the essays and somehow show you are special in comparison to all other applicants, the only thing within immediate control is the SSAT score. Everything else: grades, ECs, etc, are usually a gradual buildup. Therefore it's worth working hard to get a good SSAT score.</p>
<p>For synonyms, the best thing to do is memorize words. I used flashcards. Made like 2 thousand in 1 year, memorized most (80-95%) and got 27/30 on synonyms. Didn't work so hard on analogies and screwed up (23/30). Most important thing for analogies is to 'build' the correct relationship when multiple ones make sense.</p>
<p>seikuu.</p>
<p>what do you mean by build?</p>
<p>to establish, for example A:B =
A. C : D
B. D : C
C. BBQ : PIE
D. Y : Z
E. 1 : 2</p>
<p>A, D and E all seem like possible answers, but E is correct because the relation between E is 1-2, while the relation between A is 3-4, and the relation between D is 25-26. Bad example, but it should be enough to show what I mean.</p>
<p>There are many great books that review analogy strategies. It is not something that 10 minutes of studying in the car will adequately cover. The good news is that it it one of the most trainable areas of the test.</p>
<p>silliconvalleymom,
so how can i train myself?</p>
<p>My son brought his score up substantially by studying vocab. He also did the practice tests in the SSat book.</p>
<p>Did you decide to not attend Emma Willard?</p>
<p>warriorboy648,</p>
<p>yeaa cause of financial reason. where did he get the vocab?</p>
<p>You train for the analogy section in two parts.<br>
Warriorboy648 correctly points out that vocabulary training is the first part. You can review the most common test vocabulary with a good test prep book (and by drawing on all of the reading you've done over the years).
The second part is to drill on the specific relationships that make up analogy questions...synonyms, antonyms, members of a set, tools for an action, etc. You do this by practicing with a test prep book a little bit at a time until you are always able to spot the relationship.</p>
<p>oh okay thanks!</p>
<p>Well there you go from her own mouth ...</p>
<p>Oh well there it is
How did you even find this?</p>
<p>cheers kafka :D</p>
<p>i think the best way to prepare for the SSAT, well for everything, is to start early and keep taking on new questions time after time. some books i would recommend are princeton reivew SSAT/ISEE and the Kaplan SSAT book. the vocabs on those two books really do come up often on the SSAT (well at least for me it did). </p>
<p>and for analogies, there is not much i can say, but just that you have to become more knowledgeable. i don't know how you can train for this section, but as for me, the first time i took it i got somehwere like in the 50 percentile on the verbal section. (fortunately thawt was a practice test.) well after some practice with the vocab memorization (i suggest 30 minutes a day 7 days a week starting from today) and becoming familiar with more ideas and things, i ended up with a 93th percentile on the verbal section for the january SSAT this month. </p>
<p>as for reading, i suggest you read anything you can. like sports magazines, newspapers, magazines, books of any kinds..... any reading will help your reading skills, but be advised that reading skills comes with time and practice. it's not like vocab where you can cram words into your head in a short amount of time.</p>
<p>Ya sometimes analogies are untreatable lol. I didn't miss 1 single vocab!...but omitted 10 analogies and that screwed me up to an extent...</p>
<p>...I thought I had it tough</p>
<p>I only got an 86% 90% individually</p>
<p>Hmm... what can I say. Some people, regardless of their effort, will never get in the 80's or 90's. Like me for instance. I could try forever and I would never achieve 95+. We al have different intellectual aptitudes. Just remember to apply yourself and use full effort. That is all I have to say in regard to the low scores. Also be congnizant that SSAT's are not everything, like many may imagine. A 72 is a fine score if you look at it in a different perspective. Do not be discouraged or disheartened. </p>
<p>Good luck</p>