<p>I'm starting to narrow my list of schools to apply to this fall and I've got a good list, but I'm a little confused about the applications. Is the TABS application the same as the SSAT application? Or are they different?</p>
<p>TABS and SSAT are not the same organization. The TABS application is a paper form you fill out and submit to the schools yourself. The SSAT application is an online application that gets distributed to schools electronically by SSAT (for a fee).</p>
<p>That having been said, the questions on the two applications are almost the same. As I recall, the TABS application has one additional essay question that is not on the SSAT application - otherwise they’re identical. So, if one school uses TABS and another requires SSAT, you won’t have a problem - with the exception of that one extra questions, your answers will all be the same.</p>
<p>The TABS and SSAT recommendation forms are almost identical also, and can be used interchangeably. Many applicants just use the TABS recommendation forms for all schools they apply to - whether the school accepts the TABS application or not. There is NO reason ever to ask a teacher to fill out more than one recommendation form - give them one form, and ask them to make lots of copies. (Just know that if you use the non-SSAT recommendation form, SSAT won’t be able to process it electronically, so it will have to be mailed directly to the school instead of going through SSAT’s processing system.) The schools don’t care what recommendation form they get - they just want to know what your teacher has to say about you!</p>