<p>I recently received a strange SSAT score...my scaled math score was approximately 600, but the percentile listed was only about 22 percent...meanwhile, the national average listed on my score results (which I know is always a bit high) was 80 percent. can this be right?</p>
<p>Yeah, this is most likely correct. The average (at least for tenth grade males) is 711, and it probably isn't much lower for 9th and 8th, so it sounds right that 600 would be the 22nd percentile. Generally the major academic strength of those seeking private schools is mathematics, so it would make sense that the private school population is generally a good deal better in math than the population as a whole.</p>
<p>You might want to study more for the next time you take it. I'd suggest the official SSAT prep book available from the SSAT website.</p>
<p>It's not just in math, Tom; it's in everything. The group of kids who take the ssat are a highly competitive group; namely, kids applying the some of the best schools in the country. Anything above 50% ssatwise is probably over 90% nationally. I think the test was designed to redistribute the tail of the national curve. Even if it wasn't designed to do that, that is essentially what it does. </p>
<p>There is a consultant who posts here occasionally who says that she sees A+ students, high standardized test scorers, end up with percentiles like those all the time. She hasn't posted in a while, but her id is newyorker22. Do a search for her posts and I think you will find much discussion on this topic.</p>