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SSAT Content Description

The Secondary School Admissions Test consists of three levels of testing: the Elementary Level, the Middle Level, and the Upper Level. These are based on the level of schooling the student has achieved upon applying to a private or independent school.

• Students entering grades 4 or 5 will take the Elementary Level SSAT
• Students entering grades 6-8 will take the Middle Level SSAT
• Students grades 9-12 will take the Upper Level SSAT

Be sure you are using the appropriate SSAT practice tests for your particular level.

Each test is split up into four sections:

Quantitative Section

Elementary Level:

• Consists of 30 questions, testing a mix of number sense, operations, algebra, and geometry skills

Middle and Upper Levels:

• Basic knowledge of algebra, geometry, and other quantitative concepts will be tested
• Word problems are used which allow the test-taker to determine the operation he or she needs to perform in order to find the solution

Reading Comprehension

Elementary Level:

• Consists of 28 multiple-choice questions based on 7 grade-appropriate reading passages

Middle and Upper Levels:

• Consists of 40 questions based on reading passages written in narrative or argumentative style

Verbal Section

Elementary Level:

• This portion consists of 30 questions for a total of 20 minutes.

Middle and Upper Levels:

• This portion consists of 30 minutes.

Writing Sample

Elementary Level:

• Students will be given a picture to use as a prompt, and asked to tell a story about it which includes a beginning, middle, and end.
• Writing sample is not graded, but is provided to the school which the student is applying to

Middle and Upper Levels:

• Students are given a choice between two writing prompts
• Middle Level applicants will be given two creative prompts to choose from
• Upper Level applicants will choose between an essay and a creative prompt
• Writing section is 25 minutes long
• Writing sample is not graded, but is provided to the school which the student is applying to

You can find more information about the SSAT here.

SSAT Administration

There are a total of eight standard Middle and Upper Level SSAT test dates during the testing year (August 1 – July 31), beginning in October and occurring one Saturday per month until June. Elementary Level testing has two fewer dates, beginning in December.

Standard SSAT Test administration is done at a local testing center where an administrator will proctor the SSAT according to the precise instructions provided. Testing usually begins at 9:00 AM, and applicants are required to be there at least 30 minutes before testing begins.

There is also an SSAT Flex Test, which allows an applicant to take the test on a date other than one of the eight scheduled tests. This option is not available for Elementary Level tests, and can only be used once in a testing year (August 1 – July 31).

Registration Dates

It is best to register for the SSAT as early as possible, in order to avoid late fees. This will also help to ensure seating at your closest testing center, and provide more time to prepare with your appropriate SSAT practice tests.

• Regular registration begins on August 1st for all test dates.
• Late registration begins 17 days before a particular test date.
• Rush registration begins 10 days before a particular test date.

SSAT Test Fees

*includes U.S., Canada, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Saipan

Note- all SSAT Test fees are non-refundable. Check with your school to see if fee waivers are available.

SSAT Requirements

The SSAT is available for any student going into grades 4-12 and wishing to go to a private or independent school.

SSAT Scoring

Elementary SSAT Scores

Scores are usually released to schools within two weeks of submission. Designated schools will usually receive the score report before the student does.

Score reports can be viewed online at the SSAT official website free of charge, and can be mailed out for an additional fee.

Elementary SSAT test-takers are given 1 point for each correct answer, and zero points for any incorrect or incomplete answer.

There is no “passing” score on the SSAT; scores are forwarded to the school for which the student is applying, and their administrators will use their own criteria to evaluate the results.

Your Elementary level SSAT score report will include:

• Number of Items– how many questions a particular section and its subsections contained
• Number Correct– how many questions were answered correctly in a particular section and its subsections
• Percent Correct– the percentage of questions answered correctly in a particular section and its subsections
• Scaled Score– the score received by a student in a particular section and its subsections, on a scale between 300-600
• Scaled Score Percentile Rank– the scaled score is ranked from 1-99, based on the student’s performance compared to other test takers of the examination.
  For example, if a student scored better than 90% of the students who took the same test, then that student’s Scaled Score Percentile Rank would be 90.
• Total Scaled Score– the score received by a student when the scaled scores for each scored section (quantitative, verbal, and reading) are combined. This score ranges from 90-1800.

Middle and Upper Level SSAT Scores

Scores are usually released to schools within two weeks of submission. Designated schools will usually receive the score report before the student does.

Score reports can be viewed online at the SSAT official website free of charge, and can be mailed out for an additional fee.

Formula scoring is used when scoring Middle and Upper Level SSATs:

• Students are given 1 point for each correct answer
• Students lose one quarter of a point for each incorrect answer.
• Students are given zero points for unanswered questions

There is no “passing” score on the SSAT; scores are forwarded to the school for which the student is applying, and their administrators will use their own criteria to evaluate the results.

Your Middle and Upper Level SSAT score report will include the following sections:

About You

This section includes identifying personal information, including:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Current grade level

The Test You Took

This section will identify whether you took the Middle Level SSAT (grades 5-7) or the Upper Level SSAT (grades 8-11).

Your Scaled Scores

SSAT Scaled Scores are given for each section of the test (verbal, quantitative, reading). The sum of each section’s scaled score is also shown as one total scaled score.

• Middle Level SSAT Scaled Score is reported for each section on a scale from 440-710.
• Upper Level SSAT Scaled Score is reported for each section on a scale from 500-800.

Scaled Score Range

This is an estimated range that your scaled score fits into, in order to account for fluctuation of scores in subsequent tests due to the inability to estimate your proficiency perfectly accurately.

SSAT Reference Information

This section describes how SSAT Percentile Score is determined:

• SSAT Percentile compares a student’s performance against the performance of those in the “norm group”.
• The “norm group” is comprised of all students of similar demographics (age, grade, gender, etc) who have taken the SSAT in the previous three years.
• Average score of the “norm group” is shown for each section of the SSAT, along with the student’s percentile as it compares to this score.

Test Question Breakdown

This section will provide you with information regarding your performance in each section of the test. This information can be very valuable in regards to which test-taking strategies you employed (ie., guessing vs leaving a question blank), as well as which SSAT practice tests you felt were most helpful in your preparation.

SSAT FAQS