letter from the president - test prep tutoring ......course materials and services summit has...

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENTABOUT SUMMIT EDUCATIONAL GROUP

Experience Matters

For 30 years, Summit Educational Group has been

preparing students to maximize their scores on

standardized tests. Summit’s customized one-on-one

tutoring service helps students prepare for the SAT,

ACT, PSAT, SAT Subject Tests, SSAT, ISEE, and even

academic subjects. Our proven approach centers on

both skill-building and test-taking strategies to help

students reach their full potential.

Personalized Service

We deliver exceptional service to all of our families.

From the first phone call, we make certain to

understand the needs and score goals of the

student. After recommending the appropriate

program, we’ll match him or her with a highly skilled

tutor. Maintaining strong relationships with our

clients and those who recommend our services is

important to us, so we encourage and actively solicit

feedback throughout the Summit experience.

Expert Tutors

We carefully match each student with an expert

tutor to ensure the best fit possible. A tutor who

understands the student, engages and motivates,

makes the lessons fun, and builds confidence makes

all the difference. This individualized approach

allows students of all learning styles to achieve their

testing and academic goals. What’s more, our tutors

come directly to the family’s home, or to a school

campus, to work with students at their convenience.

Online Tutoring

For those families outside of our geographic

footprint, we are pleased to offer live, online tutoring.

Our remote tutoring tools and technologies bring

all the conveniences of our one-on-one, in-home

tutoring to your laptop or tablet. Your online

tutoring program includes all that makes a Summit

program successful: personalized services with

a Program Director, access to our expert tutors,

and a customized testing plan that is right for you.

Summit Portal

This valuable tool allows families to manage their

tutoring programs online. They can monitor

homework records, score practice tests, view results,

and submit feedback.

School Partnerships

Whether it is SAT, ACT, or SSAT prep, the answer is

simple: no other company offers the quality, results,

and care found in a Summit program. We currently

partner with many of the most demanding

independent and public schools in the Northeast.

But no two schools are alike, and neither are any

two Summit programs. We know that every school

has a unique student body with different needs, and

we’ll work with them to customize the best program

for their students and culture.

Course Materials and Services

Summit has developed, and continues to perfect,

a suite of proven, results-driven course materials

which helps students improve critical thinking

skills and develop effective test-taking strategies,

leading to higher scores. Our course books,

test analysis, and professional development

have helped hundreds of schools and tutoring

companies worldwide generate higher test

scores for their students.

Practice Testing

Each program begins with a diagnostic test and

detailed score report that identifies strengths and

areas for improvement. This allows our tutors to

customize their instruction accordingly. Real practice

tests throughout the program allow students to

practice what they’ve learned and provide valuable

information on how they’re progressing. We also

offer free proctored practice tests in the community,

affording students the opportunity to take “dress

rehearsal” tests, so they know exactly what to expect

on the real thing.

Dear Colleagues, Parents, and Students,

Not many events in a young person’s life produce as much stress, angst, and confusion

as do school admissions and standardized testing. The onslaught of information and

questions can be overwhelming.

• What score do I need to get into School Z?

• How important are my test scores?

• How much preparation do I need for the test?

At Summit, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional test preparation and tutoring, but

we also strive to be a trusted resource for counselors and families navigating this process.

Our complimentary annual SSAT/ISEE Testing Guide is a valuable tool that will answer the

above questions and many others. Hang onto it, and refer to it often as you make this journey.

When it comes to admission tests, we have always counseled students and parents to

maintain perspective and to craft a sensible, individualized testing plan early in the process—

a plan that addresses which tests you’re going to take, when you’re going to take them, and

how and when you’re going to prepare for them. A good testing plan is customized to the

student. It puts the student’s well-being front and center, prioritizes school work, and doesn’t

give the tests more life than they deserve.

As you plan and prepare, try not to bring unnecessary stress to the process. Look ahead so

that you can avoid unwelcome surprises and rest assured that you know what is coming.

This process can be confusing and it always creates some anxiety. However, don’t lose sight

of the positives. This should also be a time of excitement! These school applications are an

important step in setting up students for future opportunities.

If you’re looking for professional, thoughtful, personal guidance, expert tutors and teachers,

and exceptional test preparation, we are here for you. We have been for 30 years. We offer a

variety of test preparation and tutoring programs, and I’m very proud that over 80% of our

families are referred to us by their friends, school counselors, private consultants, learning

specialists, and others. It means we’re doing well by our students and families and the rest of

our constituents.

Our commitment is to your testing success, on your terms. I encourage you to contact us.

We’d be delighted to help in any way we can.

Sincerely,

CHARLIE O’HEARN

President/Founder

Summit Educational Group

Standardized Testing & Admission 1-8

StandardizedTesting&Admission 2

Grades&StandardizedTestingScores 3

TheCompetitiveLandscape 4-5

TheCompetitiveTestingPopulation 6

Superscoring&SendingMultipleScores 7

Test Prep & Planning 9-18

Considerations for Test Preparation 10

Foundations of Good Test Preparation 11

TestDates&Administrations 12-13

Admission&TestingTimeline 14-15

SSAT&ISEEAccommodations 16-17

CharacterSkillsSnapshot 18

SSAT 19-30

TheSSAT 20

SSATLevels&Structure 21

SSATScoring 22-23

ProcessofElimination 24

SSATQuantitative 25-26

SSATReadingComprehension 27

SSATVerbal 28-29

SSATWriting 30

ISEE 31-40

TheISEE 32

ISEELevels&Structure 33

ISEEScoring 34-35

ISEEVerbalReasoning 36

ISEEQuantitativeReasoning 37

ISEEReadingComprehension 38

ISEEMathAchievement 39

ISEEEssay 40

Comparison of the SSAT & ISEE 41-44

References & Resources 45-48

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Copyright©2018bySummitEducationalGroup,Inc.

Allrightsreserved.NopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedorretransmittedinanyformorbyanymeanswithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofSummitEducationalGroup,Inc.

*Forallreferencesherein,SSATisatrademarkownedbytheEnrollmentManagementAssociation,andISEEisatrademarkownedbytheEducationalRecordsBureau,neitherofwhichwereinvolvedintheproductionof,anddonotendorse,thesematerials.

MASSACHUSETTS

61R Chapel Street

Newton, MA 02458

800-698-8867

CONNECTICUT

237 Elm Street

New Canaan, CT 06840

800-843-8867

NEW YORK

611 W Hartsdale Avenue, Suite 201

White Plains, NY 10607

800-391-8435

mytutor.com

We’velistedsomeofthemostcommonquestionsandwhereyoucanfindtheanswers.Ofcourse,wewelcome

thechancetotalkdirectlytoyouabouttheseorotherindependentschooladmissiontestingquestions.

QUESTIONS PAGES

STANDARDIZED TESTING &

ADMISSION

How important are my test scores? 2

What do my test scores represent? 3

What scores are needed to get into my choice of schools? 4-5

TEST PREP & PLANNING

When should I start preparing? 14-15

When should I take the test? 14-15

Should I take the test more than once? 10, 15

Can I get testing accommodations for the SSAT or ISEE? 16-17

How expensive are registration fees? 12-13

SSAT What’s on the SSAT? 25-30

HowdotheSSATlevelsdiffer? 20-21

How is the SSAT scored? 22-23

Are some test dates harder than others? 22

Should I guess on the SSAT or leave a question blank? 24

What math topics are covered on the SSAT? 26

How important is the SSAT essay? 30

ISEE What's on the ISEE? 36-40

HowdotheISEElevelsdiffer? 32-33

How is the ISEE scored? 34-35

Are some test dates harder than others? 34

Should I guess on the ISEE or leave a question blank? 34

How important is vocabulary on the ISEE? 36

How important is the ISEE essay? 40

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

800 MY TUTOR | mytutor.com

STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION

1

STANDARDIZED TESTING

& ADMISSION

STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION

1

2

STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION

Summit Educational Group | Independent School Admission Testing Guide 2018 – 2019

• School grades and rigor of curriculum

• Teacher recommendations

• Test scores

• Personal interview

• Extracurricular activities

• Application essays

• Demonstrated interest

STANDARDIZED TESTING & ADMISSION

SSAT and ISEE test scores are an important part of

yourindependentschoolapplication,buttheyare

justoneofmanycriteriaforadmission.Theproper

role of standardized tests in the admission process is

to complement the use of school grades and other

factors.

Today’s independent school admission process is a

holisticone.YourSSATorISEEscoresarejustone

aspectofamulti-facetedapplication.Ratherthan

lookforreasonstorejectstudents,admission

directorsreadapplicationssupportively,considering

allareasastheylookforreasonstoacceptstudents.

Forexample,agreatpersonalintervieworstrong

teacherrecommendationsmightoffsetlowertest

scores.

Independent schools consider a variety of factors

whendecidingwhethertoadmitastudent.While

eachschoolweighsadmissionfactorsdifferently,

most independent schools admit students based on

thefactorsshownbelow,ingeneralorderof

importance.

Admission Factorsin General Order of Importance

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

Test scores are not the most important consideration for

independentschooladmission.

Admissionofficesreviewapplicationsholisticallyandreadthem

supportively.



STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION

3

GRADES & STANDARDIZED TESTING SCORES


Performance in a rigorous school curriculum is the

mostimportantfactorinadmissiondecisions,butitis

animperfectmetricforevaluatingstudents.Thisis

becausecoursedifficultyandgradingvaryfrom

teachertoteacherandschooltoschool.TheSSAT

and ISEE address the primary problems with school

grades.Eachtestprovidesacommonbaselineforall

students and is designed to provide a useful and

consistentdistributionofscores.TheISEEandSSAT

are scored on a bell curve so that most students

achievescoresinthemiddleofthecurve.Thisscore

distributionallowsadmissionofficestocomparehow

studentsperformrelativetotheentiretest-taking

population.Thechartbelowillustratesthebell-curve

distributionofSSATscaledscores.Notethatveryfew

studentsachievescoresnearthetopofthescale.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

MoststudentsscoreinthemiddleoftheSSATandISEEscales.On

average,studentsearnonlyabout50%ofthepossiblerawpointson

theSSATandISEE.Thisdistributionisverydifferentfromthatoftypical

schoolgrades,whichtendtobeweightedtowardhigherscores.

Source: Enrollment Management Association

2016-2017, grade 8 scores

The Bell Curve of SSAT Scaled Scores

500-530 531-560 561-590 591-620 621-650 651-680 681-710 711-740 741-770 771-800

20

15

10

5

0

Pe

rce

nt

Quantitative Verbal Reading

4

STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION


SCHOOLAVERAGE

SSAT PERCENTILE

LOCATIONACCEPT

RATEBOARDING/

DAYGRADES SSAT/ISEE REQUIRED

AvonOldFarms 59 Avon,CT 48% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

BelmontHill 82 Belmont,MA 28% Day 7-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

BerkshireSchool 65 Sheffield,MA 27% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

BrooksSchool 65 NorthAndover,MA 24% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

BrunswickSchool 70 Greenwich,CT 25% Day preK-12 SSAT or ISEE required

Canterbury School 55 NewMilford,CT 37% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Chase Collegiate 51 Waterbury,CT Day preK-12 SSATrequired(grades6-12)

Choate Rosemary Hall 85 Wallingford,CT 22% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Concord Academy 82 Concord,MA 28% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Cushing Academy 60 Ashburnham,MA 48% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

The Dalton School 93 NewYork,NY 13% Day K-12 SSAT or ISEE required

Dana Hall School 58 Wellesley,MA 43% Both 5-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

DeerfieldAcademy 85 Deerfield,MA 16% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Emma Willard School 66 Troy,NY 36% Both 9-12 SSAT,PSAT,orSATrequired

The Governor’s Academy 76 Byfield,MA 23% Both 9-12 SSAT or ISEE required

Greenwich Academy 70 Greenwich,CT 30% Day preK-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades5-11)

Groton School 86 Groton,MA 12% Both 8-12 SSAT(preferred)orISEErequired

The Gunnery 50 Washington,CT 50% Both 9-12 SSAT,PSAT,SATorACTrequired

Holderness School 65 Holderness,NH 45% Both 9-12SSAT,WISC-IV,orWISC-Vrequired

(grades9-10)

Hoosac School 70 Hoosick,NY 40% Both 8-12 Notestrequirement

Hopkins School 75 NewHaven,CT 46% Day 7-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades7-10)

Horace Mann School 94 Bronx,NY 10% Day preK-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades6-11)

The Hotchkiss School 85 Lakeville,CT 21% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Kent School 70 Kent,CT 42% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Kimball Union Academy 50 Meriden,NH 55% Both 9-12 SSAT,PSAT,SATorACTrequired

THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

The following table shows admission information for

asmallsampleofindependentschools.Usethisdata

to get a general sense of competitiveness for

independentschooladmission.Asmentioned,test

scores are not the only consideration in admission

decisions.Youcanstillgetacceptedintoschoolsif

yourtestscoresarelowerthantheschools’averages,

especiallyifyourapplicationhasotherstrengths.

Forinternationalstudents,mostschoolsalsorequire

theTestofEnglishasaForeignLanguage(TOEFL).

Note:AvailableSSATdataistypicallyself-reportedby

schools or based on students' reported scores and

maybeinnaccurate.Manyschoolsdonotelectto

publishadmissiondata.Werecommendcontacting

the schools you are interested in applying to when

evaluatingadmissiondata.


STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION

5

SCHOOLAVERAGE

SSAT PERCENTILE

LOCATIONACCEPT

RATEBOARDING/

DAYGRADES SSAT/ISEE REQUIRED

KingswoodOxford(upperschool)

51 WestHartford,CT 60% Day 9-12 SSAT required

Lawrence Academy 65 Groton,MA 44% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

LoomisChaffeeSchool 79 Windsor,CT 27% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Middlesex School 87 Concord,MA 18% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Millbrook School 67 Millbrook,NY 38% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Milton Academy(upperschool)

90 Milton,MA 19% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Miss Hall’s School 66 Pittsfield,MA 49% Both 9-12 SSAT required

Miss Porter’s School 68 Farmington,CT 48% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

NobleandGreenoughSchool

82 Dedham,MA 24% Both 7-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

NorthfieldMountHermon 73 MountHermon,MA 30% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grade9)

Phillips Academy Andover 94 Andover,MA 13% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Phillips Exeter Academy 94 Exeter,NH 19% Both 9-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades9-10)

Pomfret School 62 Pomfret,CT 39% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Portsmouth Abbey School 66 Portsmouth,RI 37% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Proctor Academy 54 Andover,NH 50% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Rivers School 78 Weston,MA 15% Day 6-12 SSATrequired(grades9-11)

Rye Country Day School 77 Rye,NY 20% Day preK-12 SSATorISEErequired(grades5-12)

Salisbury School 54 Salisbury,CT 37% Both 9-12SSAT(preferred),ISEE,PSAT,SAT,or

ACT required

St.George’sSchool 70 Middletown,RI 25% Both 9-12 SSAT,ISEE,PSAT,orSATrequired

St.Luke'sSchool 61 NewCanaan,CT 33% Day 5-12ISEE(preferred),SSAT,orPSAT

required

St.Mark’sSchool 83 Southborough,MA 27% Both 9-12 SSAT(preferred)orISEErequired

St.Paul’sSchool 89 Concord,NH 16% Boarding 9-12 SSAT(preferred)orISEErequired

St.Sebastian'sSchool 61 Needham,MA 18% Day 7-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

SuffieldAcademy 68 Suffield,CT 29% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Tabor Academy 67 Marion,MA 43% Both 9-12 SSAT required

The Taft School 83 Watertown,CT 21% Both 9-12 SSAT required

Thayer Academy 59 Braintree,MA 38% Day 6-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Trinity-PawlingSchool 50 Pawling,NY 60% Both 7-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Vermont Academy 50 SaxtonsRiver,VT 68% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Westminster School 75 Simsbury,CT 25% Both 9-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Westover School 60 Middlebury,CT 46% Both 9-12 SSAT required

Wilbraham & Monson Academy(upperschool)

68 Wilbraham,MA 50% Both 9-12 SSAT,PSAT,orSATrequired

WillistonNorthamptonSchool

61 Easthampton,MA 33% Both 7-12 SSATrequired(grades7–10)

Winsor School 85 Boston,MA 25% Day 5-12 SSATrequired(grades9-10)

Source:boardingschoolreview.com,privateschoolreview.com,startclass.com,andself-reporteddata

6

STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION


TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

YourSSATorISEEpercentileranksmaybelowerthanexpected.

Rest assured that schools understand the competitive nature of

theSSATandISEE.Yourtestpreparationcanhelpimproveyour

standingamongthisgroupoftest-takers.

THE COMPETITIVE TESTING POPULATION

The group of students taking the ISEE and SSAT is

particularlywell-educatedandwell-prepared.Most

students taking these tests are currently attending

independentschools,asdemonstratedinthechart

below.Thus,achievingabetter-than-average

percentile rank in this group of especially competitive

andskilledtest-takersisagreatchallenge.Boththe

EducationalRecordsBureau(ERB)andthe

EnrollmentManagementAssociation(EMA,formerly

theSSATBoard)cautionthatyourpercentileranksfor

thesetestsmayseemsurprisinglylow.

AccordingtotheERB,ISEEtest-takersare“avery

select group of students who are applying to

competitiveschools.Therefore,ISEEpercentileranks

aregenerallylower—anywherefrom10to40

percentile points lower—than those on other tests

thatusenationalnorms.”

AccordingtotheEMA,“theSSATnormgroupishighly

competitive; your results are compared only with

otherstudents(samegrade/gender)whotakethe

SSAT to apply for admission to some of the most

selectiveindependentschoolsinthecountry.”

Most SSAT Students Are Already Attending Independent Schools


Source: National Center for Education Statistics and Enrollment Management Association, 2013

Total national students Students taking the SSAT

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Pe

rce

nt

Parochial

Public

Private Charter

Public

Private

Charter Parochial


STA

ND

AR

DIZ

ED

TE

ST

ING

& A

DM

ISS

ION

7

SUPERSCORING & SENDING MULTIPLE SCORES

Which scores should I send, and when should I send them?

It is generally a good idea to avoid sending test

scoresimmediately.Moststudentsbenefitfrom

taking2-3officialtests,analyzingthescores,

reviewingadmissionpoliciesoftheirchosenschools,

and then deciding which scores to send to each

school.

Someschoolsrequestthatyousendalltestscores.

Theseschoolsmaydiscourage"overtesting,"inwhich

caseyoushouldlimityourtestingtoafew,well-

preparedattempts.

The SSAT score report indicates whether the student

hastakenthetestmorethanonce.Ifyouhavetaken

multipleSSATsbutonlysendonescore,schools

will be aware that they have not received all of your

scores.Typically,thisisnotaproblemandwillnot

impactadmissiondecisions.

What is "superscoring"?

Someschoolswillallow"superscoring"—thatis,they

will consider your highest section scores from

multipleteststogenerateatotalscorethatreflects

yourhighestpotential.Notallschoolsusethis

methodofscoreconsideration.Contactadmission

officestodeterminewhetheryoushouldsend

multiplescores.

NeithertheEMAnorERB(whocreatetheSSATand

ISEE,respectively)offerssuperscoring.Rather,

superscoringisdonebyschools'admissionoffices.

Insomecases,itispreferabletowithholdatestscore

thatwouldbeusefulforsuperscoring.Forexample,if

a student achieved a high math score but a very low

readingscore,thebenefitofusingthemathscorefor

superscoring may not outweigh the negative

impressiongivenbythereadingscore.Talktooneof

Summit'sProgramDirectors,aguidancecounselor,or

an educational consultant to help make these

decisions.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

ThebestplanformoststudentsistotaketheofficialSSATorISEEtwice

aftertheyhavefullyprepared.Taking2-3officialtestsreducestheriskofa

badtestingexperienceandprovidesopportunitiesforhigherscores.

However,takingthetesttoomanytimesmayplaceunnecessarystresson

students.


TEST PREP & PLANNING T

ES

T P

RE

P &

PL

AN

NIN

G

9

10

TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING


CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEST PREPARATION

What is a "good" score?

Don’tbecomefixatedonacertainscore.Thegoalof

testpreparationistohelpyoureachyourpotential.

Each school determines its own standards for what

areconsideredstrongSSATorISEEscores.Contact

schooladmissionofficestodeterminehow

competitiveyourscoresare.

Remember that standardized test scores are not the

onlyconsiderationforyourapplications.The

importance of test scores is determined by each

schools'admissionpolicies.

SSAT or ISEE?

Someschoolsonlyacceptoneofthesetests.The

SSAT is most commonly used when applying to

9th-12thgrade,whiletheISEEismostcommonly

usedforlowergrades.

Schools that prefer one test may still accept the

other.Ifyouareconsideringbothtests,yourtest

preparation should begin with a diagnostic SSAT and

ISEEtodeterminewhichyouprefer.

Refertopages42-43formoreinformationon

decidingbetweentheSSATandISEE.

When should I take the test?

Asageneralrule,itisbesttotakethetestaslateas

possiblewithinthewindowofapplicationdeadlines.

Astimegoeson,youwilllearnmoreskillsinschool

andinyourtestprep,whichwillimproveyourscores.

TestdatesbetweenNovemberandJanuaryare

popular because most application deadlines are in

January.

How many times should I take the test?

Take2-3officialteststomakesureyoureachyour

highestpotential.

Depending on your testing experience and the

contentonthetest,yourtestscorecanfluctuate.If

youtakethetestonlyonce,itmaynotbethebest

representationofyourskills.

Avoidover-testing.Takingthetesttoomanytimes

will not guarantee higher scores and will cause

unnecessarystress.


TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING

11

FOUNDATIONS OF GOOD TEST PREPARATION

PR

AC

TICE TESTS

STR

ATEG

Y

CONTENT MASTERY

Students who score best on the SSATandISEEhaveafirmgraspof the academic skills that are tested.Reviewingcontentareasand reinforcing necessary skills are essential for improving your score.Noamountoftest-takingstrategy can compensate for gapsinfoundationalknowledge.

Successfultest-takersnotonlypossess the necessary academic skills but also understand how to takeastandardizedtest.Pacing,processofelimination,andquestion-typerecognitionareallstrategies that will help you maximizeyourscore.Havinganarsenal of tools at your disposal putsyouincontrolofthetest.

Justaswithascrimmageoradressrehearsal,themoreyourtestprepsimulatestherealthing,thebetter.Taking a practice test under realistic conditions removes the mystery of the test,reducesanxiety,andincreasesconfidence.Theresultsofthesetestsalso provide a valuable tool for tracking your progress and assessing whatareasstillneedimprovement.

Goodtestprepstrengthensunderlyingskills,developscomfortandconfidence,andultimatelyenables

studentstomeettheirpotential.Whiletherearemanycomponentstoasuccessfultestpreparationprogram,

therearethreekeyfundamentals.

12

TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING


SSAT TEST DATES & ADMINISTRATIONS

Standard Testing

A Standard test is a group administration of the SSAT

held at sites worldwide on eight Saturdays during

eachtestingyear.MoststudentswilltakeSSATon

Standarddates.Toviewavailabletestdates,goto

ssat.org/about-ssat/registration/fees-deadlines.

YoumaytakeasmanyStandardtestsasare

available.

The following is a list of SSAT registration fees:

• Upper/MiddleLevel:$127

• ElementaryLevel:$80

• Lateregistration(2-3weeksbeforetestdate):

additional$45

• Rush registration (from two weeks to the

Wednesdaybeforetestdate):$85

• Changeregistrationdateorlocation:$35

Flex Testing

A Flex test is a group or individual administration of

theSSATonanydateotherthantheStandarddates.

Families may prefer the scheduling convenience of a

Flextest,andstudentsmayfindFlexadministrations

morecomfortable.YoumaytakeonlyoneFlextest

inatestingyear(August1-July31).

"Open"Flextestsaregivenbyschoolsandare

availabletoallregistrants.

"Closed" Flex tests may be given by educational

consultantsorschools.Toregister,youmustmake

arrangements with the consultant or school in order

toreceiveanaccesscodeforthetestadministration.

Go to ssat.org/flextofindalistofeducational

consultantswhoprovideFlextests.


TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING

13

ISEE TEST DATES & ADMINISTRATIONS

Choosing a Test Site

Toviewavailabletestingsitesandbeginregistration,

go to www.erblearn.org/parents/admissions-testing-

isee.TheISEEisofferedatschools,Prometrictest

centers,andtestingoffices.

Toregisteratatestingoffice,contacttheoffice

directly.ToregisterataschoolsiteorPrometrictest

center,usetheregistrationlinksatwww.erblearn.

org/parents/admissions-testing-isee.

AtPrometrictestcenters,theISEEisonly

administeredinanonlineformat.Aparentor

guardian must stay at the Prometric site for the

durationofthetestadministration.Prometricalso

requiresoriginalidentificationdocuments—copiesare

notaccepted.

The following is a list of ISEE registration fees:

• Onlineormailregistration:$105

• Phoneregistration:$130

• Smallgrouptestingattestingoffice:$175

• Individualtestingattestingoffice:$200

• Prometriccentertesting:$185

Choosing a Test Date

TherearenostandarddatesforISEEtesting.

Availabilityisbasedonwhatisofferedbythe

differenttestingprovidersinyourarea.

YouareabletotaketheISEEonceper4-month

testingwindow:Fall(Aug-Nov),Winter(Dec-Mar),and

Spring/Summer(Apr-Jul).

ISEE TESTING WINDOWS

FALL WINTER SPRING/SUMMER

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul

14

TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING


ADMISSION & TESTING TIMELINE

MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

AD

MIS

SIO

N T

IME

LIN

E

Consider what schools would

be the best fit for you.

• Culture-thepersonality or

“vibe”ofthestudent

population and faculty

• AcademicRigor-intensityof

workloads and amount of

academic support

• Offerings-courses,athletic

competitivenessandfacilities,

and extracurricular

opportunities

• Student/TeacherRatio-

personalized instruction and

teacher availability

• Logistics-geography,financial

aid,andboardingoptions

Schedule visits and interviews.

• Schedule interviews no earlier

thanOctobersoyouhavetime

to gain experience in your

classesandextracurriculars,

which can be brought up

duringtheinterviews.

• Ideally,youwillbefinishedwith

interviews by the end of

November.

• Try to schedule interviews early

intheday,whenyouandyour

interviewer will have more

energy.

Stay organized.

• Keeprecordsofdifferent

admissionpolicies,dates,and

registrationinformation.

Prepare for the personal

interviews.

• Bereadytoanswerquestions

aboutacademicsandinterests.

• Prepare your own questions

abouteachschool.

• Dressappropriately.

• Some schools require you to

complete a writing sample

duringthevisit,sobeready!

• Writeathank-younotetoyour

interviewer.

Attend open houses and school

events, if interested.

• Schools will often host optional

openhouses,allowingyouto

tourthecampuses,visit

classrooms,andmeetfaculty

andstudents.

TE

ST

ING

TIM

EL

INE

Consider taking an official test

in spring.Beforeyourbeginyour

testpreparation,youmaytakean

officialSSATorISEEasa

diagnostic.Usethistestasa

low-stakesopportunityto

familiarize yourself with the

testing experience and get a

senseofyourscoringpotential.

Create your testing plan.

• Contactadmissionofficesto

see what standardized test

scoresarerequired.

• RegisterfortheSSATorISEE.

• Youmayalsoneedtoregister

fortheTOEFLifEnglishisyour

secondlanguage.

• Allowforasufficientamountof

practice and study before your

testdates.Dependingon

students’needs,afullprep

programmaylastfrom8-15

weeks.

Begin your test preparation at

the beginning of the school

year.

• Startwithadiagnostictest,

which will establish a baseline

score and identify areas for

improvement.

• Balanceyourtestpreparation

withyourclasswork.Your

school grades are the highest

priority.

The calendar below shows how a typical testing plan

fitsintothelargertimelineofindependentschool

applications.Planningforapplicationsshouldbegin

inthesummer,about18monthsbeforeyouexpect

toenrollinyournewschool.

Earlyintheapplicationsprocess,craftatestingplan

thataddresseswhichtestsyou’regoingtotake,

whenyou’regoingtotakethem,andhowandwhen

you’regoingtoprepareforthem.


TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING

15

NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL

Complete your applications.

• Finish school visits and

interviews by the end of

November.

• Give recommendation forms to

teachersinNovemberorearly

December.Thisisearlyenough

for application deadlines and

late enough to ensure that

teachersknowyouwell.

• Writeyourapplicationessays.

Youwillbeabletowriteamore

knowledgeableandeffective

essay after you have done your

interviewsandschoolvisits.

Begin your financial aid forms.

• Inquireaboutloans,payment

plans,ormeritaid.Offerings

andapplicationsdiffer.

Submit your completed school

applications.

• Completeyourfinancialaid

forms.

• Review the requirements for

each school to make sure you

haven’tforgottenanything.

• Try to submit your applications

with a few days to spare before

thedeadlines.Youwillwantto

leaveabufferincaseanything

goeswrong.

Wait patiently for responses

from schools. Most schools will

notifyyouonMarch10.

Dependingontheschool,this

notificationmaybesentbymail

ormadeavailableonline.

Finalize your choice. Schools

will usually send you an invitation

torevisitcampus.Consider

looking at these schools again to

helpmakeyourdecision.

Notify schools of your decision.

Whetheryouacceptordecline,

mostschoolsneedtobenotified

byApril10.

AD

MIS

SIO

N T

IME

LIN

E

Take the SSAT or ISEE.

• We recommend taking your

firsttestinNovembersoyou

can take it again in December

orJanuary.

• The ISEE can be taken once

per4-monthtestingwindow.

TaketheISEEinNovember,

whichisinthefallwindow,so

you can take the test again in

thewinterwindow.

Take the SSAT or ISEE again, if

needed.

• We recommend taking the test

twice to make sure you reach

yourhighestpotential.

• Avoidovertesting.Takingthe

test too many times will not

guarantee higher scores and

willbringunnecessarystress.

Relax! Congratulate yourself on

allofyourhardwork.Youearned

it!

TE

ST

ING

TIM

EL

INE

A good testing plan is sensible and strikes a balance

with the student’s academic and extracurricular

activities.Iteliminatestheneedforovertestingand

helps students and families maintain perspective

throughwhatcanbeastressfuladmissionprocess.

Withtheinformationprovidedinthisguide,youcan

confidentlynavigatetheconsiderationsandtasks

involvedinmakingatestingplan.

16

TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING


Studentswhohavedocumentedlearningdifferences

are eligible for accommodations from both the

EnrollmentManagementAssociation(EMA)andthe

EducationalRecordsBureau(ERB).Becausethese

are distinct institutions with their own application

processes,approvalfromoneorganizationdoesnot

guaranteeapprovalfromtheother.

FortheSSAT,anaccommodationsapplicationneeds

to be approved only once per testing season (from

August1sttoJuly31st).Forexample,ifyouare

approved for accommodations for an SSAT in

November,yourapprovalisvalidforanyotherSSAT

untilJuly31st.Accommodationsapplications,along

withfulldocumentation,mustbesubmittedatleast

4weeksbeforethetestingdate.

FortheISEE,onceaccommodationsareapproved,

theapprovalisvalidfor15months.

The chart below is intended as a guide to help

familiesnavigatetheapplicationprocess.Families

shouldreviewtheofficialguidelinesandschool

timelines early in the process to ask questions and to

ensure that the required documentation is gathered

andsubmittedinatimelyfashion.

SSAT & ISEE ACCOMMODATIONS

SSAT ISEE

INFORMATIONssat.org/about-ssat/testing-accommodations

www.erblearn.org/parents/accommodations-isee

ELIGIBILITY

Youmusthaveanidentifieddisablingcondition or impairment which substantially limits your ability to perform a major life activity,includingsight,hearing,speech,reading,concentration,thought,communication,andlearning.

Youmusthavecompleteandspecificdocumentation that establishes a current needfortherequestedaccommodations.

Youmustcurrentlyreceiveandutilizeaccommodations,duetoyourdisability,forschool-basedtestinginyourschool.

APPLICATION PROCESS

1.Applyonlineforaccommodationsandprovide the contact information of your approver(professionalwhocanconfirmthevalidityofyouraccommodations).

2. Providedocumentation,ifnecessary.

3. After being contacted by the Enrollment ManagementAssociation(EMA),yourapproversubmitsapprovalandidentificationforms.

4. Ifnecessary,documentationisreviewedbytheEMA.

5. The EMA processes request and sends confirmation(thismaytakeupto2weeks).

6. Register to take the SSAT with accommodations.

1. CreateanonlineERBaccountandlisttheaccommodations you currently receive in school.

2. Submityourcurrentschoolstatementform,aswellassupportingdocumentation.

3. TheERBprocessesrequestandsubmitsapproval(thismaytakeupto3weeks).

4. Register for a testing location and testing date.Schools,testingoffices,andPrometriccentershavedifferentaccommodationofferings.Youcanviewavailableaccommodationsonlinewhenregistering.Ifyouraccommodationsarenotofferedatanylocations,arrangeforanindividualtestadministration at a school that is registered asatestingsite.

5.Ontestday,bringacopyoftheverificationemailfromtheERB.

Source: ssat.org Source: erblearn.org


TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING

17

SSAT ISEE

DOCUMENTATION TYPES

• IndividualizedEducationProgram(IEP)

• Section504Accommodation(s)Plan

• Testing results or documentation from a qualifiedprofessional

• Private School Service Plan or other formal documentation on letterhead

• Privateorschool-basedevaluationreports

• Documentation of accommodations for otherstandardizedtestsorschool-basedtesting

(Documents must be dated within the last three years of the date your request is submitted)

• IndividualizedEducationalPlan(IEP)

• Section504Accommodation(s)Plan

• Psycho-EducationalTestingEvaluation

• School Accommodation Plan from current calendar year

• Physician Letter detailing accommodations requiredduetoamedically-treatedissue(visionimpairment,deafness,paralysis,ADD,ADHD,etc.)oraphysicaldisability.

(Documents must be dated within the last six monthstothreeyears,dependingondocumentationtype)

SCHOOL OR PROFESSIONAL CONFIRMATION

Anapprovermustconfirmyourrequestedaccommodationsarevalid.

If your approver is from your school and the documentation is an Individualized EducationalPlan(IEP),504plan,orprivateschooldocumentation,youwillNOTneedtosubmitthedocumentationtotheEMA.

If your approver is a doctor or practitioner involvedwithyourdiagnosis,treatment,testing,orcarebutisnotfromyourschool,you will need to submit the documentation to theEMA.

The student’s current school must verify that the accommodations requested are currently being used in classroom and testing situations.Theschoolshouldinitialthelistofaccommodationsthestudentrequires.Ifthestudent’sneedsarenotlisted,thencheck“other”andexplainonthelinesprovided.Ifforsome reason the student does not currently receive the accommodations requested in the currentschoolsetting,thisshouldalsobeexplained (such as the school already incorporatinganadaptedcurriculum).

APPEAL PROCESS

If your approver denies your accommodations,youmayresendtherequestorindicateadifferentqualifiedapprover.

IftheEMAdeniesyouraccommodations,theEMAwillexplaintheaspectsthataffectedthedecision and provide instructions for submittingfurtherdocumentationorfilinganappeal.

Ifyouraccommodationsaredenied,[email protected] for furtherconsideration.

COMMON ACCOMMODATIONS

• 50%additionaltime

• Answer directly in test booklet

• Large print test booklet

• Calculator

• Personal laptop with spell check for Writing Sample

• Extendedtime(PrometricTestCentersofferextendedtimefortheISEEOnlineonly)

• Answer directly in test booklet

• Large print test booklet

• Calculator

• Computer with spell check for Essay

Source: ssat.org Source: erblearn.org

18

TE

ST

PR

EP

& P

LA

NN

ING


CHARACTER SKILLS SNAPSHOT

What is the Snapshot?

The Character Skills Snapshot is a test measuring

character and judgment skills widely valued by

independentschools.TheSnapshothasbeen

developed through the Enrollment Management

Association(EMA)tocomplementcognitive

assessments,suchastheSSAT,andprovideamore

holisticviewofapplicants.Itisnotmeanttoreplace

otherpiecesoftheapplicationprocess,suchas

recommendationlettersorthepersonalinterview.

Some schools request all applicants take the

Snapshottocreatemorewell-roundedapplications.

What are the logistics for the test?

Thetestcanbetakenonlineathome.Itisuntimed,

butmustbecompletedinonesitting.Students

typicallytake20-30minutestocompletethetest.

Students are permitted to take the test only once

duringthetestingyear.

The Snapshot is free for students registered to take

theSSAT.Otherwise,thefeeforSnapshotis$25.

Students should take Snapshot without outside input

oraid.Coachingorprepisnotneeded.Thetest

shouldpresentauthenticinsightsintothestudent.

What is on the test?

Forced-ChoiceQuestions(19questions)–

Thesequestionspresent3statementsandask

students to choose which are most or least

representativeoftheirpersonaljudgments.

Forexample,aForced-Choicequestionmayprovide

thestatements"Ienjoybeingchallenged,""Ialways

haveabackupplan,"and"IgetoverwhelmedwhenI

havemanyoptions,"andaskstudentstochooseone

thatismostlikethemandonethatisleastlikethem.

SituationJudgments(10questions)–

Thesequestionspresentscenarioswith4different

responses.Studentsmustratetheappropriateness

ofeachresponse.

Forexample,aSituationJudgmentquestionmay

describe a team project with a friend who is not

contributing,provide4waystoaddresstheissue,

and ask the student to rate each solution on a scale

between"NotAppropriate"and"VeryAppropriate."

What skills are measured?

Studentsareratedas"Emerging,""Developing,"or

"Demonstrating" in each of 8 areas:

Resilience–reboundsfromsetbacks,learnsduring

failures

Open-mindedness–contemplatesotherviewpoints,

opentonewexperiences,receptivetonewideas

Responsibility–doesnotmakeexcusesforactions,

takesownership,followsthroughoncommitments

Teamwork–workswithothers,contributesideas,

considers thoughts and feelings of team members

SocialAwareness–recognizesappropriatewaysto

interact,adaptsbehavior,resolvesconflicts

Self-control–remainsincontrolofemotionswhen

stressed,controlsimpulses,considersoutcomes

IntellectualCuriosity–seekstounderstand,enjoys

challenge,exploresconflictingideas

Initiative–startstaskswithoutneedingapush,

recognizeswhentoact,takeschargeofsituations

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

NotallschoolsrequireorrecommendtheSnapshot.Contact

admissionofficesforeachschool'spreference.

YoudonotneedtopreparefortheCharacterSkillsSnapshot.

Thistestisnotdesignedtobechallenging,liketheSSATorISEE.

Instead,itsimplyrequiresyourhonestpersonalfeedback.


SSAT

SS

AT

19

20

SS

AT


THE SSAT

TheSecondarySchoolAdmissionTest(SSAT)is

created by the Enrollment Management Association

(formerlytheSSATBoard)andisadministeredat

three levels based on the applicant’s grade:

Elementary,Middle,andUpper.Eachlevelofthetest

is intended for multiple grades:

• Elementary Level

Studentsingrades3-4,applyingtogrades4-5

• Middle Level


• Upper Level


TheSSATmeasuresverbal,math,andreadingskills

needed for successful performance in independent

schools.

TheSSATisdesignedtobeacriticalthinkingtest,as

opposedtothecurriculum-basedexamscommonly

seeninschools.TheSSATisnotintendedtoreflect

thecontentseenintypicalschoolwork.

Different Grades, Different Testing Experiences

TakingtheSSATcanbeaverydifferentexperience

dependingonthegradelevelofthestudent.For

example,studentsingrades8to11taketheUpper

LevelSSAT,so8thgraderswilllikelyencounter

some material that is more advanced than what they

havelearnedinschool.Ontheotherhand,11th

graders will likely be familiar with all of the material

onthetest.

Keep in mind that your scores are compared only to

thoseofstudentsinthesamegrade,sothereisno

scoring advantage or disadvantage to taking the test

atacertaingradelevel.


SS

AT

21

SSAT LEVELS & STRUCTURE

TEST LEVEL SECTION QUESTIONS TIME (MINUTES)

SCALED SCORES

Elementary LevelStudentsingrades3-4,

applyingtogrades4-5

QUANTITATIVE 30 30300-600

per section

900-1800

total

Essay not

scored

VERBAL 30 20

15-minutebreak

READING 28 30

WRITING 1 15

TOTALTIME:1hour50minutes

Middle LevelStudentsingrades5-7,

applyingtogrades6-8

WRITING 1 25

440-710

per section

1320-2130

total

Essay not

scored

5-minutebreak

QUANTITATIVE 25 30

READING 40 40

10-minutebreak

VERBAL 60 30

QUANTITATIVE 25 30

EXPERIMENTAL* 16 15

TOTALTIME:3hours5minutes

Upper LevelStudentsingrades8-11,

applyingtogrades9-12

WRITING 1 25

500-800

per section

1500-2400

total

Essay not

scored

5-minutebreak

QUANTITATIVE 25 30

READING 40 40

10-minutebreak

VERBAL 60 30

QUANTITATIVE 25 30

EXPERIMENTAL* 16 15


*The SSAT Middle and Upper Level tests also include a 15-minute Experimental section, which is used to test newly created questions. This section includes 16 questions, comprised of 6 verbal, 5 reading, and 5 quantitative questions. The Experimental section is not scored, so it will not affect the competitiveness of your application.

22

SS

AT


BoththeSSATandISEEreportscaledscores.However,independentschooladmissionofficeshavehistorically

reliedmoreonpercentileranksthanonscaledscores.

SSATessaysarenotscored.Copiesofyouressayaresenttoschoolsalongwithyourscorereport.The

importanceofyouressayinadmissiondecisionsvariesfromschooltoschool,butitisgenerallymuchless

importantthanyourpercentilerank.

SSAT SCALED SCORES VS PERCENTILES

Raw Scores

EveryquestionontheSSATisworthonerawpoint.

The easiest question is worth just as much as the

mostdifficultquestion.Therearenopointsfor

skippedquestions.Eachincorrectanswerresultsina

¼pointpenalty.Thetotalnumberofcorrect

answers,minusthetotalpenaltyforincorrect

answers,istherawscore.

Scaled Scores

Yourrawscoreisconvertedtoascaledscore.Each

SSAThasaslightlydifferentscaletoaccountforany

smalldifferencesbetweentests.Asaresult,notest

dateiseasierorharderthananyother.A600onone

test indicates the same level of performance as a

600onanothertest.

Youreceiveascaledscoreineachofthethree

sections:Quantitative,Verbal,andReading.

Yourscaledscoresareaddedtocreateatotalscore.

Percentiles

Yoursectionscaledscoresandtotalscaledscore

aregivenpercentileranks,indicatinghowwellyou

scoredcomparedtoothertest-takersofthesame

gradeandgender.Forexample,a60thpercentile

score indicates that you performed the same as or

betterthan60%oftest-takers.Yourpercentilerankis

based on scores from all students in your grade who

havetakenthetestoverthepastthreeyears.

Percentile Ranks in Perspective

YourSSATpercentilemightseemquitelowbecause

your scores are being compared to those of other

SSATstudents,averycompetitivegroup.

Thegoodnewsis,dependingonwhereyouareon

thescoringscale,asmalldifferenceinrawscores

canresultinalargedifferenceinpercentileranking.

Forexample,astudentwhogetsarawscoreof25

(outof60)ontheVerbalsectionoftheUpperLevel

SSATwillincreasebynearly20percentilepointsby

gettingonly5morecorrectanswers.Havingan

effectiveplanofattack,buildingskills,andlearning

test-takingstrategiescanbringalargeimprovement

toyourSSATpercentilerank.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

Gettingjustafewmorequestionsrightcanmakeasignificant

differenceinyourscaledandpercentilescores.



SS

AT

23

SSAT SCORING

Raw scores for each section are calculated by

adding one point for each correct answer and then

subtracting a quarter of a point for every incorrect

answer.

Scaled scores for each section are calculated using

aconversiontable,asshownintheabridgedtable

below.Thesescaledscoresareaddedtogetherto

createatotalscore.

Scaled scores are assigned percentile ranks based

on the percentage of students who scored at or

belowthatlevel,asshownbelow.

RAW SCORE TO SCALED SCORE CONVERSION

Raw Score

Verbal Scaled Score

Quantitative Scaled Score

Reading Scaled Score

15 615 640 619

16 620 648 623

17 625 656 628

18 630 661 635

19 635 665 643

20 641 667 651

21 646 676 657

22 651 683 662

23 656 687 667

24 662 690 672

25 667 692 681

26 671 698 685

27 675 704 690

28 681 708 700

29 687 713 706

30 692 716 711

31 696 725 716

32 700 730 721

33 705 734 730

34 711 738 737

35 717 740 745

36 720 747 751

37 723 752 757

38 726 755 761

39 730 759 781

40 735 764 800

41 742 767

42 750 770

43 757 777

44 763 784

45 767 790

SCALED SCORE TO PERCENTILE RANK CONVERSION

Total Score

Percentile Rank

Total Score

Percentile Rank

1800 12 2120 80

1820 16 2140 84

1840 19 2160 85

1860 22 2180 90

1880 27 2200 91

1900 32 2220 93

1920 37 2240 95

1940 42 2260 96

1960 47 2280 97

1980 51 2300 98

2000 54 2320 99

2020 58 2340 99

2040 64 2360 99

2060 66 2380 99

2080 71 2400 99

2100 76

These conversion tables are estimated based on data for 8th grade students taking the Upper Level SSAT.

24

SS

AT


EachSSATproblemisamini-mysterytobeunraveledfromarangeofclues:thequestion,adiagramor

passage,theanswerchoices,andyourknowledgeofwhatcontentistestedandhowitistested.Youshould

neverignoreinformationfromanyofthesepotentialclues.Eliminatinganswerchoicesthatyouknowarewrong

getsyouclosertofindingtherightanswer.Italsomeansthatyouwilldobetterifyouneedtoguess.Improving

yourabilitytomakeeducatedguessesisanimportantsteptowardahigherscore.

StudentChasusedamethodicalandconsistentProcessofElimination(POE)strategyandscoressignificantlyhigherthanStudentAorStudentBbasedonPOEalone.Bynotguessing,StudentAgets0rawpoints.WhileStudentBanswerseveryquestion,thestudentdoesn’tusePOEandthereforedoesn’timprovetheoddsofgettingquestionsright.Furthermore,theSSAT’sguessingpenaltyreducesthestudent'searnedpoints.

PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

STUDENT A STUDENT B STUDENT C

All Blank Random Educated Guesses Guesses

correct 0 4 7 incorrect 0 16 13 blank 20 0 0 raw score 0 4 - (16 × ¼) = 0 7 - (13 × ¼) = 3 ¾ Raw Points Raw Points

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

SS

AT


SSAT QUANTITATIVE OVERVIEW

TheQuantitativesectionsoftheSSATdifferfrom

whatyou'veseeninstandardmathcourses.While

SSATmathrequiresasolidfoundationinmathskills,

the questions themselves test the application of

thoseskillstomoreabstractandcomplexproblems.

TheSSAThastwoQuantitativesections,each

allowing30minutestoworkthrough25questions.

Bothsectionsarearrangedinroughorderofdifficulty.

Forexample,questions24and25willbemuch

harderthanquestions4and5.

MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL SSAT STRUCTURE

25 QUESTIONS, 30 MINUTES TOTAL FOR SECTION 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Easy g Medium gDifficult

25 QUESTIONS, 30 MINUTES TOTAL FOR SECTION 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25


TEST STRATEGIES

Know your limits.

Many students can raise their Quantitative scores by

simply slowing down and focusing on fewer

problems.Eachquestionisworthonerawpoint,so

you should put your time and energy into the

questionswithinyourcapabilities.Becarefultoavoid

mistakesontheeasiestquestions,makeeducated

guesseswhenyoucaneliminateanswerchoices,

andskipquestionsthataretoochallengingforyou.

Use the answer choices to work backward.

Don’tgettunnelvision.Ifyoucan’tsolveamath

problemintheforwarddirection,trytosolveitinthe

reverse direction by plugging in the answer choices

orbychoosingnumbersforvariables.


26

SS

AT


TheSSATtestsmathskillsrangingfromarithmetictoalgebraandbasicgeometry.Beonthelookoutfor

nonstandardpresentationofquestions,whichmaycausedifficulty.

Test-takersarenotallowedtousecalculators,socomputationalskillsarevital.

SomemathconceptsareonlytestedontheUpperLeveltest.InadditiontotheUpperLevelskillslistedbelow,

the Upper Level test may include more advanced applications of skills that also appear on the Middle Level

test.

SSAT QUANTITATIVE SKILLS

COMPLETE LIST OF SSAT MATH SKILLS

Number Concepts and Operations

• Numberproperties

• Divisibility and remainders

• Multiples and factors

• Fractions

• Decimals and place value

• Rounding and estimation

• Percents

• Ratios and proportions

• Orderofoperations

• Sequences,patterns,andlogic

Algebra

• Absolute value

• Exponents and roots

• Algebraic expressions and equations

• Simultaneousequations(UpperLevel)

• Inequalities

• Functions

• Quadraticequations(UpperLevel)

Geometry

• Angles

• Triangles

• Area and perimeter

• Circles

• Volume

• Spatial reasoning

• Coordinate plane

• Slope

• Graphing lines

• Transformations

Data Analysis

• Averages

• Median,mode,andrange

• Probability

• Permutations(UpperLevel)

• Sets

• Charts and graphs


SS

AT

27

The Reading Comprehension section requires students to understand what’s explicitly stated and what’s

impliedinabroadrangeoftexts.TheReadingComprehensionsectionontheMiddleandUpperLevelSSAT

includes8-9shortreadingpassages,each250-350wordsinlength.

SSAT READING COMPREHENSION OVERVIEW

Passage Types• Fact passages address topics using details and

objectiveinformation.Forexample,apassage

might include a description of the way a volcano

eruptsorabiographyofFlorenceNightingale.

• Opinionpassagesexpressanopiniononatopic.

Forexample,theauthormightarguethatdrinking

watershouldcontainfluoride.

• Prosepassagestellastory,eitherfictionalor

biographical.Forexample,apassagemight

include a musician’s memories of how she

learnedtoplayaninstrument.

• Poetrypassagestellastory,expressanidea,or

describeanimaginedscene.Examplesmight

includeapoemabouttheocean,theemotionof

love,oraperson’sstruggle.

Question Types• Identify details

• Determine the main idea

• Derive the meaning of vocabulary from context

• Determine the author's attitude or tone

• Determine the author’s purpose

• Evaluate opinions and arguments

• Make inferences

• Make predictions


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Notinorderofdifficulty


40 QUESTIONS, 40 MINUTES TOTAL

TEST STRATEGY

Read with your pencil.

Asyouread,takenotes,underline,andwritedownthemainideaofeach

paragraph.Ifyouhaveanorganizedunderstandingofthepassage,you

willbeabletoanswerthequestionswithspeedandconfidence.

28

SS

AT


SYNONYMS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30


ANALOGIES

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60


TheVerbalsectioncontainstwotypesofvocabulary-basedquestions:synonymsandanalogies.Synonyms

progressfromeasytodifficult,asdoanalogies.

Sincevocabularyisbestlearnedthroughcontext,youcanprepareforthetestbyreadingregularly.Focuson

textsthataresomewhatchallenging,andrecordandstudythedefinitionsofnewwordsyouencounter.

SSAT VERBAL OVERVIEW

TEST STRATEGY

Know what you’re looking for before checking the answer choices.

Synonyms

Synonym questions test your ability to determine the

meaningofwordswithoutcontextualclues.You

must choose the word that is most nearly the same

inmeaningtothestemwordinthequestion.



Synonyms:Considerthedefinitionofthewordbefore

lookingattheanswerchoices.Notethatsome

questionstestsecondaryortertiarymeanings.Then

findtheanswerchoicethatmatchesbest.Forwords

youdon'tknow,considerthe"charge"(doestheword

haveapositiveornegativeconnotation?).

Analogies: State the relationship between the given

pairofwordsfirst.Then,searchforananswerchoice

thathasthatsamerelationship.Bespecific.Ifyouuse

avaguerelationship,morethanoneanswerchoice

mayseemcorrect.

Analogies

Analogy questions ask you to identify the

relationships between words and demonstrate a

nuancedunderstandingoftheirmeanings.Youmust

choose the pair of words with a relationship that best

matches the relationship between the stem words in

thequestion.



SS

AT

29

SSAT ANALOGY TYPES

TheSSATrepeatsseveralanalogytypesfromtesttotest.Familiarizingyourselfwiththesecommonstemswill

helpyouquicklyandconfidentlyidentifytherelationshipsinanalogyquestionsonthetest.

Synonym

frenetic is to energetic (freneticmeansenergetic)

Antonym

impudent is to respectful (impudentistheoppositeofrespectful)

Function or Use

aviary is to birds (anaviaryhousesbirds)

Person and Activity, Tool, or Creation

cobbler is to shoe (acobblermakesshoes)

Action/Result

insultistooffended (aninsultwillmakesomeoneoffended)

Characteristic

menace is to threatening (amenaceisthreatening)

Type

flyistoinsect (aflyisatypeofinsect)

Part/Whole

novel is to chapter (achapterisapartofanovel)

Degree of Intensity

cold is to frigid (frigidmeansextremelycold)

30

SS

AT


TheWritingsectionoftheSSATrequiresyoutowriteanessayin25minutes(15minutesfortheElementary

LevelSSAT).Practicewithtimedessaysisessentialforcreatingawell-structured,well-supported,andwell-

writtenessay.Writinganessayundersuchtimeconstraintsisanunusualassignment.Besuretotimeyourself

whilewritingpracticeessayssoyoucanfindtherightpace.

WhiletheSSATessayisnotscored,itissenttoschooladmissioncommittees,anditcanstillbeanimportant

partofyourapplication.

SSAT WRITING OVERVIEW

Upper Level

TheUpperLevelSSATgivesstudentsachoicebetweenacreativepromptandaformalprompt.Theformal

promptasksaquestionthatusuallyrelatestostudents’thoughtsoropinions.

Upper Level Writing directions:

"Schools would like to get to know you better through an essay or story using one of the two topics

below.Pleaseselectthetopicyoufindmostinterestingandfillinthecirclenexttothetopicyou

choose."

Middle Level

TheMiddleLevelSSATgivesstudentsachoicebetweentwocreativeprompts.Studentsshouldchooseone

promptasinspirationforashortstory.

Middle Level Writing directions:

"Schoolswouldliketogettoknowyoubetterthroughastoryyoutellusingoneoftheideasbelow.

Pleasechoosetheideayoufindmostinterestingandwriteastoryusingtheideaasyourfirstsentence.

Pleasefillinthecirclenexttotheoneyouchoose."

Sample Prompts

Creative prompts:

• Shehadneverseensomethingsobeautiful.

• Theywereallwaitingformetospeak.

• Shehadalwaysbeenahardworker,butshehadneverfacedsuchadifficultchallenge.

Formal prompts:

• What class or subject in school do you enjoy most? Why?

• Whoissomeoneyourespect?Explainwhyyoufeelthisway.

• Whichtwohistoricalfigureswouldyouliketomeetandwhy?


ISE

E

31

ISEE

ISE

E

31

32

ISE

E


THE ISEE

TheIndependentSchoolEntranceExam(ISEE)is

createdbytheEducationalRecordsBureau(ERB)

and is administered at three levels based on the

applicant’sgrade:Lower,Middle,andUpper.Each

level of the test is intended for multiple grades:

• Lower Level


• Middle Level


• Upper Level


TheISEEmeasuresverbal,math,andreadingskills

needed for successful performance in independent

schools.

The ISEE contains elements of both aptitude (like the

SSAT)andcurriculum-basedtesting.

Different Grades, Different Testing Experiences

TakingtheISEEcanbeaverydifferentexperience

dependingonthegradelevelofthestudent.For

example,studentsingrades8to11taketheUpper

LevelISEE,so8thgraderswilllikelyencountersome

material that is more advanced than what they have

learnedinschool.Ontheotherhand,11thgraders

will likely have previously encountered all of the

materialonthetest.

Keep in mind that your scores are compared only to

thoseofstudentsinthesamegrade,sothereisno

scoring advantage or disadvantage to taking the test

atacertaingradelevel.


ISE

E

33

ISEE LEVELS & STRUCTURE

TEST LEVEL SECTION QUESTIONS* TIME (MINUTES)

SCALED SCORES

Lower LevelStudentsingrades4-5,

applyingtogrades5-6

VERBALREASONING 34 20

760-940

in each of

4

sections

Essay not

scored

QUANTITATIVEREASONING 38 35

5-10-minutebreak

READINGCOMPREHENSION 25 25

MATHEMATICSACHIEVEMENT 30 30

5-10-minutebreak

ESSAY 1 30


Middle LevelStudentsingrades6-7,

applyingtogrades7-8


760-940

in each of

4

sections

Essay not

scored


5-10-minutebreak



5-10-minutebreak

ESSAY 1 30


Upper LevelStudents in grades

8-11,applyingto

grades9-12


760-940

in each of

4

sections

Essay not

scored


5-10-minutebreak



5-10-minutebreak

ESSAY 1 30


* Each section of the ISEE (excluding the essay) includes several experimental questions that will not be scored but may be used on future editions of the test. You will not be notified of which questions are experimental.

34

ISE

E


Raw Scores

Yourrawscoreisthetotalnumberofcorrect

answers.EveryquestionontheISEEisworthone

point,sotheeasiestquestionisworthjustasmuch

asthemostdifficultquestion.Therearenopointsfor

skippedquestions.Thereisnopenaltyforincorrect

answers,soyoushouldguessaggressivelyonthe

ISEE.Donotleaveanyanswersblank.

Scaled Scores

Yourrawscoreisconvertedtoascaledscore.Each

ISEEhasaslightlydifferentscaletoaccountforany

smalldifferencesindifficultybetweentests.Asa

result,notestdateiseasierorharderthananyother.

An840ononetestindicatesthesamelevelof

performanceasan840onanothertest.

TheISEEprovidesscaledscoresineachof4

sections:VerbalReasoning,QuantitativeReasoning,

ReadingComprehension,andMathematics

Achievement.TheISEEdoesnotprovideacombined

totalscore.

ThesectionscorerangefortheISEEis760-940.

Percentiles

Yourscaledscoresaregivenpercentileranks

indicating how well you scored compared to other

test-takersofthesamegrade.Forexample,a60th

percentile score indicates that you performed the

sameasorbetterthan60%oftest-takers.Your

percentile rank is based on scores from all students

in your grade who have taken the test over the past

threeyears.

Yourpercentilemightseemquitelowbecauseyour

scores are being compared to those of other ISEE

students,averycompetitivegroup.

Stanines

Rangingfrom1-9,staninesaregroupingsof

percentilescores.Seethetableonthenextpagefor

howpercentilesaregroupedintostanines.

A relatively small percent of students will achieve

staninescoresthatareveryhighorverylow.Stanine

scorescreateabellcurve,sothatthemajorityof

studentsachieve“average”staninescoresof4-6.

ISEE SCALED SCORES, PERCENTILES, STANINES

BoththeISEEandSSATreportscaledscores.However,independentschooladmissionofficeshavehistorically

reliedmoreonpercentileranksthanonscaledscores.TheISEEalsoprovidesstaninescores(explainedbelow),

whichsomeschoolsuseastheprimaryconsiderationforISEEresults.

ISEEessaysarenotscored.Copiesofyouressayaresenttoschoolsalongwithyourscorereport.The

importanceofyouressayinadmissiondecisionsvariesfromschooltoschool,butitisgenerallymuchless

importantthanyourpercentilerankorstaninescore.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

Gettingjustafewmorequestionsrightcanmakeasignificant

differenceinyourscaledandpercentilescores.



ISE

E

35

ISEE SCORING

PERCENTILE RANK

STANINE SCORE

1-3 1

4-10 2

11-22 3

23-39 4

40-59 5

60-76 6

77-88 7

89-95 8

96-99 9

Raw scores for each section are calculated by

addingonepointforeachcorrectanswer.Thereare

nopointdeductionsforincorrectanswers.

Scaled scores for each section are calculated using

aconversiontable,asshownintheabridgedtable

below.

Scaled scores are assigned percentile ranks based

on the percentage of students who scored at or

belowthatlevel.

Percentile ranks are then grouped into stanine

scores,rangingfrom1to9,asshownbelow.

RAW SCORE TO SCALED SCORE CONVERSION

Raw Score

Verbal Reasoning

Scaled Score

Quantitative Reasoning

Scaled Score

Reading Comprehension

Scaled Score

Mathematics Achievement Scaled Score

15 842 859 843 852

16 845 862 848 854

17 848 866 852 857

18 852 869 856 859

19 855 873 860 862

20 858 876 865 865

21 862 879 869 867

22 865 883 873 870

23 868 886 878 872

24 871 889 882 875

25 875 893 886 877

26 878 896 891 880

27 881 899 895 882

28 884 903 899 885

29 887 906 903 887

30 891 909 908 890

31 894 913 893

32 897 916 895

33 900 898

34 904 900

35 907 903

36 905

37 908

38 910

39 913

40 915

41 918

42 921

SCALED SCORE TO PERCENTILE RANK CONVERSION

SectionPercentile

25th 50th 75th

Verbal Reasoning

847 863 879

Quantitative Reasoning

853 867 882

Reading Comprehension

844 865 884

Mathematics Achievement

858 871 884

These conversion tables are estimated based on data for 6th grade students taking the Middle Level ISEE.

Stanine groupings stay the same for each test level and for every administration of the ISEE.

36

ISE

E


TEST STRATEGIES

Consider multiple definitions for words.

Trickier synonym questions will use less common

definitions.Forexample,theword“train”canmeana

locomotive,apartofadress,ortheactofpreparing

foranevent.

Anticipate the answer.

Beforeyoulookattheanswerchoices,usecluesin

the sentence to anticipate what needs to go into the

blanktocompletethesentence.Youdon'tneedto

have an actual word in mind; a general idea is

enough.Then,seewhichanswerchoicematches

bestwithyouranticipatedanswer.

TheVerbalReasoningsectioncontainstwotypesofvocabulary-basedquestions:synonymsandsentence

completions.Synonymsprogressfromeasytodifficult,asdosentencecompletions.

Becausevocabularyisbestlearnedthroughcontext,youcanprepareforthetestbyreadingregularly.Focus

ontextsthataresomewhatchallenging,andrecordandstudythedefinitionsofnewwordsyouencounter.

ISEE VERBAL REASONING OVERVIEW

Synonyms

Synonyms test your ability to determine the meaning

ofwordswithoutcontextualclues.Youmustchoose

the word that is most nearly the same in meaning to

thewordinthequestion.

Sentence Completions

Sentence completions test your ability to understand

wordsincontext.Youmustchoosetheword(s)that

worksbestwithinagivensentence.


MIDDLE LEVEL ISEE STRUCTURE40 QUESTIONS, 20 MINUTES TOTAL

Synonyms(17-23questions)

Easy g Medium g Difficult

SentenceCompletions(17-23questions)



ISE

E

37

ISEE QUANTITATIVE REASONING OVERVIEW

QuantitativeReasoningisthefirstoftwomathsectionsontheISEEandisdesignedtotestproblem-solvingand

criticalthinkingskills.Thequestionsoftenrequirelittleornocalculationbecausetheemphasisisonyourability

toreasonmathematically.

OntheMiddleandUpperLeveltests,theQuantitativeReasoningsectionhastwotypesofquestions:word

problemsandquantitativecomparisons.OntheLowerLeveltest,thissectionhasonlywordproblems.

Word Problems

Wordproblemsrequirelogicandhigher-order

thinking.Theymaybedifferentfromthestandard

questionsseenintypicalmathclasses.

Quantitative Comparisons

The quantitative comparison questions present

quantitiesintwocolumns:ColumnAandColumnB.

All comparison questions have the same four answer

choices,asshownbelow.

(A)ThequantityinColumnAisgreater.

(B)ThequantityinColumnBisgreater.

(C)Thetwoquantitiesareequal.

(D)Therelationshipcannotbedeterminedfromthe

informationgiven.

TEST STRATEGIES

Plan the steps you’ll need to get to the answer.

Whentryingtofigureouthowtosolveaword

problem,askyourself,“WhatinformationdoIneed

tofindtheanswer?”and“WhatcanIcalculatewith

theinformationI’vebeengiven?”

Test different values for variables.

Quantitative comparisons ask you to determine

whichquantityisgreaterinallpossiblecases.When

aquantityinvolvesvariables,testdifferentvaluesto

see if one quantity is alwaysgreater.Forexample,try

afraction,anegativenumber,apositivenumber,and

zero.

MIDDLE LEVEL ISEE STRUCTURE37 QUESTIONS, 35 MINUTES TOTAL

WordProblems(18-21questions)


QuantitativeComparisons(14-17questions)



38

ISE

E


ISEE READING COMPREHENSION OVERVIEW

TEST STRATEGY

Be an active reader.

Asyouread,youshouldsummarize,makeconnections,andanalyzethe

passage.Takenotes,underline,andwritedownthemainideasofeach

paragraph.Ifyouhaveanorganizedunderstandingofthepassage,you

willbeabletoanswerthequestionswithspeedandconfidence.

The Reading Comprehension section requires students to understand what’s explicitly stated and what’s

impliedinabroadrangeoftexts.Thepassagescovertopicsinliterature,history,science,andmodernlife.

TheLowerLeveltesthasfivereadingpassages,eachfollowedbyfivequestions.TheMiddleandUpperLevel

testshavesixreadingpassages,eachfollowedbysixquestions.

Question Types

Passage1 Passage2 Passage3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

MIDDLE LEVEL ISEE STRUCTURE


Passage4 Passage5 Passage6

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Notinorderofdifficulty


• Main Idea questions ask you to identify the primary

purpose,message,orfocusofthepassage.

• SupportingIdeasquestionsaskforspecificfacts

andexplicitideasfromthepassage.

• Tone/Style/Figurative Language questions ask

youtoidentifytheauthor’sattitude,describethe

moodofthepassage,ordeterminethemeaningof

ametaphor.

• Vocabularyquestionsaskyoutodefineawordin

thecontextinwhichitisused.

• Inference questions ask you to draw logical

conclusionsbasedoninformationinthepassage.

• Organization/Logicquestionsaskyoutorecognize

the structure of ideas in the passage or the purpose

ofportionsofthepassage.


ISE

E

39

Math Content

The Middle Level Mathematics Achievement section

spansthemathareasshownbelow.Sampletopics

fromeachcontentareaarelisted.

ISEE MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT OVERVIEW

MathematicsAchievementisthecurriculum-basedmathsectionontheISEE.Whereasthequestionsinthe

QuantitativeReasoningsectionareoftenabstract,thequestionsintheMathematicsAchievementsectionare

morestraightforwardandoftenrequireknowledgeofspecificmathterminologyandprocedures.Thequestions

inthissectionaremorelikelytobesimilartowhatyouhaveseeninschoolmathcourses.Dependingonyour

gradelevel,however,youmayencounterconceptsontheISEEthatyouhavenotyetlearnedinschool.

TEST STRATEGY

Check your work after each question.

Insteadofwaitinguntiltheendtoreviewyouranswers,

doaquickcheckafteryousolveeachquestion.Didyou

answer the question asked? Did you make any careless

mistakes? Is your answer reasonable?


MIDDLE LEVEL ISEE STRUCTURE


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47


11-19%

9-13%15-21%

DECIMALS, PERCENTS, AND FRACTIONS 7-10 Questions • Percent-decimal-fraction

conversion• Rounding and estimation

ALGEBRAIC CONCEPTS 9-13 Questions • Equations• Functions• Inequalities

WHOLE NUMBERS 7-10 Questions• Add,subtract,multiply,divide• Positive and negative• Oddandeven

GEOMETRY 4-6 Questions • Angles• Triangles• Circles• Coordinate plane

9-13%

19-28%

MEASUREMENT 4-6 Questions • Area• Volume• Surface area

DATA ANALYSIS AND PROBABILITY 5-9 Questions • Mean,median,mode,range• Probability• Data plots

15-21%

40

ISE

E


ISEE ESSAY OVERVIEW

TheEssaysectionoftheISEErequiresyoutowriteanessayin30minutes.Practicewithtimedessaysis

essentialforcreatingawell-structured,well-supported,andwell-writtenessay.Writinganessayundersuch

timeconstraintsisanunusualassignment.Besuretotimeyourselfwhilewritingpracticeessayssoyoucanfind

therightpace.

WhiletheISEEessayisnotscored,itissenttoschooladmissioncommittees,anditcanstillbeanimportant

partofyourapplication.

Essay Directions

"Theessayisdesignedtogiveyouanopportunitytoshowhowwellyoucanwrite.Youshouldtryto

expressyourthoughtsclearly.Howwellyouwriteismuchmoreimportantthanhowmuchyouwrite,

butyouneedtosayenoughforareadertounderstandwhatyoumean.

Youwillprobablywanttowritemorethanashortparagraph.Youshouldalsobeawarethatacopyof

youressaywillbesenttoeachschoolthatwillbereceivingyourtestresults.Youaretowriteonlyin

theappropriatesectionoftheanswersheet.Pleasewriteorprintsothatyourwritingmaybereadby

someonewhoisnotfamiliarwithyourhandwriting."

Sample Prompts

Lower Level prompts:

• What are the best qualities of a person you admire?

• Explainahobbyyouhavethatmakesyouspecial.

Middle Level prompts:

• Describeyouridealfuturecareer.

• Discussaproblemintheworldthatyouwouldliketosolveandhowyouwouldsolveit.

Upper Level prompts:

• What accomplishment are you most proud of? Describe this accomplishment and why it makes you

feelproud.

• Describeanexperiencethathasinspiredyou.


CO

MP

AR

ISO

N O

F T

HE

SS

AT

& IS

EE

41

COMPARISONOF THE

SSAT & ISEE

CO

MP

AR

ISO

N O

F T

HE

SS

AT

& IS

EE

41

42

CO

MP

AR

ISO

N O

F T

HE

SS

AT

& IS

EE


SSAT-ISEE COMPARISON

Dependingonwhereyouareapplying,youmayormaynothaveachoiceofwhichtesttotake.Upperschools

oftenhaveapreferencefortheSSAT,andmiddleschoolsoftenprefertheISEE,butmanyschoolshaveno

preferenceandwillaccepteithertest.

Neithertestiseasierorharderthantheother.Moststudentsscorecomparablyonbothtests.However,some

studentsperformsignificantlybetterononetestorhaveastrongpersonalpreference.

WhenchoosingbetweentheSSATandISEE,considerthetests’contentaswellasyourconfidenceand

comfortwiththeformatandmaterial.Ifyouhavethetime,takeapracticetestforeachtesttoseeifyouscored

betterononeorhaveapersonalpreference.Donottrytoprepareforbothofthetestsatthesametime;by

overstretchingyourself,youwillpreventyourselffromperforminguptoyourpotentialoneithertest.

Format and Length

TestSections—TheSSATandISEEhavesimilarstructures.Bothtestsfeaturemath,reading,andverbal

sections.Additionally,bothtestsfeatureanunscoredwritingsample,whichissentdirectlytoschools.While

theISEEisabitlonger,bothtestsareabout2hourslong.

Pacing—Theaveragetimeperquestionisalmostidenticaloneithertest.Themajorexceptionisforthemath

sections,wheretheSSAToffersslightlymoretimeperquestion.

ExperimentalQuestions—TheSSATmayincludeanexperimentalsectionattheendoftheexam.Thissection

includesunscoredquestionsthatarebeingtestedforfutureSSATforms.TheISEEalsoincludesexperimental

questions,butspreadsthemthroughoutthetest.

Scoring

GuessingPenalty—TheSSATpenalizesstudents¼rawpointforincorrectanswers.Therefore,studentsmust

bemorecarefulaboutguessingonquestions.TheISEEhasnopenaltyforincorrectanswers,sostudents

shouldguessaggressivelyandneverleaveananswerblank.

Scores—Bothtestsconvertrawscorestoscaledscores,whicharethengivenpercentileranksbasedonthe

student'srankingamongothertest-takers.Inadditiontopercentiles,theISEEalsogivesastaninescore.

RelativeWeight—TheSSATandISEEplacedifferentrelativeweightonthemathandEnglishscores.TheSSAT

reportstwoEnglishscores(VerbalandReadingComprehension)andonemathscore.TheISEEreportstwo

Englishscores(VerbalReasoningandReadingComprehension)andtwomathscores(QuantitativeReasoning

andMathematicsAchievement).StudentswhofeelanxiousabouttheirmathskillsmayprefertheSSAT,which

hasonlyoneofitsthreesectionscoresbasedonmath.Incomparison,halfoftheISEE'ssectionscoresare

basedonmath.


CO

MP

AR

ISO

N O

F T

HE

SS

AT

& IS

EE

43

Math

Scope—TheSSATandISEEhavesimilarscopesofmathconceptsthataretested.Bothtestsfocusprimarily

onarithmetic,algebra,andgeometry.TheUpperLevelISEEmayincludemoreadvancedconcepts,suchas

trigonometry.

StraightforwardvsAbstract—ManyofthemathquestionsontheSSATaredifferentfromwhatstudentsseein

standardmathcourses.SSATmathquestionscanbeabstractandcomplex,requiringproblem-solvingand

critical-thinkingskills.TheISEE'sQuantitativeReasoningsectionalsohasabstractandcomplexquestions,

whiletheISEE'sMathematicsAchievementsectionhasmorestraightforward,curriculum-basedquestions.

Reading

Length—SSATreadingpassagesaretypically250-350wordslong.ISEEpassagesaretypicallylonger,about

300-600wordslong.

ProseandPoetry—TheISEEReadingComprehensionpassagescovertopicsrelatedtohistory,science,

literature,andcontemporarylife.TheSSATcoverssimilartopics,buttheSSATmayalsoincludepoetry

passages.

Verbal

AnalogiesvsSentenceCompletions—TheSSATVerbalsectionincludesanalogies,whichrequireyouto

determinetherelationshipbetweenwords.Thesequestionsareatestofvocabularyandcriticalthinking.The

ISEEVerbalReasoningsectionincludessentencecompletions,whichrequireyoutodeterminewhichwordfits

bestwithinagivensentence.ThesequestionsgenerallyrequireastrongervocabularythantheSSAT's

analogies,butalsorequirelesscriticalthinking.

Essay

CreativevsFormal—FortheUpperLevelSSAT,youhaveachoicebetweenaformalpromptandacreative

prompt.ForlowerlevelsoftheSSAT,youhaveachoicebetweentwocreativeprompts.Foralllevelsofthe

ISEE,youaregivenasingleformalprompt.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE

IfyouhavethechoicebetweensendingSSATorISEEscores,

beginbytakingoneofbothpracticetests.Useyourpracticetest

scoresandyourpreferenceforthedifferentfeaturesofthetests

tochoosewhichwillthebefocusofyourtestpreparation.



RE

FE

RE

NC

ES

& R

ES

OU

RC

ES

45

REFERENCES & RESOURCES

RE

FE

RE

NC

ES

AN

D R

ES

OU

RC

ES

45

46

RE

FE

RE

NC

ES

& R

ES

OU

RC

ES


SUMMIT LEADERSHIP

Kristine ChochrekMarketing Director

KristinereceivedaBAinEnglish

fromMiddleburyCollege.With

over 15 years of marketing

experience,sheisexcitedtobe

partofthecontinuedgrowthofSummit.Kristine

believesintheeducationalbenefitsoftravelandhas

enjoyed studying abroad and traveling all over the

world.Inherfreetime,KristinevolunteerswithHorizons

forHomelessChildren,acharityhelpingtoimprove

thelivesofhomelesschildreninMassachusetts.

Michael DeanExecutive Director

MichaelreceivedaBAinFilmfrom

Emerson College and MA in Library

and Information Science from

SimmonsCollege.Hehasheld

severaldifferentmanagementpositionsduringhis10+

yearsatSummit,andhiscustomerservicefocusand

integritymakehimwell-suitedtohislatestroleas

ExecutiveDirector.Michaelishighlyregardedamong

schoolandindependentcounselorsthroughoutNew

EnglandandNewYorkasatrustedtestpreppartner

whodoesallhecanonbehalfofhisclients.

Alysha HearnManaging Director, Operations and OutreachMassachusetts

Alysha attended Earlham College

wheresheearnedaBAinArt,

graduatedwithhonorsandwasaBonnerCommunity

ServiceScholar.ShelaterpursuedanMSinGlobal

StudiesandInternationalRelationsatNortheastern

University where she gained admission to the Sigma

EpsilonRhoHonorSociety.Alyshahasbeen

committedtothefieldofeducationmanagementfor

manyyears,workingwithmiddleschoolagestudents

throughadultlearners.Herpersonalandprofessional

mission is to help people reach their life goals through

education.

Drew HeilpernChief Brand Ambassador

Drew graduated cum laude from

Duke University with degrees in

BiologyandEducation.After

teachingmiddleschoolscience,

DrewearnedhisPh.D.inImmunologyfromTufts

University.Soonafter,Drewbegantutoringfor

Summit where his passion as an educator quickly

madehimoneofSummit’smostrequestedtutors.

AsSummit’sChiefBrandAmbassador,hegetsto

pursue his passion of helping to guide educational

consultants,schoolcounselors,andfamiliesthrough

thestandardizedtestingprocess.

Allison KaplanManaging Director, Tutor Services and PartnershipsMassachusetts

AllisongrewupinFramingham,

MA.Sheearnedan

undergraduate degree at UMass Amherst and a

Master’sinCounselingPsychologyatTheOhioState

University.Shehasaround20yearsofexperiencein

HigherEducation,asanAcademicAdvisor,Academic

Counselor,andalsoasaDirectoroftheTutoring

Services at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy &

HealthSciences.AllisonhastutoredforSummit

steadilyforthelastseveralyears.Shelovesjigsaw

puzzles,cooking,andreading.

Katherine LeeChief Financial Officer

KatherinereceivedaBSin

Economics from MIT and has a

graduatecertificateforSpecial

Studies in Administration and

ManagementfromHarvardUniversity.Beforejoining

Summit,sheworkedasanindependentfinancial

managementconsultantforvariousclients.Shehas

over25yearsofexperienceworkingforbothlarge

corporationsandsmallhigh-techstartups,which

includespriorpositionsasCo-Founder&CFOatModo

Labs,Inc.andCFO&EVPofOnlineEnvirons,Inc.

SheenjoysteachingatKoreanschoolonweekends.


RE

FE

RE

NC

ES

& R

ES

OU

RC

ES

47

Whitney LongworthManaging Director, Partnerships and OutreachConnecticut and New York

Whitney graduated cum laude

from Connecticut College where

she was a selected scholar for the Holleran Center for

CommunityActionandPublicPolicy.Herprofessional

background has focused on client relations in the

boththeretailandentertainmentfields.Shestarted

as a tutor with Summit before joining the team full

time.Whitneyenjoyscollaboratingwithourschool

andindependentcounselors.Outsideofwork,she

freelancesinthefilmandentertainmentfieldsand

enjoysplanningelaboratethemeparties.

Jeff McClureGeneral Manager, Course Materials and Services

Jeffgraduatedsumma cum

laudefromBostonCollege

with a degree in economics and

concentrationinfinance.Hewentontocompletethe

CFACharterprogramwhileworkinginthefinancial

servicesindustry.OriginallyfromPhiladelphia,Jeff

has worked for several large brokerage and banking

firms,wherehespecializedineducatingclientson

productsandbestpractices.Outsideofwork,he

enjoys playing ice hockey and spending time with his

wifeandtwoyoungchildren.

Charlie O’HearnPresident/Founder

WhileanundergraduateatYale

University,Charlieprovided

personalized,in-hometutoring

servicestostudentsintheNew

Havenarea.Seeinganeedforone-on-one,in-home

tutoringandtestpreparation,helaunchedSummit

EducationalGroupinWellesley,MA,in1988.Charliehas

written a number of highly regarded test preparation

books,whichareusedbytutoringcompaniesand

schoolsaroundthecountry.Heisafrequentspeaker

andpanelistateducationconferences,forums,and

schoolsaroundthecountry.

James SaeleeManaging Director, Operations and Tutor ServicesConnecticut and New York

Jamesisagraduateofthe

UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,

where he double majored in Music and Political

Science.Whilethere,heworkedasavolunteertutor

inmathandreadingforBerkeleyUnifiedSchool

District.IncludinghistimeatSummit,Jameshasover

a decade of experience in the tutoring and test prep

industry.InhisroleasManagingDirector,Operations

andTutorServices,Jamesenjoysworkingclosely

with families to customize tutoring programs to suit

eachstudent’sspecificneedsandgoals.

Joshua WhiteDirector of Curriculum, Instruction, and Training

Joshuaoverseesthedevelopment

and implementation of Summit’s

curriculum,instruction,and

training.PriortohisroleasDirectorofCurriculum,

Joshuaspent3yearsasaSummittutorand

classroomteacher,preparingstudentsfortheSAT,

ACT,SSAT,ISEE,andessaywriting.Withover10years

oftutoringexperience,Joshuahastaughtstudents

from kindergarteners to senior citizens in everything

fromcookingtocomputers.

48

RE

FE

RE

NC

ES

& R

ES

OU

RC

ES


RESOURCES

ISEE

(800)446-0320

Register for the ISEE: www.erblearn.org/parents/admissions-testing-isee

FreeISEEguideandofficialpracticetest:isee.erblearn.org/guide.aspx

SSAT

(609)683-4440

Register for the SSAT: www.ssat.org/test/registration

PurchasetheofficialSSATguide:www.ssat.org/test-prep/official-guide

Association of Independent Schools in New England

www.aisne.org

Informationonenrollment,applications,andschoolprograms

National Association of Independent Schools

www.nais.org

Informationonapplications,costs,andfinancialaid


www.mytutor.com

AlthoughpartsofthesitearedesignedspecificallyforSummitstudents,wemaintainanextensivefreesetoftestingresources,admissionlinks,andpreparationtipsforallstudents,parents,andcounselors.

Summit’s Blog

www.mytutor.com/blog

Afrequentlyupdatedresourceforallinformationregardingadmissiontests.

Services for organizing and sending applications

StandardApplicationOnline(SSATonly):www.ssat.org/sao

Gateway to Prep Schools: www.gatewaytoprepschools.com

Ravenna: www.ravennasolutions.com/parents.php

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENTABOUT SUMMIT EDUCATIONAL GROUP

Experience Matters

For 30 years, Summit Educational Group has been

preparing students to maximize their scores on

standardized tests. Summit’s customized one-on-one

tutoring service helps students prepare for the SAT,

ACT, PSAT, SAT Subject Tests, SSAT, ISEE, and even

academic subjects. Our proven approach centers on

both skill-building and test-taking strategies to help

students reach their full potential.

Personalized Service

We deliver exceptional service to all of our families.

From the first phone call, we make certain to

understand the needs and score goals of the

student. After recommending the appropriate

program, we’ll match him or her with a highly skilled

tutor. Maintaining strong relationships with our

clients and those who recommend our services is

important to us, so we encourage and actively solicit

feedback throughout the Summit experience.

Expert Tutors

We carefully match each student with an expert

tutor to ensure the best fit possible. A tutor who

understands the student, engages and motivates,

makes the lessons fun, and builds confidence makes

all the difference. This individualized approach

allows students of all learning styles to achieve their

testing and academic goals. What’s more, our tutors

come directly to the family’s home, or to a school

campus, to work with students at their convenience.

Online Tutoring

For those families outside of our geographic

footprint, we are pleased to offer live, online tutoring.

Our remote tutoring tools and technologies bring

all the conveniences of our one-on-one, in-home

tutoring to your laptop or tablet. Your online

tutoring program includes all that makes a Summit

program successful: personalized services with

a Program Director, access to our expert tutors,

and a customized testing plan that is right for you.

Summit Portal

This valuable tool allows families to manage their

tutoring programs online. They can monitor

homework records, score practice tests, view results,

and submit feedback.

School Partnerships

Whether it is SAT, ACT, or SSAT prep, the answer is

simple: no other company offers the quality, results,

and care found in a Summit program. We currently

partner with many of the most demanding

independent and public schools in the Northeast.

But no two schools are alike, and neither are any

two Summit programs. We know that every school

has a unique student body with different needs, and

we’ll work with them to customize the best program

for their students and culture.

Course Materials and Services

Summit has developed, and continues to perfect,

a suite of proven, results-driven course materials

which helps students improve critical thinking

skills and develop effective test-taking strategies,

leading to higher scores. Our course books,

test analysis, and professional development

have helped hundreds of schools and tutoring

companies worldwide generate higher test

scores for their students.

Practice Testing

Each program begins with a diagnostic test and

detailed score report that identifies strengths and

areas for improvement. This allows our tutors to

customize their instruction accordingly. Real practice

tests throughout the program allow students to

practice what they’ve learned and provide valuable

information on how they’re progressing. We also

offer free proctored practice tests in the community,

affording students the opportunity to take “dress

rehearsal” tests, so they know exactly what to expect

on the real thing.

Dear Colleagues, Parents, and Students,

Not many events in a young person’s life produce as much stress, angst, and confusion

as do school admissions and standardized testing. The onslaught of information and

questions can be overwhelming.

• What score do I need to get into School Z?

• How important are my test scores?

• How much preparation do I need for the test?

At Summit, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional test preparation and tutoring, but

we also strive to be a trusted resource for counselors and families navigating this process.

Our complimentary annual SSAT/ISEE Testing Guide is a valuable tool that will answer the

above questions and many others. Hang onto it, and refer to it often as you make this journey.

When it comes to admission tests, we have always counseled students and parents to

maintain perspective and to craft a sensible, individualized testing plan early in the process—

a plan that addresses which tests you’re going to take, when you’re going to take them, and

how and when you’re going to prepare for them. A good testing plan is customized to the

student. It puts the student’s well-being front and center, prioritizes school work, and doesn’t

give the tests more life than they deserve.

As you plan and prepare, try not to bring unnecessary stress to the process. Look ahead so

that you can avoid unwelcome surprises and rest assured that you know what is coming.

This process can be confusing and it always creates some anxiety. However, don’t lose sight

of the positives. This should also be a time of excitement! These school applications are an

important step in setting up students for future opportunities.

If you’re looking for professional, thoughtful, personal guidance, expert tutors and teachers,

and exceptional test preparation, we are here for you. We have been for 30 years. We offer a

variety of test preparation and tutoring programs, and I’m very proud that over 80% of our

families are referred to us by their friends, school counselors, private consultants, learning

specialists, and others. It means we’re doing well by our students and families and the rest of

our constituents.

Our commitment is to your testing success, on your terms. I encourage you to contact us.

We’d be delighted to help in any way we can.

Sincerely,

CHARLIE O’HEARN

President/Founder


MASSACHUSETTS 61R Chapel BridgeNewton, MA 02458

800-698-8867

CONNECTICUT 237 Elm Street

New Canaan, CT 06840800-843-8520

NEW YORK 611 West Hartsdale Avenue, Suite 201

White Plains, NY 10607800-391-8435

mytutor.com

SUMMIT EDUCATIONAL GROUP INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

ADMISSION TESTING GUIDE

2018-2019

SU

MM

IT E

DU

CA

TIO

NA

L GR

OU

P IN

DE

PE

ND

EN

T S

CH

OO

L AD

MIS

SIO

N T

ES

TIN

G G

UID

E 2

018

-20

19 (8

00

) MY-T

UT

OR

• MY

TU

TO

R.C

OM

Informational Resource for the SSAT & ISEE

1988 v 30TH ANNIVERSARY v 2018