SSAT Prep Guide — Private & Boarding School Admissions
The SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) is required by most elite boarding and private day schools. It tests verbal, quantitative, and reading skills, plus an unscored writing sample.
A crucial SSAT quirk: there's a penalty for wrong answers, so strategic guessing matters. Strong preparation focuses on both content and test strategy.
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Start free diagnosticWhat's on the SSAT
Verbal
Synonyms and analogies — heavily vocabulary-dependent.
Quantitative (×2)
Two math sections covering arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems.
Reading Comprehension
Passages with inference, main-idea, and detail questions.
Writing Sample
Unscored, but sent to schools — a chance to show your child's voice.
How to prep for the SSAT
- Build vocabulary aggressively — synonyms and analogies reward a deep word bank.
- Learn the wrong-answer penalty rule and when to skip vs. guess.
- Take full-length, section-timed simulations to build stamina and pacing.
- Practice reading comprehension with varied passage types.
SSAT FAQ
What's a competitive SSAT score?
Top schools often look for 80th+ percentile, with the most selective expecting 90th+. Percentiles compare your child to other applicants of the same grade and gender.
Should my child guess on the SSAT?
Only when they can eliminate at least one option — because wrong answers carry a small penalty. Random guessing hurts.
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