For almost 50 years, the SAT has played a pivotal role in the college admissions process. The upcoming transition from the traditional paper-and-pencil format to a digital, adaptive SAT marks one of the most significant changes since its inception in 1926. The Class of 2025 will be the first cohort of U.S. students to undergo both the PSAT and SAT in a digital, adaptive format.
Early acceptance rates at these institutions showed a significant advantage over regular decision rates, according to U.S. News data. Though crafting a standout college application can be a time-consuming and stressful process, submitting an application in the fall, well before the typical winter deadline for regular admissions, is possible.Read on to find out more.
Admission tests are a required step for entering many independent schools all around the world. Independent schools use the SSAT to determine whether students are qualified for admittance. Often, a great deal of pressure is put on students to do well on the SSAT. Read on to find out the steps that can be taken to ensure you're adequately prepared.
A good SSAT test prep program will strengthen underlying skills, instill confidence, and help students reach their full potential. Successful test-taking not only encompasses the necessary academic skills, but also the understanding of how to take standardized tests. Utilizing a two-pass approach, pacing drills, process of elimination, plugging in the answer choices, and question recognition, are all ways to help increase your score. Having a tips and strategies toolbox will help the student be in control of the test. View the SSAT test format.
• Guess if you can eliminate 2 answer choices on easy or medium questions. Guess on hard questions if you can eliminate 3 answer choices.
• Attractor answers are most common towards the end of a section.
• The student receives 1 minute per question on the reading section.
• The student receives 30 seconds per question on the verbal section.
• The student receives 72 seconds per question on both math sections.
SSAT Math:
• Half of the math questions are arithmetic and about one-fifth are Geometry based.
• If the problem doesn't say “not drawn to scale” then estimate by looking at it.
• Use numbers that are easy to work with when plugging in for variables.
• If you think a question will take more than 72 seconds, circle it, and come back to it later.
• Watch out for sudden measurement changes. For example, the chart lists yards and the answers are given in feet.
SSAT Verbal:
• Review the tested word and find the correct definition.
• The answers may also use a secondary definition.
• Examine the word for roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Does the word sound positive or negative?
• For analogies, build a sentence with the word to understand the relationship.
• Eliminate answer choices with no relation and that seem weak in their relationship.
SSAT Reading:
• Spend the first minute looking for “easy” passages to tackle.
• Reading is the only section that doesn’t progress from easy to difficult.
• Usually, the very first sentence will be the main idea.
• Read at a strong pace, but do not re-read.
• Try not to worry about rushing through passages.
• Don’t move onto the next passage, until you answer all of the current passage questions.
• If you’re running short on time, look for the questions that ask for a definition.
Contact us regarding test prep for the SSAT, including a free diagnostic report!
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