Secondary School Admission Test
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The Secondary School Admission Test, or SSAT, is an admissions test administered by the Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB) to students in grades 5-11 to help determine placement into independent or private junior high and high schools.
There are two levels of the test: the Lower level for students in grades 5-7 and the Upper level, designed for students in grades 8-11. The SSAT consists of two parts: a brief essay and multiple choice sections that include Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Verbal. The test, written in English, is primarily administered in the United States and Canada at various test centers, which usually are independent schools. There are also test centers worldwide.
Despite the similarity in name, the SSAT is not related to the SAT Reasoning Test and is not administered by the College Board.
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[edit] Test sections
[edit] Mathematics
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There are two 30 minute math sections with 25 questions each that require basic computations including some basic algebra, this section is called quantitative reasoning. All questions are basic math.They vary from word problems to equations.
[edit] Verbal
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The verbal section is 30 minutes long and consists of 30 synonym and 30 analogy questions.
Synonym questions are _________ is the closest to ___________. Analogy questions are _________ is to __________ as __________ is to ____________.
[edit] Reading Comprehension
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The 40 minute reading comprehension section has 40 questions based around seven given reading passages. These questions not only require test takers to comprehend what they are reading but also to read quickly.
[edit] Essay
In the essay part of the test, test takers are asked to support or argue against a topic statement by using examples from personal experience, history, literature and current events. The essay section is 25 minutes long and test takers are given one side of a piece of paper to write the essay. The essay is not scored. However it is sent to school admissions offices along with the scores for the other sections.[citation needed]
[edit] Scoring
All questions on the Secondary School Admissions Test are equal in value and scores are based on the number of questions correctly answered less a one-quarter point for each question answered incorrectly. No points are awarded or deducted for questions left unanswered. The scaled score for the Upper Level is 500- 800 and the Lower Level is 440- 710.
The Secondary School Admissions Test score report provides scaled scores for each section as well as percentile ranks for each category, comparing a student's score to others of the same grade and gender who have taken the test in the past three years. Also in the score report are estimated national percentile ranks for 5-7 grade test takers and projected 12th grade SAT scores for test takers in grades 8-11.
Upon receiving their scores, students can send the results to the independent schools they wish to apply to. Each school then evaluates the scores according to its own standards and requirements.
