Neal Kamsler has worked in New York City independent schools for 35 years, including 21 years as Head of Upper School at Allen-Stevenson School. He also serves as Senior Director of Placement at Oliver Scholars, an educational access organization based in Manhattan. Test Innovators’ CEO, Edan Shahar, sits down with Neal to discuss independent school admissions: choosing the right school for your child, misconceptions about boarding school, and how admissions departments decide who to accept.
The SSAT is a very competitive test, and having a preparation plan is key to achieving the best scores that you are capable of. Here's our favorite strategy:
Many influential people have attended North America's wide range of independent schools. Six of them have become president! Let's take a look at these prep school Presidents.
Meet Evan
We are excited to introduce Evan, one of our 2021 scholars. Through dedication and hard work, Evan achieved a 98th percentile on the SSAT!
Evan is an avid athlete who has played hockey since kindergarten and more recently picked up tennis. In addition to training for his athletic endeavors, he...
1. Small class sizes: Many public schools hire terrific teachers, but when the funding (or lack thereof) dictates class sizes of 30 students or more, your student may not be getting the personal attention he or she deserves. At most private schools, you get what you pay for: small class...
If your child will be taking the ISEE or SSAT this year, you’re probably busy researching the best way to help them prepare. There is a lot of information out there and it can be very overwhelming, so we want to help by offering our top 5 tips for parents....
We are pleased to introduce Esther, one of our 2024 scholars. Through hard work and dedication, Esther increased her ISEE score by over 26 percentile points!
For the SSAT, students receive a scaled score and a percentile for each subject of the test (Quantitative, Reading, and Verbal). Note: the Writing Sample is not scored. Instead, a copy of the writing sample is sent with the score report to the school recipient. Learn how the scaled score...
Scott Duddy is the Director of Admissions & Enrollment Management at Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts, and brings with him 14 years of professional experience in the world of independent schools.
Meet Kate and Brady
Kate’s son, Brady, recently took the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) in hopes of gaining admission to Lakeside School for 6th grade. Brady is a very strong student, but as for many students, the SSAT was a new challenge for him. To make sure he was best...
So what do you do when you’re faced with a problem you don’t understand and you truly have no idea how to even begin? Here is a strategy that will increase the odds that you get a question right when you know nothing about the content of the question and...
