Get resources: full-length SSAT practice tests, level-appropriate vocabulary lists, a watch for test day (and practice sections!), a quiet place to complete timed sections
Help students eat well, sleep well, and exercise often
Mentally:
Organize with your child: Connect students with a tutor or class (or you!) to:
When will they test?
How many new words can they commit to learning per week?
Will you help them study or quiz them?
When will they take diagnostic practice tests?
Emotionally:
Build confidence. Celebrate successes and assure them that with practice they can do their best.
Know that their happiness and success in life is actually NOT dependent on SSAT results. (If YOU are overly concerned they may become overly stressed which will NOT help them.)
Offer an “after-test-day” award as motivation; a treat not dependent on scores. This “Woohooo, you did it!”-award can be material or a celebratory activity you’ll do together.
The SSAT has three sections: Verbal, Reading, and Quantitative. When we looked at our practice test data from this past year, we noticed that five states—Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Florida, and Washington—attained the highest scores on these sections, but there were variations between each state's particular strengths.
Reading Comprehension (RC) is about understanding what you are reading. You do not need outside information to do well on this section. You also do not need to be experienced in the topic of any given passage. Creativity may harm more than help. What you need to do is cover...
Yes, you can get accommodations on the official SSAT exam! Score reports do not provide any indication that a student was provided testing accommodations, so there’s no reason not to use them if you are eligible. Here’s how it works:
2019 was a major year of growth for Test Innovators. To date, we have helped 135,000+ students, and those students have answered more than 20 MILLION questions on our platform. To support this growth, our team nearly doubled in size, so we can continue to enhance student learning.
You may know already that Test Innovators provides online tutoring, but perhaps you’re not convinced yet that online tutoring is the most effective way to help students prepare. To help persuade you, we’ve compiled a list of the unique benefits of online tutoring:
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:
The admissions process for independent schools is complex—there is a lot of information to take in, and deadlines arrive quicker than you know it! Check out these expert tips as you kick off the search for your dream school.
Across our platform, students exhibit statistically significant increases in test percentile after every practice test. We see that our students don’t just improve by using our platform, but they improve consistently over time, further reinforcing that practice makes perfect.
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.
The team here at Test Innovators knows a thing or two about the anxiety surrounding testing. There are many different methods to relieving testing anxiety but we chose our top four favorites.
