Greg Jones served a long and illustrious career in education. Recently retired, Jones was the Director of Enrollment Management and Admissions at Epiphany School for 14 years and a middle school Humanities teacher, department chair, and admissions committee member at The Northwest School for 15 years, both located in Seattle, Washington.
In this conversation with Test Innovators’ CEO, Edan Shahar, Greg talks about his experience helping 8th graders find the best high school fit, and offers his advice for parents as they navigate the admissions process.
Originally published on December 12, 2018. Updated on January 5, 2026.
As a general rule, we recommend starting your SSAT prep six to four months before your test date.
So if you are planning to take the test in November, then you should take a diagnostic practice test sometime between May and July.
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.
The Prep Plan is one of the best places to see the targeted practice exercises you should be working on. You can access the Prep Plan by clicking on the tab on your Dashboard. Here are some insights into using the Prep Plan to help you succeed:
After families take the ISEE test, we often receive questions from confused test-takers and parents. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions we’re asked about ISEE score reports.
Yesterday evening our Director of Education Brenna O'Neill educated the masses on everything you need to know about the ISEE; from test content to the strategies you need to succeed on the official test. You can view the recording below:
Test Innovators' education team recently ran webinars that answered our most frequently asked questions about these tests. If you missed the webinars, check out the recordings.
Summer is a great time to address all that is missing during the regular school year—in particular, it’s a great time to foster and develop skills relevant for the future. Did you know that, according to the World Economic Forum, "65% of jobs for the next generation don’t even exist...
Scott Duddy is the Director of Admissions and Enrollment at Dexter Southfield and the former Associate Director of Secondary School Counseling at The Fessenden School in Newton, MA. As a dedicated educator with over ten years of admissions and teaching experience, he actively engaged with students and families to understand...
The most important rule of reading comprehension is that the passage will always provide all of the information needed to answer the question. This means that reading comprehension is really like a scavenger hunt, and your objective is to get as good as possible at sleuthing, finding the lines that...
The Character Skills Snapshot (CSS) is a tool developed by The Enrollment Management Association, the same company that creates the SSAT. Students in grades 6 through 12 take the CSS for admission to participating independent schools. Check with your prospective schools to see if they require the CSS.
