Meet Mohammed

Meet Mohammed

We are excited to introduce Mohammed, one of our 2020 scholars. Mohammed’s hard work and determination allowed him to increase his SSAT score by 67 percentile points.

Mohammed likes to play soccer, which is something he used to play when he lived in Bangladesh. He is looking forward to playing soccer again in high school. Mohammed also enjoys software coding, particularly website design.

In school, Mohammed enjoys math, science, and history. He likes math because it comes easily to him. His favorite topic in science is chemistry, and his favorite part about history is the discussion component.

Preparation

Mohammed took the SSAT as part of the application process for independent schools. As a member of the New Jersey SEEDS cohort, Mohammed prepared for the SSAT with Test Innovators. Mohammed took several practice tests, both online and on paper. He explained that taking timed practice tests was very helpful. In addition to the practice tests, Mohammed found Test Innovators’ verbal reasoning and reading comprehension practice exercises to be very beneficial.

Throughout the preparation process, Mohammed learned quite a few new words, improved his reading skills, and developed effective time management skills, which made it possible for him to answer all of the questions on the test the second time he took it.

Advice for Students

Mohammed’s advice for other students taking the test is to make sure that you prepare. He says, “Don’t take it lightly.” He explains that you can’t take the test without preparing and expect to get the scores you want. Mohammed also advises others to “be patient” and to not rush through the test just to finish it.

Advice for Parents

Mohammed’s mother, Nafisa, emphasized the importance of being involved in the preparation process to help your student stay disciplined and focused. Nafisa explained that with so many distractions, it can be easy for students to get sidetracked, so it’s necessary to help your student stay focused on the task at hand. Nafisa found it helpful to monitor Mohammed as he took practice tests and to go through the results with him to help identify areas that needed improvement.

New School

Mohammed is currently attending 9th grade at Concord Academy. During his campus tour last year, Mohammed really appreciated the welcoming and friendly community at Concord. In addition to the campus community, Mohammed chose to apply to Concord Academy because it fulfilled all of his academic and extracurricular needs.