You’ve done it! You’ve made it through 5 sections, 150 questions, one essay, and over 2 and a half hours of testing. You may be ready to go home and take a well-deserved nap (or run around after sitting for so long) but before you breathe a deep sigh of relief, there’s one final section.
The experimental section is the shortest section of the test: only 15 minutes and 16 questions total. Unlike the other SSAT sections, the experimental section has a mix of question types: six verbal, five reading, and five quantitative. While you want to answer every question and try your hardest, don’t let the experimental section stress or overwhelm you: it is neither scored nor sent to schools.
So, if it’s not scored, why does this section exist? Writing a test like the SSAT can be difficult, and test writers use this last section to try out new questions. Test writers will evaluate the results of each question to determine if it is appropriate and reliable and ultimately if it will appear on the test in future years. Once you’ve finished those last 15 minutes, you can be proud of both conquering a long and difficult test and playing a role in shaping the test for years to come.
Just as with any game or sport, knowing the rules of a standardized test is a cornerstone of success. Students who go into a test without any kind of preparation are at a significant disadvantage: they'll be figuring out those rules as the clock ticks. That's why Eastside Catholic School...
We are pleased to introduce Ryan, one of our 2020 scholars. Ryan’s perseverance and dedication allowed him to increase his SSAT score by 51 percentile points, scoring in the 81st percentile overall.
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.
We are delighted to introduce Roger, one of our 2023 scholars. Through hard work and perseverance, Roger increased his ISEE score by 3%, scoring in the 99th percentile overall!
We are thrilled to introduce Bei, another one of our 2023 scholars. Through focus and consistency, Bei was able to increase his ISEE score by 19%, scoring in the 97th percentile overall!
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...
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...
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....
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.
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:
