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.
Congratulations to Ella, one of our Independent School Tuition Scholars for 2023! Ella was able to increase her SSAT score by 29 percentile points, putting her in the 53rd percentile overall.
We are pleased to introduce Jolie, one of our 2022 scholars. Jolie’s focus and drive led her to increase her SSAT score by 16 points, scoring in the 82nd percentile!
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.
You took the ISEE, but when you get your scores back, they aren’t what you were hoping for. So you wonder, “Can I take the test again?” Yes, you can retake the ISEE. There are three testing seasons in every 12-month admission cycle, and you can take the test once...
It is important to make sure students stay academically engaged during the break. Preparing for the SSAT and ISEE over summer break is a great way to get a jump start on prep and stay academically engaged. Check out our top four tips for summer test prep.
Test Innovators has helped more than 65,000 students prepare for the standardized tests required for admission to the most competitive independent schools in the country. Below is our updated list of the 15 most competitive schools in New York, based on the number of students who stated their intention to...
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....
Josh’s daughter, Ellie, took the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) in the hopes of gaining admission to an independent school for 9th grade. When Ellie initially took the test, one of the biggest struggles she faced was effectively managing her time on unfamiliar questions. She unknowingly spent too much time...
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: