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The Secondary School Admission Test, or SSAT, is an admissions test administered to students in grades 5-11 to help determine placement into independent or private junior high and high schools. Despite its similarities, the SSAT is not related to the SAT Reasoning test and is not administered by the College Board.

The test is administered on two levels:

• Lower—for students currently in grades 5-7

• Upper—for students currently in grades 8-11

The SSAT measures how well students solve mathematics problems, use language, and comprehend what they read.

The SSAT consists of 2 parts:

• A multiple-choice aptitude test.
  • Math section
  • Verbal Section
  • Reading Comprehension Section
• A brief essay

There are two 30 minute math sections with 25 questions each that require basic computations including some basic algebra, this section is called quantitative reasoning. They vary from word problems to equations.

The verbal section is 30 minutes long and consists of 30 synonym and 30 analogy questions.

The 40 minute reading comprehension section has 40 questions based around seven given reading passages. These questions not only require test takers to comprehend what they are reading but also to read quickly.

Students will be asked to support or argue against a topic statement by using examples from personal experience, history, literature and current events.

The essay section is 25 minutes long and students are given one side of a paper to write this essay.

The essay is not scored. However, it's still very important, since it is sent to school admissions offices.

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All questions on the SSAT are equal in value and scores are based on the number of questions correctly answered subtracted by one-quarter point for each question you answer incorrectly. No points are awarded or deducted for questions left unanswered.

The scaled score for the Upper Level is 500- 800 and the Lower Level is 440- 710.

The SSAT score report provides scaled scores for each section as well as percentile ranks for each category, comparing a students score to others who have taken the test in the past three years. Also in the score report are estimated national percentile ranks for 5-9 grade test takers and projected 12th grade SAT scores for test takers in grades 7-10.

Upon receiving their scores, students can send the results to the independent schools they wish to apply to. Each school then evaluates the scores according to its own standards and requirements

Register online at www.ssat.org.