<p>Perusing various posts at CC, I think following are some of the factors which matter </p>
<p>Ability to pay (School funds are limited and go for FA to enrolled students first)
Boarding/day (boarding easier than day)
SSAT score (Higher the better; >80 percentile ideal)
Grades
Teacher recommendations
Interview performance (sociability, pleasant personality, etc.)
Athletic ability or interest (potential varsity level player; or interested in sports recreationally)
Extracurricular activities (leadership skills; organizational ability, writing/editing, debate, science/math olympiad/fair/bowl, etc.)
Extra-ordinary abilities (dance & music recitals, national level junior player, etc.)
Mix of applicants (how many other candidates with similar profiles applied to a particular school)</p>
<p>What did I miss?</p>
<p>I would also like to add a comment about 99 percentile SSAT scores. Not all 99 percentilers are equal. The 99 SSAT percentile ranges from almost 2325 to 2400. 98 percentile cut off is ~2260. Then there is dramatic drop-off to 90 percentile at ~2200. A 99 percentile at 2325 probably is not much different from a 95 percentile at ~2230 (considering the test’s measurement error), while a 99 percentile at 2390 may be someone special. Anybody agree?</p>