Does retaking the SSAT hurt your chances?

Nwbddad
Tue, 09 Sep 2014 20:05:10 +0000

SevenDad, I have to say I’m surprised by your dismissal of efforts to improve even high SSAT scores in order to stand out as much as possible, considering your prior, very extensive, statements on this same topic in which you came out 180 degrees the other way, and apparently yourselves followed:

"Tests & Test Prep
SevenDaughter did very well on the SSAT, taking it twice and having scores above 2350 both times.

Why did she take it twice if she did so well the first time? Because when I scheduled her for the October test, I didn’t know that her school would administer it to her entire grade in October (I think for merit scholarship selection). I signed her up for the October test largely to get it out of the way early in the application process as well as to give us enough of a “safety net” in terms of time should her scores not be where we wanted them to be. Note that we were told by a few AOs that anything in the high 80s and above “would not adversely affect her candidacy”."

And…

“I’ve read some variation on the statement “SSAT scores don’t matter” multiple times over the course of my time on CC. And I disagree. Here’s why: The SSAT is the only objective apples to apples comparison that AOs have. It (or the ISEE) is the only thing every app has in common. So why are people so quick to discard it as a tool for gauging a candidate? I’m not saying that you have to get a 99th percentile score to get into very selective schools, but it can’t hurt.”

Seems like this is exactly what I’ve been saying here. But maybe your view has changed over the last few years.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1174214-one-family’s-bs-search-and-application-process-—-start-to-finish.html#latest

(Sorry for the long delay. I had actually lost interest in this discussion but when I came across your old post (to which you linked just recently), I couldn’t resist.