How can I improve my application?

TheSwami
Sat, 23 Feb 2019 21:18:40 +0000

@alison538 re SSAT, I agree with others that you should focus on the rest of your application since you are likely to be fine with respect to the test.

That said, SwamiJr got exactly the same score without studying. He focused on everything else in life…vacation (if he scored much lower he would have spent part of the time studying), ECs, sports, academics, friends, Instagram, Fortnite, FIFA, NBA2K and narrowing down/visiting schools. 5 weeks before the December SSAT test he began studying and seeing a tutor 1x a week. He scored @ the 96th percentile.

Only two takeaways, 1) Don’t wait until December to take the test. We got too comfortable because of the practice test, SwamiJr typically does well on standardized tests, and life was busy. A lot could have gone wrong and we could have needed another test. Take it sooner than December. 2) Don’t waste money on classes or tutors. Use one of the review books and you will score well. We were a bit panicked because December was the kiddo’s first time taking the test for real so we went for what we thought was an insurance policy.

Nice job getting started early.