The SSAT is used as only one part of the picture. Different middle schools cover different material and grade using different metrics. For example, two schools may both require students to submit corrections of questions they got wrong on tests, but only one of them may improve the student’s grade as a result. So, 2 students, same work, different grades! This can make GPA comparisons tricky for AOs. The SSAT is one of the few things that allows schools to compare applicants “equally”.
A poor score can signal that a student may not be prepared to handle the work at a given school, although some schools are pretty good at reading through that noise. (I have often told the story of the student at DS’ school who had a score in the 30s on one subsection and is now finishing a degree at Harvard. )
For a foreign student, the SSAT can signal whether the student’s English is proficient enough to handle what for many students is a much heavier reading load than they are used to. I am not an AO, but my hunch is that a score in the 70s would not be a huge red flag, especially if you are not a native speaker and do not attend an English-speaking school. They would probably assume that your English will improve rapidly in an immersion situation.
Any school, however, will be looking to see what else you bring to the community. That will be what you are admitted for, not grades and scores. To that end, I would suggest that you expand your list. Filter first for schools that give FA at the level you need it to international students. Some don’t do it at all, some will do it if it’s less than half, and others have no restrictions. But know that after you have found those schools, even with perfect grades and scores, it’s hard to say who will be admitted to any school. If it’s your dream to attend a US BS, cast your net wider and where the fish are!
As for you and TO, I think the SSAT is a good way to show your English proficiency.
Briefly, about TO…There were schools that were TO (or just weighting the SSAT very little) even before covid, and most had students do a writing “assignment” during their interview and had them provide their math textbooks. They felt this was a better indication of readiness than the SSAT – and it allowed them to spot kids with aptitude who just hadn’t been taught the material that was on the SSAT.
Covid created a situation where almost all BS were TO for a while. Many schools did not have an alternative way of assessing applicants (as above) but quickly came up with something. At the same time, many students fell behind/lost learning during the pandemic. As pandemic era applicants enrolled at BS after this TO year or two, it became difficult for schools to tease out whether problems they saw with performance related to being TO or to pandemic learning deficits. Many returned to require tests.
Hopefully this long explanation makes you comfortable about submitting and understanding how it’s used.