My child has taken the SSAT multiple times and was in the low 30th- 40th percentile. His academics a better than good but not straight As. (lowest grade on last report was B+). He interviewed very well (AOs told us). His extracurriculars are outstanding (high level athlete in a non-traditional school sport), musical instrument, volunteer work and member of a youth organization. He has ambitious college and career goals, which are not fleeting as one would expect for someone his age.
With all of his good qualities, will the low SSAT score remove him from consideration by Admissions Officers? He is applying to schools with acceptance rates of 30%, 35% and 50%. I don’t think is scores are indicative of his academic ability.
Are the scores required by the schools he is applying to? If they are not required, don’t send them!
I think about half the schools my daughter is applying to require them and half don’t.
You don’t want him in a place where the level of academics and the competitive student body are going to grind him down… It’s great he’s got a first and second choice- just make sure he’s got choices where they’ll embrace every part of him!
I would want to understand if there are any issues around the testing - is he running out of time, is he mixing up question/answer lines, how does he score on in school/state testing, did he use a tutor to assist with testing strategy and fill in his knowledge gaps?
As a parent, I would to go deeper into why he is scoring this low, as it appears it doesn’t map with his academic record and could be an issue when it is time to take the SAT for college.
Thank you… I totally agree. I feel that the schools are not going to accept him if they feel he cannot be successful there. They want all of their students to succeed. And, I definitely don’t want him in over his head. What I am really worried about is that he will not end up with any choice, which means he’ll have to go to day school. The options are limited in our region.
Thank you! All good comments. Unfortunately, his annual standardized testing has never matched up to his ability or grades. We’ve had him evaluated and know that he will never be a good test taker. We also learned that he is extremely gifted in some areas.
He did an SSAT in person prep course and took the took multiple tests at home in preparation. We were expecting the second test to be higher than the first because of the level of preparation he put into it but his score was lower. We have not used a tutor yet and I am uncertain as to whether or not he should take it a third time… I don’t think we will see any significant changes.
I am very concerned about how he will test with the SAT when the time comes and I am sure that will also be a concern of the admissions team during their evaluation.
My younger son had this issue. Standardized testing doesn’t match up with academic abilities. Tutoring helped get him to 50%-ile. He applied test optional to mid-tier and hidden gem type schools. That said, he was admitted to the one school that required scores and IMO that school was more of a reach for him. What likely worked in his favor was that he was coming from a known quantity school (jr boarding) so that gave his good grades and recommendations more context and admissions likely felt more confident relying on them.
I think that your child should have a reasonable chance, given that you are addressing this realistically rather that limiting yourself to low admit schools.
A key fact is the average ssat score at the schools you are considering. Lots of kids get scores like your son, and get admitted to boarding school – this is not Lake Woebegone (where all students are above average). As you know the ssat is taken by a very small, academically motivated, percentage of the population.
Are you applying to schools where the average ssat is the 40th percentile? I would try to include at least 1 of those. Are you looking at any all boys schools? My impression is that Salisbury, Avon Old Farms, South Kent are easier admits/have lower ssat averages.
At schools that are a bit less selective and have no need to screen out applications simply to make their job easier, applicants are viewed holistically and don’tget filtered out based on one thing. If the school is TO, don’t submit the score. If it is, they will consider grades, teacher recs, perhaps a brief test administered when you visit - the whole package.
Schools want to admit kids who will succeed. And schools want kids to succeed. There was a girl at our school a few years ago who had SSAT scores in the 30% range who is just now finishing her degree at Harvard. The AOs felt like the rest of the picture said she could do it, and they were right.
I understand your worry but suspect that if you have been thoughtful in your choice of schools and have picked ones that have the structures and resources he needs to do well, you’ve done what you can to improve your odds and will likely succeed somewhere.
echoing other responses, I agree that as long as you cast a wide net, your child has demonstrated success in other ways, and your child has skills to offer the community, the schools that do require the SSAT will look at the whole package. My DD applied to one school that required SSAT and her scores were not impressive (don’t recall the number, but I remember thinking she wouldn’t have a chance because of them). I wrote the AO to acknowledge the score head on and reinforce that she isn’t great at standardized tests but was a very good student. We got a very reassuring message back along with an eventual admission offer. I would also say that my DD’s top choices shifted as we went thru the process and revisit days, so even tho your child’s top choices require the SSAT, you may find in the end that the best fit is one of the schools that doesn’t.
Good Luck!
What likely worked in his favor was that he was coming from a known quantity school (jr boarding) so that gave his good grades and recommendations more context and admissions likely felt more confident relying on them.