@one1ofeach An interesting thought that I hadn’t considered. But as I sit here and think about it – I’ll bet 10-15% of kids in this pool are taking math at least a year or two ahead of grade level. So coming in at the top 15% of this pool feels probably reasonable, and not indicative of a processing issue. I’m pretty sure that most of the kids in the top 20%-ile of math would get high 90’s if there was no time limit. I might be wrong on all of this though.
Also: according to my DD, the math on the SSAT is all lower than what they are studying now. Maybe one quadratic question? No trig. nothing super advanced. Which isn’t to say an advanced math student wouldn’t be strong at the SSAT math (as they use those skills daily in their more advanced work), but it would seem to dilute at least part of the advantage of being a year or two ahead.
PS. I confess to laugh at the idea of anyone reading this and thinking: what world do we live in when we start wondering if someone getting an 85%ile on the SSAT math is perhaps being slowed down by a processing disorder that might justify testing accommodations?
There are a couple of issues here. But first, let’s do a thought experiment: you have an above average early elementary math student who is in the socio-economic demographic of families who would likely, someday, consider “prep school admissions” for their son or daughter. By above average, I merely mean better than 50% at the private school that student probably attends, or in the 75th percentile of the elementary public school that student attends (usually in a relatively affluent community or a catchment area of a city producing, at the very least, a “middle-class” demographic in that elementary school).
If you take any of those kids from an early elementary age, and accelerate their math, they end up in advanced math for boarding school entry. So much so that some are in danger of “running out” of math courses at the end of high school.
My concern is that many parents then think these children are prodigies or math geniuses: they are not. They have simply taken more math and were above average to begin with.
Don’t get me wrong: this will help immensely on the SSATs. But I do think there needs to be some perspective here.
@one1ofeach I won’t touch the whole “accommodations for the SSAT” issue with a ten foot pole. I will categorically say, though, that processing speed deficits pretty much do imply that the student was hardly a math prodigy to begin with. Again, this proves my point: enrollment in advanced math courses and/or 99% on the SSAT does not a math genius make (whether boarding school AOs recognize this is another story; I suspect they do not). Rather, the whole “advanced math classes” as proxy for exceptionality - as circumstantial as it is, longitudinally - is severely flawed.
I have two mathy kids. The older scored 800 on the SSAT math section 99% ( 1st time, no prep, we looked at how the test was scored the night before). The second scored almost equally high. The oldest has no issues in math at all and is a couple of years ahead. That kid could never be a mathematician. Nor, is there interest. Nor does this kid think they are a top math kid or a prodigy. The second kid is extremely mathematical. To the point where math teachers take notice. And we have had lots of interest from math teams ( which kid found boring). And even skipping a grade left us with a kid in the same extreme. That’s a top math kid. And that kid thinks math is easy but doesn’t think of themselves as being a top kid, more of being a kid interested in math.
Going into Pre-Calc as a Freshman doesn’t mean you are a top math student if that’s the path the school laid out. On the other hand, a kid who gets every math problem set out and intuits math is a “top” math kid. And even in that situation, there are likely to be 1-4 kids in the school like them. BS know this and have told us how they work with these kids. They get kids like this every year. Advanced math classes do not confer exceptionality. But exceptional math kids can be found even among kids who have no had advanced exposure to some topics.
So, I would say based on my kids that the math score isn’t going to tell you if you are a top math kid. It is only going to tell you how much math you know compared to others.
I don’t know if additional time would yield different results for any section of the SSAT. For the most part, it seems like accommodations are becoming more common.
^^ definitely a solid step function above anyone in my entire family. Including the Harvard-goers. ??
That’s exactly what I meant when I realized my kiddo is bright but not truly-gifted-needs-special-math bright.
@Rberke Do NOT worry about the SSAT score. Admissions officers want to make sure your child can handle the academic rigor at their school. The fact that your child is in accelerated classes, scored in the top 20% of all private school-bound students, plus has a strong recommendation from the Math teacher, prove that they can handle a rigorous math curriculum.
If your child is rejected from boarding school, it will NOT be because of his scores.
It will be because of weakness in some other area (essay, interview, recommendations, extra curriculars) or lack of fit.
True story - my oldest made an error on his bubble answer sheet when he took the ISEE and had a math score in the 9% percentile. His very competitive day school ultimately did admit him based on his prior grades/teacher recommendations (after a stint on the waiting list). Ended up holding the all-time school record scores on AMC/AIME and won a couple of state level math competitions.
I took the SSAT in November 2019 and I studied the week before the test. (I’m extremely prone to procrastination.) Math is not my strongest subject so I mainly studied for the math section. The math section is mainly simple concepts written in a confusing manner. I have always been in the accelerated math path but even I had trouble with the problems. Doing practice tests are really helpful to get familiarized with the way the problems are constructed. I ended up getting 93 on the math section but I think I would’ve done better if I studied earlier. Good luck!
OP- it sounds like your child is in the process for going to an exclusive school. Please have the mindset that if s/he doesn’t get into one of those desired schools s/he can still get an excellent education and, depending on the child (not the school), can get into an elite U. Your world will not end if your child does not go to one of those schools. Needing to live at home and go to a local school does not mean giving up getting into a top college/university. Going to XYZ school does not guarantee getting into those colleges/U’s. There are so many gifted kids all over this country who are not going to those schools on your list and who will do as well in life, including their college experience.
Not sure this helps but for the record I have a student with processing speed issues who scored abysmally in math on the SSAT and on the SAT; and by that I mean well below 50th percentile on the SSAT. While it made admissions more challenging and she needed a tutor for chemistry and physics, she was an outstanding student at BS and took home multiple academic awards at her school. She currently has a 3.8 GPA at a top 20 college. A 77th% does not mean a student is not ready for BS and the schools know this and they take the student’s entire transcript into account in addition to the scores. I read on here so often that a score in the 70s means the student is overreaching or unprepared and I just want to chime in and say that is not true! The scores just need to make sense in the context of the rest of the application and be ballpark if at all possible. If you do have a child with a documented learning difference , you are better off disclosing that information so that the scores can be evaluated in their proper context. And yes I agree a score in the 70s does not necessarily mean there is a learning difference! My SSAT math score was in the 7th percentile and I managed to graduate from Taft with honors and no extra support (none was offered back in the dark ages).
It is much worse to have a high Math score but a low grade in a less advanced Math class.
A lower Math score for a kid who is doing well in advanced Math means that either 1) the kid can handle Math but might not be a great test taker or 2) the kid isn’t an innate Math superstar but works hard to excel in class. Both of those would be positive conclusions!
This is so interesting to me. My child who just took the SSAT in January for a local day school is seemingly not great at math. She is in Algebra 1 at a public charter, got a B first semester and sometimes gets the highest grade in the class on a test and sometimes fails the test. (Got a 66 on her final.) The test is not returned so I have not seen an actual test to see what she is getting wrong. Her teacher reports that she is argumentative always wanting to know “why” instead of just doing the math. Teacher does not like this.
She scored in the 95th percentile on the latest MAP test and in the 80th percentile on the SSAT. If she goes to public high school she will be placed in the lowest level of Geometry. If she goes to private school they will give her a math placement test and who knows where she will end up. After this standardized testing, I realize I don’t really know if she is good at math and just has a not great teacher or if she is somehow just good on math on standardized tests but not in real life. Lots to ponder. But thinking public school may not be the best fit.
No placement tests. Not a great school system. I can do a parental override on the recommendation but have been strongly advised not to mainly due to classroom tests being all over the place. Fingers are crossed she is accepted at the private. The teacher is annoying but fighting with her will not get us anywhere especially since I don’t think she likes my kid! And I don’t care at all that my daughter has a B in the class. I do care that she is frustrated and thinks she is not good at math. (And I hope she is learning some Algebra.)
My BFF got a D in math in 6th grade because she was bored out of her mind. She ended up getting a bachelor’s degree in math and German. She went on to get a PhD in history.
hopefully this message still comes on time. Do not worry too much on SSAT score but focus on the key strategies on SAT. I am great at school math too but I have to get outside help on Kumon and Beestar to boost up my score. I believe an outside help with help you.
the Harvard side is the liberal arts side.