Should I take the test again

ops
Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:12:13 +0000

Congratulations on a terrific score! No need to take it again. There are a lot of really excellent scores here. Don’t get hung up on SSAT scores but yes one can take the test again and the schools will only see those scores you allow to release. The SSAT score is another unit of measurement the schools utilize in reviewing admissions. Accepted scores are all over the place and what is printed in BSR (Boarding School Review) is not always updated, accurate or consistent with what the schools actually do. BSR may say 81% but the incoming freshmen class may have averaged 95%. It depends on the pool of applicants. It goes to the other extreme as well so don’t let the scores discourage you. I know a kid who averaged in the 70’s and got accepted at a particular school and another who scored in the 90’s did not get in. Personally, thought they both should have gotten in but apparently it was the EC’s, the application and undoubtedly the interview that determined the outcome. There can be all sorts of little things that makes an admission officer really push for an individual student during the review process. I have never sat in on the process but I have heard first hand and from more than one source, the debate that ensues behind closed doors can be intense. From what I’ve heard some of it can be comical almost absurd but all very intriguing. Common sense prevails but please, if there was a special formula for getting accepted we’d all being do it. Meantime, get all your ducks in a row, the applications in on time, be your selves and think positive!