<p>there seem to be some fairly deep misunderstandings about these tests. For any given test percentiles are measured over the population taking the test. In other words, if you are in the 95th percentile (btw it’s not just PA with high ssat scores, check our st p for example) that means that you scored higher than 95 % of those who took this test. It doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference whether this or that person had a bad day etc etc.<br>
Now the organization that runs SSAT is different from the organization who own the SAT test. But obviously the SSAT testers are trying to align their results with the
SAT which is why they recently moved their scoring system to be based on 800 per subject which is the same as the SAT.
The point is that the schools use the ssat scores (amongst other things) as an indication of scholastic ability. It is a check and balance for them (as is the sat for colleges) because the schools the kids are coming from have such different standards. In this sense then it is a measure, no matter how crude, and an important measure of where the kids are in terms of raw intellect and exposure to key ideas. And this is exactly the same as the sat.
All these tests are normed at 500. ie the average student scores 500. But this score is clearly way way different from anything in the 90th percentile.
Furthermore, there seems to be some misunderstanding about the role of preparation. Nobody is suggesting the the prep schools should have the kids do test prep for years. That is obviously absurd. But if you take a smart kid and give them a great education that IS test prep. If you look at the sat test the math and the english are not some bizarre weird tests that you need special training to do well at. If you are smart and have done a decent amount of math and you have read a fair bit you will do very well.
The mystery remains. If you filter out kids as being very smart and give them the kind of great education that does expose them to the math and reading that effectively is a great prep for the sat how come they don’t score higher? 700 is not that great for a smart kid. It’s decent and it’s certainly way better than 500 but it’s not killer. I would expect highly motivated very smart and academically well trained kids to score in the 750s. And this is pretty much what you would expect from the ssat percentile results.
I don’t actually have a real ax to grind here. I fully accept that smart (even if not super smart) kids who are well trained and motivated will do great at any college. I am just curious because something doesn’t add up. I suspect that there is something ‘wrong’ with the ssat test but that’s just my 2c. I also suspect that the schools know this which is why they don’t over rely on the ssat results.</p>