What are the best study guides for the Upper Level SSAT?

enewton
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:48:53 +0000

When my oldest child said he wanted to apply to some fancy GLADCHEMMS schools, I took on the role of SSAT Tutor. I searched for tips online but didn’t find much reliable information. CC was super helpful to me over the past few years on other topics, so I thought I’d write the post that I was looking for when I started the process. What follows is a long post about the books I reviewed, and some insights gleaned along the way.

Note that my kids wanted to attend a GLADCHEMMS, and they had goals of scoring in the 90th percentile or higher. If you are aiming for 70th or 80th percentile, this post may be less helpful but hopefully somewhat helpful. My kids were committed to putting in study time over about 6 months each (maybe 45-60 minutes/day on average), although I needed to remind them often.

If you only have a month, you probably want to stick with just one general book and not go deep into specific math or verbal books. You might be fine with, say, Kaplan and the official EMA book or online study guides. Kaplan (and presumably Princeton Review or Barrons) will give you up to date info on the test if there are changes, but the questions in 2024 were very similar to those in 2016 and earlier. Just to preview things, you will also do well if you use the Tutorverse book of 1,500 SSAT questions.

I reviewed all of the books below before introducing them to my kids. Here’s what I gleaned that might be helpful to you.

Basic Overview Books

SSAT & ISEE Middle & Upper Level Prep: 4 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies + Online (Kaplan Test Prep, Tenth Edition, 2021). This is a good overview of the test. It’s a bit messy because it is a book for four tests (SSAT, ISEE, middle and upper for both). It’s worth getting the latest book so you know if there were any changes to the test (or Princeton Review or Barrons, neither of which I reviewed). These mass market books are usually about $20. Any one of those books is probably a good place to start and will get you far.

Ivy Global SSAT (Prep Books) (Ivy Global SSAT Prep, 2016). There are separate books for english (verbal, reading, and essay) and math. We found that the Ivy Global books are very good – probably the most in-depth of the group – but also expensive, about $70 each(!). I bought them used for about 50% off. They also have a lot of good information on vocabulary, specific kinds of math problems, and good practice tests. Just don’t read the first sections about the format of the tests, which are now out of date. You’ll still want a study guide that is up to date.

The Official Guide to the Upper Level SSAT 2020-2021 by Enrollment Management Associations (2020). There is a newer version of this book but the EMA told me that the practice tests are the same. I’m ambivalent about recommending the physical book. Yes, there are some interesting sections about how to take the test and topics. There are also practice tests, and EMA is the only place that gives you actual retired SSAT questions. One reason not to get this book is that the practice tests are the same ones as the online EMA tests, so you are really buying it for the first part of the book if you take the online deal.

That said, I liked this book because I (as the tutor) was able to review the old tests easily and figure out what my kid needed to know. For example, I was trying to figure out how much my kid needed to know about “counting” problems. Could he just count, or did he need to memorize the formula for combinations and permutations (and know the difference)? As a tutor, it was helpful to scan the questions and see what was likely to show up on a real test. If you can find one of the books used (or in the library), I recommend you get it. Still, while I’m glad I got the book, you do not need it if you have already purchased the online practice.

[I should note that I was willing and able to spend quite freely on books. I recognize that not everyone else is in that position, and I will try to recommend books assuming more cost constraints.]

That brings me to the EMA Official SSAT online practice. This is also expensive – it’s $80 today – but it’s a good investment if you can swing it. There are some explanations about how to do the different types of problems, but I think most reviews found the instruction only OK, as did we. However, the practice is good. You get the same 4 practice tests as the ones in the official SSAT Practice book, but you take them online (which helps if you are taking the computer version of the test). You also get a lot of topic quizzes and sample section tests (for example, just the verbal section). Outside of the official practice tests, the sample questions aren’t great and are designed by a different group from the one who designs the real test (or so I read somewhere). Still, we found the sample questions better than some of the negative online reviews suggested. Again, this isn’t a critical investment if it is beyond your means, and especially if you are taking the paper version of the test, but the online training is helpful to have a lot of practice and get used to the computer format.

[Here I’ll interject with a suggestion for parents. I really enjoyed reviewing math with my kids. We would do the online quizzes and race to find the answers. It was quite fun and a great time to connect.]

[Second interjection: which format to take (paper vs. computer)? If the student is good at typing, it might help to go with a Prometric or at-home computer test because the writing sample will be much more legible. Perhaps that isn’t a big deal – most kids have terrible handwriting these days so it might not be a real disadvantage. Some people won’t have much of a choice depending on where they live. I’ll leave it to others to opine on this topic.]

Regardless of whether you buy the online prep stuff, make sure you spend some time on the EMA SSAT website to ensure that they don’t have any new sections or format changes. They also have a free sample online test (a shorter version).

Mometrix, SSAT Upper Level Prep Book [6th Edition] by Matthew Bowling (Mometrix Test Prep, 2024). I remember thinking highly of the Mometrix test prep book for the GRE a decade+ ago, but this SSAT book was so inadequate that we tossed it in the trash. It was missing key question types in the SSAT, and it provided some bad information at times. To me, it was likely to do more damage than good.

There are other study guides, like Princeton Review and Barrons, that I never reviewed. I invite others to add their recommendations.

Math Section Books

[Math and English section books are only relevant for kids who will be studying a lot for the test over a few months.]

SSAT Math Prep Book by American Math Academy (2023). We used this book a little, but it didn’t cover ground that wasn’t covered in other books. I don’t recall why we stopped using it, but it didn’t seem especially helpful.

SSAT Upper Level Math Tutor: Everything You Need to Help Achieve an Excellent Score by Reza Nazari and Ava Ross (2020, although the cover says 2024). Nazari puts out new math books each year for a variety of tests. They aren’t worthless, but they aren’t great quality either. I bought it because they produced the most recent math book (which, it turns out, isn’t a relevant factor to consider), but they obviously have not fully researched what is on the SSAT math section. There were topics missing, and they include some items that aren’t on the test. Some of the practice tests had errors in them.

Overall, the best math book for us was Ivy Global’s.

The math books are helpful for reviewing some of the key concepts. If a student (like most 8th graders) hasn’t taken geometry, the books will help introduce that topic so they can handle the geometry problems. The math books aren’t critical though if you are on a budget. A dedicated student can focus on the practice questions (see the Tutorverse book below) and find free online videos or explanations about how to handle the different types of questions. We found that AI (ChatGPT) was very good at explaining solutions to problems most of the time. There are also free online text, too. For example, a great algebra text is at: https://math.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Algebra/Intermediate_Algebra_for_Science_Technology_Engineering_and_Mathematics_(Diaz)which helped my youngest son (and me) dive deep into radicals.

Verbal

The Ivy Global Verbal book was probably the best for verbal strategy, vocab, and writing. I highly recommend it if you can afford it. Again, don’t rely on it for information about the structure of the test because it’s dated.

504 Essential Words for SSAT & ISEE (Upper): With Roots/Synonyms/Antonyms/Usage and more… by J Jonathan (2018). This is a great vocab book, but you don’t really need it and I’m not sure it is the best book for getting the most likely words that will be on the SSAT. There are lists in Ivy Global, online lists of words, and lists in the general Kaplan and Princeton Review books. Even ChatGPT and other LLMs can generate lists for you. Moreover, learning vocab from a book probably isn’t the best way to make words stick. A better way is to get the lists, look up the words, and write out your own flash cards with your own sentences. My kids spent a lot of time making up (slightly inappropriate) sentences for their vocab words and reviewing the flashcards.

[Tip: keep reviewing the cards as they are made. My oldest found it frustrating to have too many cards that are unfamiliar. But I’ll leave it to others to discuss study strategy.]

[Another verbal tip: it may be helpful for kids to read sample answers to the writing sample question and aim to prepare similar answers in a similar style. The explanations for how to answer the prompts did not help much, but showing them what good answers looked like helped a lot. Don’t blow this off just because it is not scored. The former Director of Admissions at Exeter used to look at this writing sample especially closely, noting that it was the only piece of writing that they knew an adult didn’t write.]

SSAT Practice

Upper Level SSAT: 1500+ Practice Questions by The Tutorverse (2018). This is the book that is often recommended by consultants. There are some types of questions that are unique to the SSAT, and this book gives you a nice set of them for each category. I highly recommend if you can afford it. It’s about $40. It’s probably the best of the books with sample problems, and can get a kid into the 90th percentile if they do most of the problems.

A cheaper alternative is Princeton Review’s 1000+ Practice Questions for the Upper Level SSAT & ISEE, 3rd Edition (2023). It’s about $20. We didn’t find it as good as the Tutorverse, and I don’t think it hit the most advanced part of the SSAT, but I also don’t remember much about it.

SSAT Upper Level Tests (Ivy Global SSAT Prep, 2020). This book has some very good practice tests, probably the best for non-official practice tests. You don’t need to do them all as full tests – we mostly split them up as section tests. It’s about $36.

Recommended Bonus Books

30 More Days to Acing the Upper Level SSAT: Reaching for the 99th Percentile

by Christa B Abbott M.Ed. (2019). This is the secret weapon of the bunch! You should only dive into this book after you get real mastery on the other books. This book ($22) has a series of “workouts” that has only super hard questions, the questions that differentiate the 90th percentile kids from the 99th percentile. I didn’t get this for my oldest son, but he studies many books and scored around the 94th. My youngest son did use the book in his last month of studying and felt it supercharged his final weeks before the exam. He scored in the 98thpercentile.

The last book I’ll mention is Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy by Daniel T. Willingham. This isn’t an SSAT book but it’s a highly regarded (and readable) book about the most efficient ways to learn. Each chapter can stand on its own and addresses a specific task, like “How to study for a Test.” From the publisher: “Dan Willingham received his PhD from Harvard University in cognitive psychology and is now a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.” The insights helped my kids studying for the SSAT, and I would have had a very different academic career if I had read this book in 8th grade.

Conclusion

If you just studied the Ivy Global books, did most of the questions in the Tutorverse book, and did either of the official SSAT study guides (book or online), you will be in great shape. You could also switch out the Ivy Global books for the much cheaper Kaplan book.

It takes a lot of time to study for the SSAT, but perhaps not as much time as you fear. If you start early and do a little most days, you will perform very well. If you do the “30 More Days…” book, you will be in very good shape indeed.

An old SSAT study guide at the library might be out of date when discussing the test format, but the advice for answering math, verbal and reading questions will still hold up just fine. As of 2025, the test questions haven’t changed much (although I think the writing sample has evolved).

My kids and I focused a lot on the SSAT but probably more than we needed to. The SSAT is only a part of the application, and it isn’t an especially important part (as we learned later). But studying for the test is a great excuse to learn vocabulary that you’ll want to know anyway, review math that will make future math classes easier, and practice important reading and writing skills that you will want later. My oldest son said that it was all worth it even if he didn’t get into a top boarding school – all the review boosted his knowledge and confidence to be an excellent 8th grade student. Had he stayed in his public school system, he’d still be better off for having gone through the process.

I hope this is helpful, and I invite others to add their advice as well.