<p>If a person, say, scores 98% on the SSAT but is only in the top 40% of her class at a competitive school, what will top schools think?</p>
<p>Well, you said competitive school.
That means that you would have more challenges, meaning it would be understandable.</p>
<p>the top schools will think that the student is not motivated/lazy</p>
<p>It sounds like a bright student who doesn’t work very hard.</p>
<p>*It sounds like a bright student who doesn’t work very hard. *</p>
<p>Maybe just the sort of kid who the right school could motivate to achieve great things? :)</p>
<p>Lvllegrad, I actually think that’s a good strategy to say that.<br>
I can think of lots of smart kids who don’t perform at their peak in middle school for various reasons who would nonetheless be good bets for high school success.</p>
<p>This is like me last year I was ranked 132nd out of my class of 392 but I got like a 95 on my SSATs. I go to Exeter now so I guess they don’t have a huge problem with it.</p>
<p>My initial thought was perhaps the school has inflated grades. When my son left a very strong public school after his jr. year, he did so with a 94 average and 1260 board scores. Even so, he was ranked 74th out of 140. Bottom half of his class. He knew a bunch of hard working kids who scored lower than he did on his boards, but made straight A’s.<br>
zp</p>
<p>That can be interpreted differently.
For example, at my school there are a few people who are incredibly clueless, yet get good grades because they’re good at memorizing and not thinking. They have no opinion on anything, they just focus on doing exactly what the teacher wants. For some reason, they all got 70’s and 80’s on their SSATs. Even though some say standardized tests are brainless, too, I disagree. People who have worked their way through school just retaining information, but not thinking it through, tend to do badly on the SSAT because you can’t really BS your way through it unless you know how to guess and can make logical decisions.
I get good grades, and I got a 99th percentile overall on my SSATs. I didn’t know a lot of the stuff on the test, but I’ve taken so many standardized tests that I know how to predict the answer. Also, my imagination and thinking-outside-the-box-ness helps.
People that only memorize facts can’t do that because they can’t think creatively. All they can do is answer the questions they know.
It’s just how the brain works.
I think there should be more weight placed on SSAT scores. They truly show what kind of student a person is. They are unadulterated (unlike grades and essays) and also show a person’s thinking process and learning style.</p>
<p>Totally agree with csi = love’s interpretation of what Lvillegrad said. I was just about to say the same thing. I got 99th overall on my SSATs, and my class rank is better than top 40%, but I’m not the best in class. However, when it comes to discussions in history class, I’m always the most active participant. I’m not saying that those who rank #1 in their class are plain stupid, but at least at my school, they don’t have opinions on anything.</p>
<p>Totally second assign… I got a 98 in the SSAT but Im no super star grade wise. My teachers love me and im an active participant but I keep all my grades hovering in the early 90s. I know a girl why does much better than me grade wise (organized, brownoser, hardworking, you know the type) but is really dull and cant think like csi said and she got low 70s on the SSAT. I apoligise for my convulted writing Ive had about 10 hours sleep in the last 72</p>
<p>I got a 96th on my SSAT and I memorize information (sometimes) to get good grades. I am really good at logic and I am probably the most active participant in class discussions in history and english. Just because you memorize doesn’t mean you should get a bad score on your SSAT.</p>
<p>i memorise stuff for tests… I dont actually think at school Id go insane if I did… I do my learning at home. Schools just somewhere I have to waste 6 hours a day lol, if i tried I could have 99s across the board but I’d rather read than do HW.</p>