SSAT or ISEE: A Complete Guide to Private School Admissions Test

What tests are required for boarding school?

For some schools, no tests are required! 

Students from non-English speaking countries who did not speak English as a first language often need to take the TOEFL, Duolingo English, or IELTS test. Usually, students only need to take one. The most commonly accepted test, of the three, is the TOEFL. The minimum TOEFL, Duolingo English, and IELTS score acceptable varies school by school. These minimum scores should be considered a hard minimum at most schools with little flexibility if they do not have an English Language Learner program. 

All students should take an ISEE or SSAT practice test, ideally at least 6 months before the deadline for school admissions. Some schools require one specific test, some schools accept either, and some require no test. However, if your child does well on the test, it is worth including in their application for all schools.  

Should my child take the ISEE or SSAT?

The ISEE is more common for Day Schools and the SSAT is more common for Boarding Schools. The tests are very similar with three main differences: 1) The SSAT uses analogy questions to assess students’ understanding of vocabulary in the Verbal Section and the ISEE uses sentence completion, 2) a few more math topics are included in the ISEE Math Section (different questions about the geometry of a circle, factoring, and basic data analysis and probability), and 3) the SSAT has both creative writing and argumentative writing prompts, whereas the ISEE has exclusively argumentative writing prompts in their Writing Section

Most students do not find one of these tests easier or harder than the other. 

If you know which schools you would like to consider, check their testing requirements. A few schools do require the ISEE or SSAT specifically, though it is uncommon. 

If your child is applying to 10th - 12th grade, the PSAT, SAT, or ACT may be a suitable alternative to the SSAT and ISEE, depending on the specific requirements for your schools of interest.

‍Should my child study for the ISEE and the SSAT?

We do not recommend studying for both the ISEE and the SSAT – it is a waste of your child’s limited time. You should be able to tell from initial practice tests if either test will give your child an edge over the other and focus on that one.

How long does it take to prepare for the SSAT and ISEE?

Test preparation can be the most frustrating part of the application process. Even with the best fit tutors, vocabulary development, habit building, and understanding of mathematical concepts take time for students to learn. So, it is important to give your child the time they need to master both the lifelong academic skills and the test-specific skills. 

If you are within 2 years of the application deadline, the best time to start preparation for the English test is now! It takes a long time to bring up a TOEFL, Duolingo, or IELTS score, so if a student is more than 5 points below their goal, it is ideal to start preparation right away. Students are able to use the TOEFL or Duolingo English score from the last 2 years in their application. So, once the ideal score is achieved within 2 years of the application deadline, your child can stop test preparation for the English test and switch focus to the SSAT/ISEE and profile development.

If you are within 18 months of the application deadline, then it is a good time for your child to take an initial practice test. The actual SSAT/ISEE test needs to be taken between September and January of your application cycle (though this can vary by school). Ideally, your child should plan on taking the SSAT/ISEE in September and/or October of the application cycle, so the test will be considered and they don’t need to worry about it while they work on their essays.

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*All students are different. If a student has a high reading level, a large vocabulary, and high math skills already, it might be a quicker fix. I have worked with students who jumped from the 50th percentile to the 90th percentile in the Reading and Verbal after 3 months of mastering this annotation process. After all, it takes less time to master test taking skills than it does to jump 3 reading levels, learn 100 new words, or master Geometry. 

What is a “good” or “passing” score on the SSAT and ISEE?

There is no such thing as a “passing” score on the SSAT or ISEE. A “good score” is determined by the percentile, rather than the raw score, your child gets on the test. For a top boarding school in the US, aim for the 93rd percentile. Some top boarding schools will accept a score in the 85th percentile or higher. 

What is the best SSAT prep option?

At Crimson, we use an original, research-based approach to minimize the chances of getting tricked by test-makers, improve focus, limit the amount of brain energy wasted on their working memory, increase reading comprehension, and increase speed. 

I created our approach based on numerous studies on the most effective ways to catch misconceptions, improve focus, internalize the meaning of new words, improve reading comprehension, and make the use of neural pathways to find correct answers more efficiently and effectively. We also follow a research-based model to provide feedback in the most impactful and useful way. After years of practicing and refining these steps with my students, our tutors at Crimson have helped further revise this approach to meet the needs of students who learn in many different ways. Reach out if you would like to speak with our team about SSAT/ISEE preparation. We can help assess what score your child should aim for in order to gain entrance to their dream school and how many hours you may need with a tutor to reach your goal score. We are also happy to share citations to the studies our process is grounded in.

Book a free consultation call with one of our academic advisors and ace the admissions test!