Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

pbraverman wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Like most standardized tests, the SSAT measures the ability to process logical and verbal information — presented visually — quickly. It is a good skill to have and usually correlates with how long it will take your son to complete academic tasks, such as homework (per the above, um, discussion). There are many other skills that contribute to success, both in school and afterwards, and those are also important to schools. That's the reason that test scores by themselves are only one factor in the process.

Test scores DO correlate roughly with offers of admission — in admission, higher is always better (higher scores, higher grades, higher income). I am only saying that test scores by themselves are not a great gauge; no school will take a student just because his scores are ten percentile points higher than those of another applicant.

That said, I am not familiar with any school in the DC area that will categorically reject an applicant because SSAT scores in the 75th percentile are not strong enough.

Peter
_____________________

Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students ahead of you. If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com

OP here. Thank you so much for your helpful on-the-record advice. I've read your posts on other threads too, and they always seems so sensible.

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Anonymous wrote:75% on SSAT=95% on SAT you dingbats. That 7th grader won't "struggle" anywhere.

pbraverman wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Like most standardized tests, the SSAT measures the ability to process logical and verbal information — presented visually — quickly. It is a good skill to have and usually correlates with how long it will take your son to complete academic tasks, such as homework (per the above, um, discussion). There are many other skills that contribute to success, both in school and afterwards, and those are also important to schools. That's the reason that test scores by themselves are only one factor in the process.

Test scores DO correlate roughly with offers of admission — in admission, higher is always better (higher scores, higher grades, higher income). I am only saying that test scores by themselves are not a great gauge; no school will take a student just because his scores are ten percentile points higher than those of another applicant.

That said, I am not familiar with any school in the DC area that will categorically reject an applicant because SSAT scores in the 75th percentile are not strong enough.

Peter
_____________________

Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students ahead of you. If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com

Anonymous wrote:

pbraverman wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Like most standardized tests, the SSAT measures the ability to process logical and verbal information — presented visually — quickly. It is a good skill to have and usually correlates with how long it will take your son to complete academic tasks, such as homework (per the above, um, discussion). There are many other skills that contribute to success, both in school and afterwards, and those are also important to schools. That's the reason that test scores by themselves are only one factor in the process.

Test scores DO correlate roughly with offers of admission — in admission, higher is always better (higher scores, higher grades, higher income). I am only saying that test scores by themselves are not a great gauge; no school will take a student just because his scores are ten percentile points higher than those of another applicant.

That said, I am not familiar with any school in the DC area that will categorically reject an applicant because SSAT scores in the 75th percentile are not strong enough.

Peter
_____________________

Disclaimer: The anonymity here makes me uncomfortable; it's easy to be uninformed, personal, or simply mean-spirited if people don't identify themselves. For that reason, I have an account so you know whose words you're reading. I have more than 20 years' experience as a teacher and administrator in independent schools, and I hope I can be helpful to some folks. If you don't like something I've said, you're in good company — there's a long line of past students ahead of you. If you want to chat further, please feel free to contact me offline: peter <at> arcpd <dot> com

I'm one of the PPs whose child scored in the 50's on the SSAT. My child does extremely well at school and is a very diligent learner. The math score is 89%, but the verbal was low enough and brought the total score down to the 50's. The test was only taken once and none of the sections were completed. I am certain the school work will not be a factor. If we thought the school would not be a good match we wouldn't have applied. I realize our chances are not good, but the shadow day/interview went very well and the grades are very good. We see this as a long shot.

Anonymous wrote:Thats good enough for anywhere. The ssat does not matter that much because anyone can bring it up with expensive prep tutoring. But it will sink you if very low.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Even if you get into a Big 3, which I don't think a 75th percentile will do, your child will be in the middle to bottom part of the grade and will struggle. This can cause them to be stressed out to keep up with the workload. Do you have the option to stay where you are next year or is a public?

Or apply to other schools that are not pressure cookers. High school at Big 3 schools is 4 hours of work for even students with high scores. If a child is already coming in with lower than average scores he may struggle or may have even more hours to complete the work. I have heard parents have this issue time and time again by sending their child to a school that may not be a good fit ACADEMICALLY.

You have no idea what you're talking about. I actually do: I have a child at one of the so-called Big 3 schools who scored in the 62nd percentile when entering at 7th grade. Like everyone one of his peers in high school, he has a lot of homework. But it is manageable, even with multiple sports commitments outside of school. Yes, he is in the middle of the grade and I am completely fine with that. At these schools, the top 30% go to Ivies and the very top schools. The 30th to 60th percentile go to great schools. He is much, much better off being in the middle of the pack at this great school, where he is learning how to be competitive and successful in the real world, then he would be if her closer to the top (he would never be at the top, anywhere) at a mediocre-reputation school. This is common sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Even if you get into a Big 3, which I don't think a 75th percentile will do, your child will be in the middle to bottom part of the grade and will struggle. This can cause them to be stressed out to keep up with the workload. Do you have the option to stay where you are next year or is a public?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what schools would take a boy with a 75th percentile overall on the SSAT, and grades of As and Bs.

Thank you. We may have aimed too high, and I'm belatedly wondering if I'm too late to apply to more schools.

I wish it were like college where you can see the range of what scores and grades the schools admit.

TIA

Even if you get into a Big 3, which I don't think a 75th percentile will do, your child will be in the middle to bottom part of the grade and will struggle. This can cause them to be stressed out to keep up with the workload. Do you have the option to stay where you are next year or is a public?

This is a misunderstanding. This means your child is in the top quartile of all test takers in their grade and gender taking the test. It is not the same as scoring 75 percent on a test. And it should be noted that those taking the test may already been more advanced than the general population because the test-taking population reflects kids interested in attending private schools across the U.S.