The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is designed for students who want to change to private or independent schools. It is an internationally accepted test that is used as a standard admission procedure in many schools in the US, Canada, and worldwide. This kind of acceptance makes this exam very important. Its curriculum is not very different from what they teach you in school for your current grade level.
However, the problems in the exam are a little more complex and challenging. This is because doing well on this test ensures that you get a quality education. Not from any school but one of the best schools in the country and beyond.
Getting into private, prestigious institutions opens up new doors of opportunity for you. It will also provide you with numerous exposure. This test gauges your capability whether you are prepared to take the opportunity.
The SSAT is a time-based exam. It lasts up to 3 hours, 10 minutes. Anyone from class 3 to 11 can take this exam to change their schools and tap into newer areas of learning. But this test does more. It matches students with the kind of school that will be the best for them. That is why their testing pattern also has a holistic approach.
SSAT tests students to the best of their abilities. This exam is divided into five sections. Out of them, two sections are for quantitative analysis. The rest include reading, writing samples, and experimental. It is pretty extensive and time-bound. There are two 10 minute breaks during the test. This might help you understand how serious this exam is. So, you might want to start your SSAT practice test ASAP to understand where you stand. But before that, understand the test format properly.
Writing Sample: This section has to be solved in 25 minutes. However, the tricky part is how you perform this section doesn’t directly contribute to your SSAT score. But, it is used in the admission procedure. With this, the school tries to understand your writing style and capabilities.
Quantitative: Your understanding of the quantitative section has the power to make or break your admission application. It appears in two parts in the SSAT exam. Each part is allotted 30 mins. So, in all, one hour’s worth of quantitative section needs to be solved in your SSAT exam. Acing this section is crucial for your admission. Moreover, it is easier to score well in quantitative than verbal. This section contains 30 questions.
Reading: In this section, you will be given a few pages to read, and based on that, you will have to answer 28 questions. Students are given 40 minutes to solve this part. Doing well in this section is directly dependent on your reading and comprehension skills. For this, develop a habit of reading books, and it will help you achieve the results you are looking for. It might appear easy but reading, comprehending, and answering 28 questions in 40 mins is not a cakewalk.
Verbal: Your vocabulary shows your grasp on the language. For this section, a total of 30 minutes is allotted. This section tests your grammatical hold over your primary language. To ace this section, you need to be familiar with as many words as possible. A consistent reading habit will help you get better in this section.
Apart from the sections listed above, in a standardized SSAT test designed for middle/upper-grade levels, a 15-minute experimental part is also included. This has questions consisting of a mix of verbal, quantitative, and reading. Besides that, for the elementary level, this same test consists of 104-106 questions. There is a time limit of 2 hours and 5 minutes to solve the paper. No matter when you decide to take the SSAT, it will be a huge learning experience for you. The process of preparation will challenge you to work hard. So, start your preparation today to change your life.
