The SSAT is an independent and private middle school and high school admissions exam.
Our SSAT Tutoring Program
Our approach to the SSAT is educational: we emphasize the core verbal reasoning skills, math concepts, reading techniques, and vocabulary that comprise the foundation of material tested on the SSAT. The SSAT may be a student’s first major standardized test; we believe that by focusing on key concepts, our students can confidently achieve success both on the SSAT and in their future academic work.
Our tutors develop an SSAT program with close attention to how the content relates to each student's prior schoolwork. Through one-on-one instruction, practice drills, and homework, our tutors help students master the concepts underlying each question type. Full-length, proctored practice tests provide students opportunities to exercise the skills learned during tutoring sessions.
Contact us to speak to a program consultant and set up a diagnostic SSAT.
Program Length
We recommend that students start preparing for the SSAT several months before they intend to take the official test. We will design an appropriate and individualized program for each student based on diagnostic test scores and the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and goals.
The SSAT format is the same for all students, but the content is adjusted for different grade levels:
- Middle Level is for students currently in grades 5–7
- Upper Level is for students currently in grades 8–11
Our instruction focuses on the Middle and Upper Level SSATs. Contact us for more information about the Elementary Level SSAT (for grades 3–4).
Before deciding on whether to take the ISEE or SSAT, check the specific admissions requirements at the schools to which you are considering applying. Some independent schools accept either test, but many schools insist on one or the other.
Many of our students have benefitted from preparing for and taking both the ISEE and SSAT. Though the two tests have slightly different histories, they are similar in content and in purpose. We will help you decide which test to take given your student’s strengths, weaknesses, and application goals.
Middle and Upper Level SSAT
|
Section |
Number of Questions |
Minutes per Section |
Content |
|
Writing Sample |
1 Prompt |
25 Minutes |
Student-produced response to a given topic |
|
Quantitative 1 |
25 Questions |
30 Minutes |
Arithmetic, basic algebra, and basic geometry |
|
Reading Comprehension |
40 Questions |
40 Minutes |
Passage-based critical reading |
|
Verbal |
60 Questions |
30 Minutes |
Synonyms and analogies |
|
Quantitative 2 |
25 Questions |
30 Minutes |
Arithmetic, basic algebra, and basic geometry |
|
Experimental (unscored) |
16 Questions |
15 Minutes |
Six verbal, five reading, and five quantitative questions |
Download SSAT Format and Timing as a PDF.
What Is the Format of the SSAT at Home?
The exam is the same length as the standard SSAT and tests the same content. It must be taken on a desktop or laptop computer (Windows or Mac). However, students will be allowed two pieces of scratch paper and a pencil. Students must take the test alone. A parent/guardian may be in the room to assist with the initial setup, but they must leave before the test begins.
How is the SSAT Scored?
- The Verbal, Quantitative, and Reading sections are each scored on a scale of 440–710 (Middle Level) or 500–800 (Upper Level) with corresponding percentile ranks.
- The Essay is not scored but rather sent to schools along with the SSAT score report.
- The SSAT deducts a fraction of a point from the raw score for each incorrect answer.
When is the SSAT Taken?
The Upper and Middle Level SSAT is offered in the U.S. (1) as a remotely proctored at-home test, (2) as a computer-based test at Prometric Test Centers, (3) in paper format at test centers on limited test dates, and (4) in paper format as a Flex test.
- Students can take up to two computer-based SSATs (either at home or at Prometric Test Centers, mixed however the student chooses) per testing year (August 1–July 31).
- Students can take up to six paper-based SSATs at standard test dates per testing year.
- Students can take one paper-based SSAT Flex test per testing year.
- In total, a student could take up to eight official SSAT administrations (five standard test dates, one Flex test, and two computer-based tests) in a testing year.
2023–2024 Paper-Based Standard Test Dates
| Test Date | Registration Deadline | Late Registration Deadline | Accommodations Request Deadline |
| April 20, 2024 | March 30, 2024 | April 17, 2024 | April 5, 2024 |
Flex paper, SSAT at Home, and Prometric registrations are open.
To download this information as a PDF, click here.
Tutors in New York, NY
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
J.D. from Harvard Law School.
M.A. in Classics from Oxford University.
B.A., with high honors, in Classics from Princeton University.
Certificate of Distinction from Harvard’s Office of Undergraduate Education for Excellence in Teaching; Teaching Fellow at the Paideia Institute; Harvard Law School's Negotiation Workshop and Advanced Negotiation Seminar Teaching Fellow; Trinity School Alum.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE, Back-to-School Program
B.A., cum laude, in History and Science from Harvard University.
John Harvard Scholar; Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Award for Academic Achievement of the Highest Distinction.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE
M.A. in Literature and Writing from the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College.
B.A., cum laude, in English from Princeton University.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE
M.P.A. from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.
B.A. in Religion from Barnard College.
Associate Director of Advantage Testing, New York.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.A.T. in Secondary Math Education from Rice University.
B.S. in Civil Engineering from Villanova University.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.S. (in progress) in Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College, Columbia.
B.A., magna cum laude, in Neuroscience from Dartmouth College.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE
M.A. in Education from Saint Peter’s College.
B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.
Maple Hill High School Valedictorian; National Merit Scholar.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE
M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
B.A. in Pure Mathematics from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music.
B.M. in Piano Performance from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music.
Former Ph.D. Fellow in Music at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives for Advantage Testing.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE
B.A. in English Literature and Philosophy from Georgetown University.
Studied Philosophy at King’s College London.
Phi Beta Kappa.
Assistant Director for International Programs and Director of Advantage Testing of the United Kingdom.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE
M.S.W., Hunter College School of Social Work.
B.A., cum laude, in Government and Economics from Harvard University.
Co-founder and Former Executive Director of Creative Arts Workshops for Kids; Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College School of Social Work.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.F.A. in Painting from Hunter College.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Art from Brandeis University.
B.A., cum laude, in Studio Art and Art History from Dartmouth College.
Adelbert Ames Award for Excellence in Fine Arts.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE
B.A., magna cum laude, in Music from Harvard University.
Dean’s List; Harvard College Scholarship for Academic Distinction; Robert C. Byrd Scholar; Arthur Smithies Prize; National Merit Finalist; AP Scholar with Honors; Harvard Book Award.
Head of Advantage Testing’s GMAT and GRE Programs.
Director of Advantage Testing of Westport, Advantage Testing of Philadelphia, Advantage Testing of Charlotte, Advantage Testing of Denver, and Advantage Testing of New Orleans.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.A., with high distinction, in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
B.A., magna cum laude, in Political Science and Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Attended Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
J.D. from the New York University School of Law.
M.S. in Elementary Education from Bank Street College Graduate School.
B.A., with honors, in English from Haverford College.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
A.B., cum laude, in English from Princeton University.
Certificate in Visual Arts from Princeton University; Mary John Goree Creative Writing Scholarship; Alex Adam ‘07 Award; Former Cameraman and Researcher for National Geographic Studios.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE, Back-to-School Program
M.F.A. in Fiction from Hunter College.
M.A. in Studio Art & Art Criticism from New York University.
B.A., cum laude, in History from Columbia University.
Dean’s List; Gallatin School Valedictorian; New Visions Fund for Teachers Award; Grace Paley Fiction Fellowship; Center for Fiction Fellowship; Jerome Foundation Travel & Study Award to West Africa.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE
J.D. from Columbia Law School.
B.A. in Political Science from Yale College.
Partner at Eversheds Sutherland; former associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore; James Kent Scholar; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; former Managing Editor of the Columbia Law Review.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE
B.S., cum laude, in French from Georgetown University.
Studied Literature at the University of Paris, Sorbonne.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, Creative Writing Workshop
M.F.A. from Columbia University.
B.A. in Philosophy from Vassar College.
Hertog Research Fellow; Columbia University Departmental Fellowship.
Chief Communications Officer of Advantage Testing and the Advantage Testing Foundation.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
B.A. in Linguistics from Harvard University.
AP Scholar with Distinction; National Merit Scholarship Finalist; U.S. Presidential Scholar Semi-Finalist.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.A. in Teaching from Bard College.
B.A., with honors, in Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.T.S. in the History of Christianity from Harvard Divinity School.
B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University.
Priscilla Glickman ’92 Memorial Prize Winner; National Merit Scholar; AP Scholar with Distinction.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE, Back-to-School Program, Creative Writing Workshop
M.F.A. in Film Production from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
B.A., cum laude, in English and Theatre from Princeton University.
Allan Downer Thesis Prize; John B. Lynch Scholar; Tisch School of the Arts Dean's Award; Warner Bros. Post-Production Award.
Tutor of: Bar Exam, LSAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
J.D. from Harvard Law School.
M.B.A. from the USC Marshall School of Business.
B.A., magna cum laude, in Philosophy, Political Science, and Psychology from California State University, Fullerton.
Horatio Alger Association National Scholar; UCLA Law Fellow Award; Cal State University Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement.; Harvard Latino Law, Policy, and Business Conference Co-Chair.
Associate Director of TRIALS.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, ISEE, Academic Writing Program
Ph.D. in English from New York University.
M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School.
B.A. in English and Religion from Oberlin College.
Former Board Chair and Current Board Member of LEDA.
Director of Advantage Testing of the United Kingdom and Associate Director of Advantage Testing, New York.
Tutor of: SSAT, ISEE
M.D. (in progress) from Columbia University.
B.A., magna cum laude, in Neuroscience and Music from Amherst College.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE
M.Ed. and M.A. (in progress) in School Counseling at Columbia University, Teachers College.
B.A. in African-American Studies from Yale University.
Graduate of Hunter College High School.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, Bar Exam
J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
B.A. in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.
Former Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County; Perennial Judge of the American Bar Association Moot Court Competition; Published in the New York Law Journal.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SSAT, ISEE
Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University.
M.Ed. in Alternative Education from Harvard University.
B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Published Author in The New Republic and The Boston Exchange.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SSAT, Academic Writing Program
Ph.D. in Theatre from Columbia University.
M.Phil. in Theatre from Columbia University.
M.F.A. in Theatre from Columbia University.
M.A. in Theatre from Columbia University.
B.A., magna cum laude, in English and Theatre from Bryn Mawr College.
Marjorie Hope Nicolson Fellow; Mellon Summer Research Fellow; Shubert Presidential Scholarship; Kaye Theater Award; Columbia University Travel Award.
Tutor of: SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT, SSAT, ISEE, LSAT Class
A.B., summa cum laude, in Government from Bowdoin College.
Phi Beta Kappa; Michael Francis Micciche III Memorial Award; Philip Henry Brown First Prize in Extemporaneous Composition; Hilmer Oehlmann Jr. Award.
Tutor of: SSAT, ISEE
M.D. (in progress) at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University.
National AP Scholar; National Merit Semifinalist; Scholar-Athlete Honors all four years at Yale.