Different levels of SSAT test

Certification: Test Prep SSAT - Secondary School Admission Test

The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is a well-known test by students. This is the main acceptance or admission test for schools. It is administrated by the Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB). It is attempted by students who are in 3rd to 11th grade. It main role is to aid in student admission into private, independent, middle and also high schools. The test is well designed to assess the students depending on the level that they are in. The SSAT test is divided into three main levels, and each given at various stages of the students' education. The test in general is a multi-choice test and is made up of reading, verbal, and quantitative sections. For a student to be able to understand and know what is required of them to pass the test, they need to be well oriented with it. The different levels test for different skills and ability so as to gauge whether one is ready to proceed to the next level.

The Section of the SSAT are as follows:

• Elementary Level SSAT
• Middle Level SSAT
• Upper Level SSAT

Let us have a look at what each section entails:

Elementary Level SSAT

This level of the Secondary School Admission Test is administered to students in 4th grade who are to be admitted to 4th grade, and also administered to students in 4th grade who are to be admitted to 5th grade. In the third grade, the test is referred to as Third Grade Elementary SSAT and in fourth grade it is referred to as Fourth Grade Elementary SSAT. The test comprises of multiple choices and consists of mainly four sections. The sections are:

• Quantitative section (Section one) – this section is allocated a total of 30 questions. The quantitative section is allocated a total of thirty minutes for one to attempt the questions.
• Verbal (Section 2) – This part is also allocated 30 questions but has a time limit of twenty minutes. It mainly tests the skill and ability of the student in the field of verbal.
• Reading (section 3) – This section of the Elementary SSAT comprises of 28 questions and is allocated thirty minutes.
• Writing Sample - The student is expected to write one essay within the fifteen minutes allocated.

The question total is 89 and the time allocated to the entire exam is 110 minutes. One the student has attempted the test, their reports are available online on the SSAT account.

The Middle and Upper Level SSAT

The Middle SSAT is administered to students who are in 5th to 7th grade. The exam plays an important role in providing admission offices with the capability of the students' in terms of skills and abilities. Many students final this exam since they have not familiarized themselves with the structure. Same as the Elementary SSAT, it consists of reading, quantitative and verbal sections.

The Upper Level SSAT is quite similar to the Middle Level SSAT, but this level of the test is for students in grade 8 to 11. The structure and format is the same as the one for Middle Level. Each section of the SSAT accesses different skills, knowledge and ability of the applicant.

Format of the Middle and Upper Level SSAT

• Writing Sample - in this section of the exam, the applicant is required to choose between 2 creative story starters. It examines the student's writing skills and also organisation. This section is not scored in the final report of the SSAT exam. It is sent to the schools that one has selected to go to. This section is allocated 25 minutes.
• Quantitative section (2nd Section) - This math section measures the candidate's skills to solve geometry, arithmetic, algebra and other math concepts. It has a total of 50 questions, which are sub-divided into two parts. Each part entails 25 questions and is awarded 30 minutes. This is one of the scored section so of the SSAT. The questions that appear in this section are structured in mathematical terms while other are structured as word problems. One needs fully to understand how the question is stated, what is required and what operations one needs to perform the questions.
• Reading Comprehension (3rd Section) - This section mainly assess the applicants ability to read and understand the passage that they have read. Time allocated to this sections is 40 minutes. There is a total of 40 questions in the Reading section. Each passage in this section range from a length of 250 to 350. The passages can be taken from with Social Studies, Sciences, Humanities and also Literary Fiction. One can be required to make inferences, locate details, determines the author's purpose, find out the main idea and so much more. After each passage, there are several questions that are related to the passage.
• Verbal Section (4th Section) – In the verbal section, the student is tested on their verbal reasoning and vocabulary ability. The section has a total of 60 questions (30 analogies and 30 synonyms). Time allocated is 30minutes. The main topics covers are word relationships through analogies and synonyms. One is expected to identify the synonyms and also interpret the analogies in this section.
• Experimental Section (5th Section) – this is a section that contain test question which might be used in future SSAT exams. The total number of questions are 16 and time allocated 15 minutes. It contains 5 math, 6- verbal and 5-reading questions. This section is not scored in the final report.

These are the main sections tested it the Middle and Upper Level of the SSAT paper. Each of the level of the SSAT act as a benchmark for students to be admitted to the next level of education.