Secondary School Admission Test

SSAT practice tests

The SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) is an admission test used by many US private and boarding schools. The Elementary Level is for children now in Grades 3 and 4, and the Middle Level for Grades 5 to 7. Both have Quantitative, Verbal and Reading sections and a writing sample that is not scored.

Our SSAT practice tests follow E3n's published shape: each section's length, time and five answer choices. Every test is new when your child starts it, and the score shows straight away. The reading passages are written by us.

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A look at the test

Questions in the SSAT style

Written by us in the style of the published SSAT question types.

  • Elementary Level, Verbal: analogies

    Eye is to see as

    1. Aear is to nose
    2. Bear is to sound
    3. Cmusic is to hear
    4. Dear is to hear
    5. Ehead is to hear

  • Elementary Level, Quantitative: units

    A ribbon is 3 yards long. How many feet is that? (1 yard = 3 feet)

    1. A9
    2. B12
    3. C7
    4. D10
    5. E3

  • Middle Level, Verbal: synonyms

    FORTIFY

    Which word means most nearly the same as the word in capital letters?

    1. Abuild
    2. Bstrengthen
    3. Cdecorate
    4. Dweaken
    5. Epredict

  • Middle Level, Quantitative: ratios

    Lucas and Chloe share $400 in the ratio 1 : 3. How much does Lucas get?

    1. A$300
    2. B$100
    3. C$400
    4. D$200
    5. E$105

The test

Levels by grade

LevelGradesQuestionsTimeSections
Elementary LevelGrades 3 and 488, in 3 sections1 hour 20 minutesQuantitative 30, Verbal 30, Reading 28. Then a 15-minute writing sample, not scored.
Middle LevelGrades 5, 6 and 7125, in 3 sections1 hour 40 minutesQuantitative 25, Reading 40, Verbal 60. The real test has a second Quantitative section, then a 25-minute writing sample, not scored.

Sections, question counts and times are E3n's published figures. E3n does not publish the number of Middle Level reading passages (we use eight) or the mix of topics inside a section, which is ours. The Middle Level sets two Quantitative sections: our tests have one, to sit twice.

By grade

Free practice for each grade

Pricing

Sitting is free. The answers are US$69.

Every practice test is free to sit, as often as you like. The pack shows your child what they got right, the right answers and how to reach them, on every ISEE and SSAT test. Practicing for more than one kind of test? The US bundle covers them all for US$99.

Private school packLaunch price

US$69

for 6 months

  • Which questions your child got right, after every practice test
  • The right answer to every question
  • A worked solution for every question, step by step
  • ISEE Lower and Middle Level, all four sections
  • SSAT Elementary and Middle Level, all three sections

Every US testLaunch price

US$99

for 6 months

  • Everything in the gifted pack, the private school pack, the math contest pack and the MAP Growth pack
  • CogAT, NNAT and OLSAT, for gifted and talented programs
  • ISEE and SSAT, for private school entry
  • Math contest practice, Grades 1 to 8
  • MAP Growth practice, by grade and subject

One payment in US dollars for 6 months of access. No auto-renewal: when the 6 months end, access stops unless you buy again.

Questions

What parents ask

Are these real SSAT questions?
No. SSAT questions are secure. We write our own questions in the style of each question type E3n describes, at the same length, time and number of choices.
Which level should my child practice?
The Elementary Level for children now in Grades 3 and 4, and the Middle Level for children now in Grades 5, 6 and 7.
Can my child use a calculator?
No. Calculators are not allowed on the SSAT, so practice the Quantitative section by hand.
Is there a penalty for guessing?
Not at the Elementary Level. At the Middle Level a right answer earns a point, a wrong answer loses a quarter point, and a blank scores zero, so guess only when you can rule out some choices. Our practice score counts right answers only.
What about the writing sample?
The SSAT ends with a writing sample: a picture prompt at the Elementary Level, and a choice of two prompts at the Middle Level. It is not scored; it is sent to the schools. Our tests cover the scored sections.
Is it free?
Sitting is free: make a free account and your child can sit as many SSAT tests as you like. The private school pack (US$69 for six months, covering ISEE and SSAT) shows which questions were right, the right answers and a worked solution for each. The US bundle (US$99) covers every US test we offer.
Does a practice score predict my child's SSAT score?
No. The SSAT reports scaled scores and percentiles against other test takers in the same grade, which only the real test can do. Our score is the number of practice questions answered correctly.

SSAT is a trademark of its owner. The SSAT is published by E3n (Enrollment Management & Educational Records Group, Inc.), formerly The Enrollment Management Association. Scholar Tests is not affiliated with or endorsed by E3n or any school. Our practice questions are written by us in the style of the published SSAT question types; they are not real SSAT questions, and a practice score is not an SSAT score.