This question is fraught with anxiety. Speaking personally, I still viscerally remember how anxious I was leading up to and even after having taken the SAT; and no surprise, I was as anxious about my daughter's SSAT as she was (probably even more so, actually). In an attempt to tamp down anxiousness about SSATs, I'm treating this article as a therapeutic journal.
This article is organized around several questions I've asked, and documents where I've landed on the matter: (1) What does the SSAT score represent; (2) What scores do nationally competitive boarding schools typically see; (3) What scores do regionally competitive schools expect; (4) Could a 'low' SSAT score still be totally fine; (5) Section scores: do imbalances matter; (6) How best to prepare.
Note: Stating the obvious, 'good' is definitionally and circumstantially subjective; please consider information presented in this article as a strictly personal opinion, given there are no publicly documented metrics that can be used to see clearer trends.
1. What Does the SSAT Score Represent?
I'd like to baseline with a few facts and hot takes.
Facts: SSAT results are returned as scaled section scores. Upper Level SSAT scores range between 500–800 per section. On their own, the scaled scores are most meaningful when converted to percentiles — which rank your child's performance against other SSAT test takers.
Percentiles are calculated based on a standard set of criteria determined by the SSAT, and consider:
- Same grade level: the score is compared only to the performance of students in the same exact grade as the test taker (e.g., an eighth grader's score is only compared to other eighth grader scores).
- First-time test takers only: if a student takes the test multiple times, only their initial score is included in this historical norm group calculation — meaning if a student took the test for the first time in October and again in January, their January percentile would be derived in part from their October score.
- Rolling three-year composite: percentiles are derived not just from a single test; rather they are calculated from a composite of scores collected over a three-year rolling period. This means the percentile is not calculated against those who took the test on the same day or even the same year; it's a moving average that keeps the comparison stable — to normalize fluctuations in test difficulty and day-to-day testing populations.
- Domestic standard test takers: the norm group includes students from the U.S. and Canada. International students — similar to those who are retaking the test — are compared against the norm, but are not included in the calculated norm group.
By the way, this is also why your child may end up getting a few questions wrong, but still end up with a high percentile. And this is also an important point to recall when your child may feel like prematurely giving up during the test because they think they got too many wrong in the beginning.
Hot Take: the SSAT percentile is measured against a very self-selective, strong applicant pool of students who are intentionally taking this very stressful test — and often as part of an application to competitive day and boarding private schools. To anchor on my personal take:
- 95th+ percentile: exceptional, relative to the pool
- 90th+ percentile: very competitive
- 85th+ percentile: very strong
- 80th+ percentile: solid
- 75th+ percentile: respectable
- 65th+ percentile: average for applicants looking to apply to competitive private schools (obviously not overall average)
- 45th+ percentile: probably still workable, depending on school and context
2. What Scores Do Nationally Competitive Boarding Schools Typically See?
Based mostly on gut feel, and a scant number of personal data points, the majority of enrollees at the most competitive schools have scores in the 90th–99th percentile range.
Hotter Take: relative to my hot take, here is a hotter take:
| Student Profile | Competitive Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No 'hook' (general applicant) | 85th – 99th percentile | Not a cutoff — just what is measurable and a reasonable base-level of 'achievement' (said in the most loose possible way) that is needed to help distinguish individual applicants from an exceedingly over-qualified pool of them |
| Strong academic record + extracurriculars | 80th – 95th percentile | Essays, interviews, and other interactions help to create distinction |
| Hooked applicants (e.g., recruited athletes; sought-after attributes) | 60th – 95th percentile | Context matters more than numbers |
| Extraordinary talent or life story | 45th – 95th percentile | What matters is bespoke to each school |
3. What Scores Do Regionally Competitive Boarding Schools Expect?
Schools with strong programs, but notably broader admit ranges may see successful applicants in the:
- 75th – 95th percentile for general applicants
- 50th – 74th percentile for many others
- 40th – 65th percentile for applicants with strong supporting factors
Similar to the most elite schools, these schools are focused on: consistent academic history, teacher recommendations, fit and maturity, passions outside the classroom, and potential contribution to the community.
4. Could a 'Low' SSAT Score Still Be Totally Fine?
An important takeaway to remind ourselves about is that there is no single number that guarantees admission. Schools look at applicants as individual people and in their entirety.
That said, 'low' SSAT scores may matter less if:
- A student comes from a notably rigorous school and has straight As
- A student has demonstrated something uniquely extraordinary or possesses a sought-after (by the school) talent
- A student who has come to life through essays and interviews in a differentiated, authentic, and resonating way
- A student is clearly a strong fit with a particular school's culture
5. Section Scores: Do Imbalances Matter?
I would not expect schools to reject an applicant for imbalances alone. Patterns and context matter. Here are a few example translations to illustrate this point:
- High math + low verbal could simply mean gaps in vocabulary, which are fixable with practice
- High verbal + low math is common, especially for the type of liberal arts / humanities-oriented students boarding schools seem to attract
- Weak reading + strong math and verbal can signal stamina issues, or perhaps comprehension issues
Imbalances are a secondary data point that will be correlated against an applicant's holistic profile — inclusive of transcripts.
6. How Best to Prepare
Without wanting to be duplicative, please see:
- SSAT Preparation: Strategy and Timeline — for our full preparation approach and timeline
- SSAT Vocabulary: Building Your Word Bank — for vocabulary strategy and our word list
- Decoding the SSAT Essay — for guidance on the writing section