Applying to private school? A guide through the process and whether your child should take the ISEE or SSAT this season

This ISEE/SSAT application season will be like no other in recent memory. However, with proper guidance, it’s possible to wake up on March 10th with a multitude of options for your son or daughter. Having multiple options enables us to find the best fit for your child. 

Because of the pandemic, the fundamentals of applying to private schools are even more important this year. Start early. I can’t stress this one enough. If your child is currently in 5th grade and applying for 6th grade, starting the application season in August (or even earlier in the summer) provides you with the piece of mind to know that your child will be well prepared to take one (or both) standardized tests (ISEE or SSAT). 

That being said, I promise I won’t hang up on you (as other tutoring companies are wont to do) if you call me in November and beg to work with me. 

The ISEE is particularly important to start early. There are three application seasons for taking the ISEE. Summer extends from April  through July, fall is August, September and October and winter is November thru January. 

A small number of schools only accept the ISEE for middle school and the SSAT for high school. My recommendation is finding a standardized test that best fits your child’s strength. This is of course assuming both tests are accepted for middle school applicants, which is the case at the majority of the schools. The math section of the ISEE tends to be harder than that of the SSAT (particularly 6th graders applying for 7th grade ). Also, the SSAT divides scores into three sections: verbal, reading and math (hence math is 1/3 of the score, reading comprehension is 1/3 and synonyms are 1/3). 

Whereas the ISEE makes clear that there are two math sections, making your child’s math score 50% of your overall score. The ISEE includes a quantitative comparison section which many students find difficult. Students are given two equations or values and asked to indicate which is greater: A if quantity A is greater, B is quantity B is great, C if they are equal and D if there is not enough information. 

The SSAT includes an analogies section, which the ISEE does not. Students are given a relationship and asked to determine which relationship in the answer choices is the same. Many students who struggle with vocabulary have a particularly difficult time with this section. For this reason, a student who prefers math to English, may find his percentiles on the SSAT are higher than those of the ISEE. 

Practice tests are also a huge part of the tutoring process. Proctored exams are not only a way for us to check in on the student’s progress but also to get acclimated to what the testing environment when taking the official test. 

The final objective is to determine which exam best highlights the student’s strength. Then we work on a calendar that gives us enough time to adequately prepare for the January 15th deadline. Since scores tend to go up with each successive test taken, I encourage students to take the test multiple times. Ideally we can space the standardized test each month from September to early January. By middle January your child should have a test score in hand that he or she is proud of and can be submitted to the schools. 

Deciding whether to take the SSAT or ISEE can be daunting. But with some simple steps and the appropriate guidance, I know that you will be able to navigate this application with confidence and aplomb. A long as your child knows what aplomb means…if not, we’ve got a lot of work to do