SSAT & ISEE Prep 2023 - Princeton Review 2023

A caregiver’s introduction

HOW CAN I HELP?

Congratulations! Your child is considering attending a private school, and by virtue of the fact that you hold this book in your hands, you have recognized that either the SSAT or the ISEE is an important part of the admissions process. Providing your child with the information contained in this book is an excellent first step toward a strong performance on the SSAT or the ISEE.

As a caregiver, however, you know well the fine line between support and intrusion. To guide you in your efforts to help your child, we’d like to offer a few suggestions.

Have a Healthy Perspective

Both the SSAT and the ISEE are standardized tests designed to say something about an individual student’s chances for success in a private school. Neither is an intelligence test; neither claims to be.

Set realistic expectations for your child. The skills necessary for a strong performance on these tests are often very different from those a student uses in school. The additional stress that comes from being expected to do well generally serves only to distract a student from taking a test efficiently.

At the same time, beware of dismissing disappointing results with a simple, “My child doesn’t test well.” While it is undoubtedly true that some students test better than others, this explanation does little to encourage a student to invest time and effort into overcoming obstacles and improving performance.

Be Informed

The SSAT and the ISEE are neither achievement tests nor intelligence tests. To score well, your child needs to understand what is tested and how it is tested.

Know How to Interpret Performance

Each level of the SSAT and ISEE covers a range of grade levels. It is impossible to interpret scores without considering the grade level of the student. Percentile rankings have much more value than do either raw or scaled scores, and percentiles are the numbers schools use to compare students.

Remember That This Is Not an English or a Math Test

There are both verbal and math questions on the SSAT and on the ISEE. However, these questions are often based on skills and concepts that are different from those used on a day-to-day basis in school. For instance, very few English teachers­—at any level—spend a lot of time teaching students how to approach analogy or sentence completion questions.

This may be frustrating for caregivers, students, and teachers. But in the final judgment, our educational system would take a turn for the worse if it attempted to teach students to do well on the SSAT, the ISEE, or even the SAT. The fact that the valuable skills students learn in school don’t directly improve test scores is evidence of a flaw in the testing system, not an indictment of our schools or those who have devoted their professional careers to education.

Realize That All Tests Are Different

Many of the general rules that students are accustomed to applying to tests in school do not apply to either the SSAT or the ISEE. Many students, for instance, actually hurt their scores by trying to work on every question. Although these tests are timed, accuracy is much more important than speed. Once your child learns the format and structure of these tests, it will be easier for your child to apply underlying knowledge to the test and answer more questions correctly.

Provide All the Resources You Can

This book has been written to provide your child with a very thorough review of all the math, vocabulary, reading, and writing skills that are necessary for success on the SSAT and ISEE. We have also included practice drills for each chapter and practice tests that simulate actual SSAT or ISEE examinations. For a more realistic testing experience, register this book to access the tests in an online format.

The very best practice test questions, however, are naturally the ones written by the organizations who write the real test questions—the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) for the SSAT and the Educational Resources Bureau (ERB) for the ISEE. We encourage you to contact both organizations (websites, email addresses and phone numbers can be found on this page) to obtain any resources containing test questions that you can use for additional practice.

In addition, both the SSAT and the ISEE change with time in very subtle ways. Thus, we suggest supplementing the information in this book with ERB’s What to Expect on the ISEE, which you can find at isee.erblearn.org, and EMA’s The Official Study Guide for the SSAT, which you can order at ssat.org/prepare/practice.

Make sure the materials you choose are, to the greatest extent possible, reflective of the test your child will take and not a test that was given years earlier. Also, try to avoid the inevitable confusion that comes from asking a student to follow two different sets of advice. Presumably, you have decided (or are about to decide) to trust The Princeton Review to prepare your child for this test. In doing so, you have made a wise decision. As we have said, we encourage you to provide any and all sources of additional practice material (as long as it is accurate and reflective of the current test), but providing other test preparation advice tends to muddy the waters and confuse students.

Be Patient and Be Involved

Preparing for the SSAT or the ISEE is like learning how to ride a bicycle. You will watch your child struggle, at first, to develop a level of familiarity and comfort with the test’s format and content.

Developing the math, vocabulary, reading, and writing skills that your child will use on the SSAT or the ISEE is a long-term process. In addition to making certain that your child is committed to spending the time necessary to work through the chapters of this book, you should also be on the lookout for other opportunities to be supportive. One way to do this is to make vocabulary development into a group activity. In the vocabulary chapter, we provide an extensive list of vocabulary words; you can work on them together by creating flashcards at the breakfast table or during car trips. You may even pick up a new word or two yourself!

Important: If your child is in a lower grade, you may want to offer extra guidance as your child works through this book and prepares for the test. Because this book covers preparation for the full range of grade levels taking the tests (first through eleventh grades), some of the content review will be beyond the areas that your child is expected to know. It is an excellent idea to work through the book along with younger children, so that they don’t become intimidated by these higher-level questions that should be skipped. Check out your Student Tools to see the suggested study schedule.

A SHORT WORD ON ADMISSIONS

The most important insight into private school admissions that we can offer is that a student’s score on the SSAT or the ISEE is only one of many components involved in admission decisions. While many schools will request SSAT or ISEE scores, all will look seriously at your child’s academic record. Think about it: which says more about a student—a single test or years of solid academic performance?

In terms of testing, which is the focus of this book, some schools will specify which test they want applicants to take—the SSAT or the ISEE. Others will allow you to use scores from either test. If you are faced with a decision of whether to focus on the SSAT, the ISEE, or both, we encourage you to be an informed consumer. This book contains practice tests for the ISEE and the SSAT, and your child should attempt both. Then, based on the requirements of your desired school and the results of the practice tests, you can decide which test best suits your child. Students may register to take the ISEE up to three times in a 12-month admission cycle, once in any or all of three testing seasons. The seasons are Fall (August—November), Winter (December—March), and Spring/Summer (April—July). ISEE does not encourage multiple testing, but does offer students and families that option. The Middle and Upper Level SSAT may be taken up to eleven times during the testing year (which EMA defines as August 1st— July 31st)—three computer based administrations (either online at-home or at a Prometric Test Center), six paper-based Standard administrations, and one paper-based Flex administration in each of the two Flex periods (the first period is typically from August to mid-November and the second is typically from late-November to the end of July). The Elementary Level SSAT is only offered as a paper-based test and may be taken up to two times—two Standard administrations or one Standard administration and one Flex test.

Be an Informed Caregiver

For the most accurate information about their admissions policies, don’t hesitate to call the schools to which your child may apply.

There are some differences in question types between the two tests. While both the SSAT and the ISEE test vocabulary, they do so in different ways. The SSAT, for example, contains a section on analogies, which many students may not be familiar with, while the ISEE includes a section of sentence completions. On the other hand, Middle and Upper Level ISEE test-takers will be faced with a number of quantitative comparison questions in the Math section, and these can be tricky at first, especially for younger students. Take these differences into consideration if you have the option to choose between the two tests.

What is a Flex Test?

A Flex test is a paper-based SSAT given on a flexible schedule other than the six typical testing Saturdays. Learn more at ssat.org/pages/what-is-a-flex-test

Resources

REGISTERING FOR THE SSAT

Before you go any further in preparing for the SSAT, you must complete one essen-tial step: sign up for the SSAT. The online at-home Middle and Upper Level tests are offered at least one weekend each month (usually on both Saturday and Sunday). Additional weekday test dates are also available during peak testing times. Students also have the option to take the online test at Prometric Test Centers on a wide variety of dates. Paper-based Standard administrations are offered six times per testing year, typically in October, November, December, January, February, and April. In addition, Middle and Upper Level students can take one paper-based Flex test in each of the two Flex periods. The Elementary Level is only offered as a paper-based test. Check www.ssat.org to determine whether there is a Standard Elementary administration available in your area on your preferred date or call the school your child is applying to and ask whether the school is offering a Flex administration. Additional information on the various testing options can be found at www.ssat.org/testing/about-the-test#testing-options. Testing dates and times can fill up; by registering early, your child will avoid the possibility of having to take the test on an inconvenient date or at an inconvenient time. You can register online at www.ssat.org.

Plan Ahead

Not only will early registration give you one less thing to worry about as the test approaches, but it will also make it easier to get your first-choice test date and time.

Registration for online testing is available until twenty-four hours prior to the test (though dates typically fill up far in advance of that deadline so we strongly recommend that you select a date and time well in advance). The regular registration deadline for the paper-based Standard test (at domestic test centers) is the Sunday three weeks before the test date; from that point until the next Sunday, there is a $50 Late Fee. The deadline for students with accommodations is the Sunday two weeks before the test date. Students without accommodations may continue to register after that point for an additional $90 Rush Fee. Registration for paper-based Standard test dates closes at 11:59 p.m. the Wednesday before the test date. The cost to test in the United States and Canada starts at $95 for the Elementary Level Standard or school-based Flex test and $155 for the Middle and Upper Level paper-based Standard or school Flex tests, and are higher for testing with an educational consultant, online at a Prometric center, or online at home. For a full list of current fees, see www.ssat.org/testing/about-the-test#pricing. Internationally, the cost is $210 for the Elementary Level test and $299 for the Middle and Upper Level tests. There are additional fees for optional add-ons such as score availability alerts or mailed paper score reports (online score report access is free). Fees are paid online by Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. In some cases, you may be able to obtain an SSAT fee waiver.

Fees for the most popular SSAT testing options:

• $95 for Elementary Level Standard or school-based Flex test

• $135 for a Flex test

• $155 for Middle Level/Upper Level Standard or school flex

• $235 for SSAT at Home

If you have already registered and want to change your Prometric Test Center date or location at least 29 days in advance of your original appointment, there is no fee. If you want to change within 3—28 days of your Prometric appointment, there’s a change fee of $35. There is no charge to reschedule an at-home appointment, but it must be done at least three days in advance of your original appointment.

Students who need special testing accommodations must apply and be approved for accommodations before registering for a test date. Make sure to apply for accommodations early; it typically takes at least 3-4 weeks for applications to be reviewed. Once approved, accommodations will apply to all of a student’s tests within a testing year (August 1st to July 31st). Find more information at ssat.org/testing/accommodations/overview.

REGISTERING FOR THE ISEE

Before you go any further in preparing for the ISEE, you must do one essential thing: sign up for the ISEE. Go to https://iseeonline.erblearn.org/, and create an online account or call 1 (800) 446-0320 or (919) 956-8524 to register. The ISEE is offered in an online format at home, Prometric Test Centers, schools, and testing offices. The ISEE is also offered in a paper format at schools and testing offices. Phone registration is not available for at-home or Prometric center testing.

Students may register to take the ISEE one time in any or all of three testing seasons. As previously mentioned, ISEE testing seasons are defined as Fall (August—November), Winter (December—March), and Spring/Summer (April—July). Students do not have to select schools to receive ISEE scores at the time of registration; they may add them at no extra charge after a test is scored. The regular registration deadline for on-site testing at a school or satellite site is three weeks before the test date. The registration fee varies by location and modality, and you can pay by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or check. There are additional fees for rescheduling and late registration. Registration closes two weeks before each test date, but some sites may offer Walk-In Registration. For more details on fees and the different testing options, visit www.erblearn.org/families/isee-pricing.

Fees for the most popular ISEE testing options:

• $140 for online at-home, online at school, or paper-based at school testing administered by a school

• $200 for online at-home testing administered by ERB

• $200 for online testing at a Prometric Testing Center

Walk-In Registration

Walk-in registration is available at a limited number of ISEE test site schools. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be assured due to limitations on testing materials and staff. The Walk-In Registration fee is $180 and must be processed online by Visa or MasterCard only. If you are a candidate for walk-in registration, you must call the test site school directly to see if you may be accommodated and receive a Walk-In Registration Code.

A student’s introduction

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

You’ve got a hefty amount of paper and information in your hands. How can you work through it thoroughly, without spending eight hours on it the Saturday before the test?

Plan ahead.

Before you start, go to your Student Tools and download the study guide. We’ve broken down the contents of this book into 12 study sessions and suggested a timeline for you to follow. Some of these sessions will take longer than others, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. If any of them takes more than two hours, take a break and try to finish the session the following day. You may want to do one, two, or three sessions a week, but we suggest you give yourself at least a day or two in between to absorb the information you’ve just learned. The one thing you should be doing every day is quizzing yourself on vocabulary and making new flashcards.

We also caution against thinking that you can work through this book during summer vacation, put it aside in September, and be ready to take the test in December. If you want to start that early, work primarily on vocabulary until about 10 weeks be­fore the test. Then you can start on techniques, and they’ll be fresh in your mind on the day of the test. If you’ve finished your preparation too soon and have nothing to practice on in the weeks before the test, you’re going to get rusty.

If you know you are significantly weaker in one of the subjects covered by the test, you should begin with that subject so you can practice it throughout your preparation.

If You Want to Start Early

If you have more than ten weeks to prepare, start with vocabulary building and essay writing. These skills only improve with time.

At Each Session

At each practice session, make sure you have sharpened pencils, blank index cards, and a dictionary. If you’ll be testing online, you should also have a notebook or stack of scratch paper. Each chapter is interactive; to fully understand the techniques we present, you need to be ready to try them out.

As you read each chapter, practice the techniques and do all the exercises. Check your answers in the Answer Key as you finish each set of problems, and try to figure out what types of errors you made so you can correct them. Review all of the techniques that give you trouble.

Get Your Pencil Moving

You’ll get the most out of this book by trying out techniques as you read about them.

As you begin each session, review the chapter you completed during the previous session before moving on to a new chapter.

When You Take a Practice Test

We recommend some specific times to take practice tests in the following session outlines. Here are some guidelines for taking these tests.

·  Know whether you will be testing on paper or online, and practice accordingly. If you’re taking an online SSAT, you’ll be permitted two pieces of scratch paper and one pencil. If you’re taking an online ISEE, you’ll be permitted up to four pieces of scratch paper and two pens and/or two pencils.

·  Time yourself strictly. Use a timer, watch, or stopwatch that will ring, and do not allow yourself to go over the allotted time for any section. If you try to do so on the real test, your scores will probably be canceled.

·  Take a practice test in one sitting, allowing yourself only the breaks that you’ll have on test day (see this page for SSAT and this page for ISEE) and no more than two minutes between other sections. You need to build up your endurance for the real test, and you also need an accurate picture of how you will do.

·  If you’re taking an online test, register this book to take the included tests online.

·  If your online test will be at home, set up your work area the same way you will on test day. Make sure that you have a quiet, private space and that the computer you’re using meets your test’s technical requirements. The only things on your work space other than your computer, mouse, and keyboard should be a writing instrument and your allotted pieces of scratch paper (2 for SSAT or 4 for ISEE).

·  If you’re taking a paper-based test, always practice with an answer sheet with bubbles to fill in, just as you will do for the real test. For the practice tests in this book, use the attached answer sheets. You need to be comfortable transferring answers to the separate sheet because you might end up skipping around a bit. Thoroughly fill in each bubble you choose, and make no other marks in the answer area. As you fill in the bubble for a question, check to be sure you are on the correct number on the answer sheet. If you fill in the wrong bubble on the answer sheet, it won’t matter if you’ve worked out the problem correctly in your test booklet. All that matters to the machine scoring your test is the No. 2 pencil mark.

The EMA and the ERB consider their Score Reports proprietary information, so we can’t reproduce them for our practice tests. You can get an idea of how you did by marking off how many you got right in the answer key after each test. Keep the learning going!

The Day of the Exam

·  Wake up refreshed from at least eight hours of sleep the night before.

·  Eat a good breakfast.

·  Plan to arrive at the test center or check in to the online proctoring site about a half hour before your test is scheduled to begin.

·  If you’re testing at a school or test center, bring your SSAT admission ticket or ISEE Verification Letter, four No. 2 pencils with erasers, and, for the paper ISEE only, two working blue or black pens (erasable pens are acceptable). Prometric Test Centers will provide a pencil and scratch paper. The test center may not allow you to take food or beverages into the room, but you can leave them in the hall, in case you have a chance to get them during a short break. Do not take a cell phone or any books, papers, or calculators.

·  Remind yourself that you do not have to work out every question on the test to get a good score. Don’t let yourself become rushed. Pace yourself.

If you’re not testing at home, take a sweater! You never know how cold the room might be.

GENERAL TEST-TAKING TECHNIQUES FOR THE SSAT & ISEE

Pacing

Most people believe that to do well on a test, it is important to answer every question. While this is true of most of the tests you take in school, it is not true of many standardized tests, including the SSAT and ISEE. On these tests, it is very possible to score well without attempting all of the questions; in fact, many students can improve their scores by answering fewer questions.

“Wait a second. I can get a better score by attempting fewer questions?” Yes. On the Middle and Upper Level SSAT, you are penalized only for the questions you answer incorrectly, not for the questions you skip. Because all of the questions are worth the same number of points, it’s better to answer an easier question you understand and are likely to get right than waste time with one you don’t. So for the most part, you’ll give your attention to problems you think you can answer, and decide which questions are too thorny to waste time on. This test-taking approach is just as important to score improvement as your knowledge of vocabulary and math rules!

On the ISEE, it is best to answer all questions because there is no guessing penalty.

In general, all math and verbal questions on the SSAT and ISEE gradually increase in difficulty from first to last. (The one exception is the Reading section, where question difficulty is mixed.) This means that for most students, the longest and most complicated problems are at the end of each section. For this reason, all students should focus the majority of their attention on the questions they know they can answer. Why rush through these and make careless errors, when you could spend time and get all of them right? Attempt the ones you find more challenging last—if you have time.

The reason that this approach to pacing can actually increase scores on the Middle and Upper Level SSAT is that skipped questions gain you zero points, whereas each incorrect answer reduces your raw score by a quarter-point. Because your raw score will decrease only if you answer a question incorrectly, skipping is the best strategy for a problem that has you completely stumped. Ideally, you will either get a question right or skip it (with some exceptions when you can guess intelligently and aggressively).

Skipping will be a major tool for the questions you find most troublesome. Guessing will be part of the whole test, so let’s look at how guessing and skipping work together. Again, ISEE and Elementary SSAT students should select an answer for every question since wrong answers and blanks are treated the same on those tests.

Points are not deducted for wrong answers on the SSAT Elementary Level test. Thus, do not leave any answers blank. Even so, pace yourself wisely to increase your accuracy on questions you know or think you know the answers to. This is also true for all levels of the ISEE.

Guessing on the Middle and Upper Level SSAT

When should you guess? Whenever you can eliminate even one wrong answer with certainty. Yes, really. We’ll get to why in a minute. Eliminate the wrong answers and you’ll have the right answer by Process of Elimination (we’ll explain more about this later). So eliminate the answers that are clearly wrong and guess! Be aggressive.

Over the course of the whole test, this strategy will increase your score. How? Well, let’s look again at how SSAT questions are scored: right answers are rewarded and wrong answers are penalized.

Correct answers: +1 point

Wrong answers: — point

Blank answers: 0 points

Suppose we asked you to place a bet on five attempts to draw a yellow marble from a bag. The bag contains four black marbles and one yellow marble, and you have to put the drawn marble back after each attempt. There’s only one chance in five that you’ll draw the yellow marble, but if you do, you get a dollar. There’s a four in five chance of a black marble; when you draw black, you pay us 25¢. Would you do it? Maybe yes, maybe no. If you drew yellow once and black four times, you’d get a dollar and then pay 25¢ four times, ending up with nothing. You wouldn’t lose money, but you wouldn’t win any, either. Similarly, there are five choices on every SSAT question, but only one right answer. So if you just guess randomly without eliminating anything first, you will be right about one time and wrong about four times for every five questions you do. That means that the one time you were right, you would get one full raw point (yay!), but you would lose a quarter-point four times (boo!). All of this would bring you right back to where you started.

1 — 4() = 0

So random guessing will pretty much keep your score flat. Here is where our guessing strategy comes in. What if, instead of a one-in-five chance of drawing yellow, the odds were one in four? This time, if four attempts usually resulted in drawing one yellow ($1 for you) and three blacks (pay out 75¢), you’d make a little money and come out on top. On an SSAT question, if you can eliminate one choice out of the five, you’re in the same situation. You now have only four possible answers, and you will be right about once for every three times you are wrong. Now the penalty for wrong answers will have less impact. If you narrow it down to three choices, you’ll get about one right for every two times you’re wrong. Good odds? You bet. That’s like making a dollar and losing 50¢. If you can do this throughout the test, you will gradually increase your score. That’s why it pays to spend time eliminating the wrong answers and then guessing aggressively.

1 — 3() =

Want to use what you’ve just learned to improve your score? You’ve come to the right place. Guessing well is one of the most important skills this book can teach you. Strategic guessing and skipping, as simple as they seem, are very powerful score-boosters on standardized tests like the SSAT. Now, let’s discuss one more major test-taking approach that should be a part of your game plan.

Process of Elimination

Here’s a question you will not see on the SSAT or ISEE, but which will show you how powerful Process of Elimination (POE) can be.

What is the capital of Malawi?

(A) New York

(B) Paris

(C) London

(D) Lilongwe

(E) Washington, D.C.

There are two ways to get this question right. First, you can know that the capital of Malawi is Lilongwe. If you do, good for you! The second is to know that the capital of Malawi is not New York, Paris, London, or Washington, D.C. You don’t get more points for knowing the right answer from the start, so one way is just as good as the other. Try to get into the habit of looking at a question and asking, “What are the wrong answers?” instead of “What is the right answer?”

Should I Guess?

Random guessing will not improve your Upper or Middle Level SSAT score. Educated guessing, however, is always a good idea.

By using POE this way, you will eliminate wrong answers and have fewer answers from which to choose. The result is that you will pick right answers more often. In the example above, you’re not even really guessing. You know that the other four answers are wrong (or three answers, if you’re taking the ISEE), and that’s as good as knowing the right answer. In fact, now you do know the capital of Malawi. That’s the great thing about guessing on a standardized test like the SSAT or ISEE—when you have trouble finding the correct answer, you can often eliminate the wrong ones and come out on top. Now let’s practice the same technique in another problem.

Which of the following cities is the capital of Samoa?

(A) Vila

(B) Boston

(C) Apia

(D) Chicago

(E) Los Angeles

You may not know the right answer off the top of your head, but which cities are not the capital of Samoa? You probably know enough about the locations of (B), (D), and (E) to know that Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles are not the capital of Samoa.

So, what’s a good answer to this question? (A) or (C).

What’s the right answer? That is not the right question here. The better question is this: should I guess? And the answer is absolutely yes. Yes, yes, yes. You’ve done a great job of narrowing the answer down to just two choices. On any question where you’ve done this, you’ll have a fifty-fifty chance. In other words, on average you’ll get these questions right about half the time (+1 point) and wrong the other half (— point). Even though you’ll get some (about half) of these wrong, your score will go up overall, by about 1 point for every 3 questions, and that can make all the difference. Always use POE and guess aggressively. Remember that on the SSAT you should skip the question if you can’t eliminate anything at all.

ONLINE TESTING

You may be comfortable with online learning, but online testing is often a little bit different from what you’re used to. While all of the core testing strategies still apply, here are some additional tips to keep in mind.

·  Use the on-screen tools. The at-home SSAT features a navigation pane in all sections and highlighting in the Reading section. The online SSAT at Prometric Test Centers and the online ISEE (all locations) feature a strikeout tool, a highlight tool, question flagging, and a review screen!

·  Use your scratch paper. Work math out on the page, jot down notes on reading passages, and if you don’t have on-screen strikeout capability, write ABCDE on your scratch paper so that you can do POE.

A QUICK SUMMARY

These points about the SSAT and ISEE are important enough that we want to mention them again. Make sure you understand them before you go any farther in this book.

·  You do not have to work every question on the test. Slow down!

·  You will not immediately know the correct answer to every question. Instead, look for wrong answers that you can eliminate.

·  Random guessing will not improve your score on the SSAT (although it might help with the ISEE). However, educated guessing, which means that you eliminate two or (better) three of the five choices, is a good thing and will improve your score. As a general rule, if you invest enough time to read and think about the answer to a question, you should be able to eliminate at least one choice and make a good guess!