Gaining admissions into some private middle schools and high schools is surprisingly similar to that aspect of the college process. Grades, extra-curriculars, and teacher recommendations all count. Since curricula and educational and assessment standards can vary widely from school to school, admissions personnel can compare students from varying backgrounds with respect to the “core subjects” using the standardized test scores. The most popular of these exams are The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), and The High School Placement Test (HSPT). The former two are prerequisites to be considered for admissions to many private or independent high schools, while the latter is taken for admissions to parochial (Catholic) high schools. Step one, as with any standardized test, is to determine which schools you’re interested in, and to find out each school’s requirements or preferences. Step two is to learn a bit about what to expect, and how you can begin to prepare. Here’s a breakdown of the three tests:
SSAT
The SSAT is administered by the Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB), and is perhaps the most common of the three tests: nearly 800 schools worldwide make use of SSAT scores for admission decisions. Despite its obvious resemblances, the SSAT has no relation to the SAT. There are two levels to the SSAT, the Lower Level SSAT is administered to students currently in grades 5 through 7, and the Upper Level SSAT is administered to students currently in grades 8 through 11. The exam is comprised of two parts: a 25-minute essay and a four-part, 150-question multiple choice test that spans Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Verbal Skills. While the essay is not scored by the SSATB, it is photocopied and forwarded to school admissions offices, and used by the school to evaluate your written abilities. The two Math sections are each 30 minutes long and contain 25 questions. These sections require basic computations including arithmetic, basic geometry, and basic algebra . The Verbal section is 30 minutes long and tests out-of-context vocabulary skills through 30 synonym and 30 analogy problems – there are no sentence completions on the SSAT. The Reading Comprehension section is 40 minutes long and contains as many questions, all based around seven reading passages. The full test takes 155 minutes. Each question on the SSAT is equal in value and scores are determined by taking the sum of the correct answers (1 point each) and subtracting the questions you’ve answered incorrectly (one-quarter point each). This is one of the major points of difference between the SSAT and the ISEE, which deducts no points for an incorrect answer. Upon receipt of their scores, students can choose whether or not they’d like to send the results to the schools they’re applying to. The SSAT is administered generally eight times a year and you can register at www.ssat.org.
Everything that the SSAT covers is based on skills you’ve been learning in school, so if you’ve been keeping up on your studies to date, you’ve got a good head start. Still, it is always good to be prepared well in advance of the test. And while you’re allowed to test as many of the eight dates as you’d like, it’s best not to take the exam more than twice.
ISEE
The ISEE is designed and administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB), with input from faculty and administrators at independent schools. It is a test to determine admission into grades 5-12. Scores are given as percentages rather than on a raw scale, and the results are not indicative of grade level. There are three levels of the ISEE: the Lower Level is for students entering grades 5 and 6, the Middle Level is for students entering grades 7 and 8, and the Upper Level is for students entering grades 9 through 12. Students sitting for the Middle-Level and Upper-Level tests actually receive the same exam, but the scores are scaled differently – and scores from the three levels cannot be compared.
The ISEE is composed of four multiple-choice sections and a 30-minute essay. The multiple-choice sections are broken down as such: 1 Verbal Reasoning section that contains Synonyms and Sentence Completion questions; 1 Quantitative Reasoning section with questions that require a knowledge of Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, and Higher Order Thinking; 1 Quantitative Comparison section that will test your Reading Comprehension and 1 Mathematics Achievement section which tests the same skills the Quantitative Reasoning section tests. The difference between the two Math sections is that the former contains problem-solving questions and the latter contains quantitative comparison questions, which require that you’re able to compare two columns of numbers. (NOTE: this is a particularly critical section to be prepared for, as students who see it for the first time are often confused). There are about 160 questions in total and the exam is about 2½ to 3 hours long. The essay is not scored, but rather forwarded to the applicant’s school. One important thing to know is that the ISEE does not deduct points for wrong answers: this means you should always guess on every question; there’s no benefit to leave an answer blank!
The ISSE is administered once a month between November and April, and then administered again in June. Applicants generally take the ISEE in the fall or winter of the year before they apply to schools. The ISEE can only be taken once every six months. It can also only be taken when you plan on formally applying to an educational institution: there’s no such thing as a “practice test” when it comes to the ISEE. Once you’ve registered, you’ll be sent information by the ERB on the time and location of your test. To register, you can visit www.erbtest.org.
While many prep books are available for this test (often coupled with prep work for the SSAT), your best source is the administrator. The ERB sells a copy of “What to Expect on the ISEE” on its website; this booklet contains a good number of questions used on past exams.
HSPT
The HSPT is administered only to 8th-grade students to determine admissions and placement in freshman-year classes of Catholic schools. The test was formulated and is administered by the Scholastic Testing Service (STS), and thus is sometimes referred to as the “STS-HSPT.” The exam time ranges anywhere from an hour and forty minutes to two and a half hours; this variation is dependent on whether the school you’re testing for chooses to add additional sections to the basic exam (some of those options include Science, Mechanical Aptitude, and Religious (Catholic) Knowledge). The test in its most basic form, without these additional sections, is consistent with state requirements in terms of the “core knowledge:” reading, language skill, arithmetic, algebra, and geometry. Note that there is no essay on the HSPT; all of the questions are in a multiple-choice format that consists of 5 sections: Verbal Skills (logic, analogies, synonyms, antonyms); Quantitative Skills (series, number manipulations, geometry, non-geometric comparisons); Reading Comprehension; Math (arithmetic, geometry, algebra); and Language Skills (punctuation, spelling, usage, grammar, and composition). Scores are reported on a scale of 200-800 – and like the ISEE, wrong answers do not detract from the score, so be sure to make a (preferably educated) guess on every question! The question-to-time ratio breaks down as such: Verbal Skills (60 questions, 16 minutes); Quantitative Skills (52 questions, 30 minutes); Reading (62 questions, 25 minutes); Mathematics (64 questions, 45 minutes); Language Skills (60 questions, 25 minutes). There are 298 questions in total. The score report will designate both local and national percentile rankings, and will also be indicated as a grade equivalent.
The exam is usually held on location at the school that requires it and can be offered a number of times throughout the year, depending upon where you’re applying. Common test dates are spring and fall. Unfortunately, there is no “official” practice material for the HSPT through the STS, although many test prep companies have written practice books with sample tests and strategies.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It can’t hurt to begin identifying the schools you’re interested in at least a year before the application process begins. Admissions offices will supply you with all the information you need in regards to deadlines and testing requirements. No matter which test you’re planning to take, definitely give yourself a diagnostic test first. Most students who sit for these tests are bound to be newcomers to the standardized-test experience, and it’s best to know where you stand from the beginning, and where you need most to focus your energies while studying. Bear in mind that, as with college exams, admissions offices of independent and parochial schools will be looking at much more than your high school entrance exam – so don’t put all your eggs in one educational basket, either. With a bit of planning, a lot of practice, and a lot of attention to your nerves and your health in the weeks before the exam, you’ll be well-prepared.
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