The verbal portion of the SSAT contains 30 synonym and 30 analogy questions to be completed within 30 minutes. Students are tested on vocabulary, verbal reasoning and the ability to logically relate ideas together.
Students have 40 minutes to complete seven reading passages and 40 questions relevant to the passages. Their reading ability and how well they understand what they read (comprehension) are assessed.
The math section of the SSAT is given in two parts, each of which lasting 30 minutes. The 25 questions in each part include computation similar to what the students do in school, along with math that is used in everyday life. Students taking the test encounter arithmetic, elementary algebra, geometry and mathematical concepts.
Students are given a topic statement and are asked to give a written response to that statement within 25 minutes. The essay is not graded, but it accompanies each score report you ask to have sent out.
A detailed scoring report is sent to the student and with the schools' applications. The scale for grades five through seven range from 440 to 710 each in the verbal, quantitative and reading (V/Q/R) sections. Totals for the three sections are between 1320 and 2130. For grades eight through 11, the scores for V/Q/R are between 500 and 800 for each section, and total between 1500 and 2400. Percentile ranks are given for each section and are based on the scores of all the students of a certain grade and gender who have taken the SSAT in the previous three years. This ranking tells the students the percentage of students who scored above, or below, what they scored. Students in grades five through nine receive a National Estimated Percentile Rank for the V/Q/R sections that compares their abilities to all students in the nation, not just those who've taken the SSAT. Grades seven through 10 receive a Predicted 12th Grade SAT score that predicts how well the student will score on the SAT tests used for admission to U. S. colleges.