In this new series of posts, we’ll tap the expertise of our amazing tutor team to provide you with tips for success in specific subject areas. Today (because it’s timely), we’re focusing on SSAT & ISEE test preparation.

The SSAT & ISEE are standardized exams for entrance into independent (private) schools. Standardized test preparation requires a very specific set of skills, which is why studying for these tests can feel like a new experience, especially for kids taking the SSAT & ISEE. Because there are different levels of these tests, some students take them when they’re as young as second grade.

There are some important differences between the two tests (for example, the SSAT subtracts points for guessing wrong answers whereas the ISEE does not). However, when it comes to test preparation, there’s a lot of overlap in how students can help prepare for success.

Below, we’ve compiled a short list of tips from our top test prep tutors who have been tutoring for the SSAT and ISEE. We hope you find them helpful as we head into the final stretch of testing season!

From Robert:

Be Honest About Time Constraints and Motivation Levels that Will Affect Test Preparation and Set Goals Accordingly

Parents and students should be prepared to have frank discussions with each other and with the tutor about the amount of time that the student has available and the level of motivation they have to do independent work (practice problems, vocab building, etc.) outside of tutoring sessions. Tutors understand that young people are busy and have extracurricular commitments outside of school, even as we shelter in place and wait for a COVID vaccine. An experienced tutor can advise you and your family on what range of results a student can expect to achieve within a given framework of hours available per week and weeks available until the test date, and help you adjust your expectations about the amount of time and effort that will be needed if your target goals fall outside that range.

Commit to Vocabulary Building as a Daily and Weekly Practice

A student preparing to take the SSAT or ISEE should commit to doing independent work to build vocabulary week in and week out until test day arrives. Pick a certain number of sessions/week, and show up for those vocab building sessions or reschedule them as needed. By building your vocabulary, you can make gains that contribute to your results across three different sections - the verbal, reading comprehension, and essay portions of the SSAT and the ISEE. Whether vocabulary work takes the form of reviewing pre-made flashcards, making and reviewing your own flashcards, or learning new words by using an app like Quizlet or membean doesn't matter; what matters is that the student commits to developing a vocab-building habit. Parents can support their students by joining them for a weekly vocab session and have fun together - try structuring it like a vocab competition or make vocab bingo cards!

From Jen:

Read the Questions Carefully

It may sound obvious but it’s easy for students to miss key pieces of information when they gloss over the questions quickly. Part of what Jen spends time doing in her sessions with students is helping them slow down when reading the questions and start seeing the question as being as important (or, more important) than the answer choices. Especially for practice, Jen suggests spending more time answering questions correctly rather than quickly.

Make Mistakes in Practice (and Learn from Them)

The more students practice, the more opportunities they have to make the mistakes they’re going to make on a practice exam or question set rather than on the real one. Therefore, it’s important for students to make plenty of time for practice and be OK with making mistakes, as long as they are willing to study their mistakes and learn from them.

From Anna:

Incorporate Both Spaced Practice & Retrieval Practice

While we’re on the subject of practice, it’s important for students to practice on a schedule that allows their brain time to process what it’s learning. This is called “spaced practice” and it is vital for successful exam preparation (of any kind). The other brain trick Anna recommends is using retrieval practice to study critical content like math facts and vocabulary. The brain needs to practice pulling information out of its long-term memory storage and retrieval practice will help students hone this skill.

It’s All There

The best moment for a test prep tutor is the moment when the student has a realization that the correct answer is right in front of them (and has been the whole time). In any multiple-choice test, there will always only be a single, objectively correct answer choice, and usually, the difference between a right and wrong answer choice is a matter of just a single word, number, or character. Students must learn to go into the test with the mindset of a test-maker and understand that the test is limited by its very nature.

We hope you found these tips for the SSAT and ISEE helpful. Stay tuned for more articles from this series — coming up shortly, we’ll have tips from our top STEM tutors on how to succeed in STEM courses.