SSAT (Middle & Upper) Exam Survival Guide

Audience: Independent schools | Sections: Verbal • Quant I/II • Reading • Writing (unscored)

Must-do

• Verbal: high-yield roots/prefixes/suffixes; analogy relationships (part:whole, function, cause:effect, degree, synonym/antonym).
• Quant: arithmetic (percents/ratio), algebra I, geometry (angles, triangles, area/perimeter), number theory basics.
• Reading: literary + informational; tone, main idea, inference, function of a paragraph/sentence.
• Writing: clear hook, 2 body points with examples, crisp close (handwriting, organization matter).

Top traps

• Picking “fancy” synonyms with wrong connotation.
• Analogy guessed without naming the relationship first.
• Geometry terms (alt interior, bisector, median) misread.
• Over-annotating long passages (time loss).

Quick checks

• Root → family: bene (benefit/beneficial/benign) → “good.”
• Analogy: SPARK : FLAME :: SEED : ? → PLANT (cause:effect).
• Triangle: sides 7, 9, ? — which values impossible? (triangle inequality).
• Reading: state the function of paragraph 2 in 1 line.

You will make

• Analogy Map (relationship → sample stems).
• Roots Deck (100) with connotation tags.
• Geo One-Pager (angles/triangles/polygons).
• Reading Codes (T=thesis, E=evidence, C=counter, S=shift).

Last-48h

• 20 synonyms (roots first).
• 15 analogies (speak the relationship).
• 12 quant mixed (ratio/percent/geo).
• 2 timed passages (8–10 Q).
• 10-minute outline for a sample essay.

Speed tactics

• First pass: medium/easy only; mark hard.
• In analogies, test both directions (A:B :: C:D).
• Quant → estimate, then compute if options close.

Day-of plan

• Warm-up: 6 syn + 6 analogies + 4 math (8 min).
• Bubble in 5-item batches; cadence > perfection.