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Month: September 2019

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What SSAT scores can get you into The Lawrenceville School?

In most of our estimates, we identify it’s very rare that the school itself tells us exactly what their SSAT requirements are.  However, for Lawrenceville, we have several estimates straight from the top boarding school’s website and recent past publications of the school.

Straight from their admissions pages, they answer the question: What is your SSAT score average? Read more

Getting a Perfect Verbal Score on the SSAT – 8th graders

Just a quick reminder that boys and girls score differently.  As a result, we’ll share what it takes to score well for each gender specifically.  In the following, you’ll find what raw score it takes to score from 80% to 99% (a “perfect score” on the SSAT) on the verbal section of the SSAT.  Basically, you’ll learn how many questions out of the 60 possible questions on the Upper Level of the SSAT are needing to be correct.

SSAT Raw to Percentile Scores Calculator – Female 8th Grade

8th grade girls raw to percentile charts

99% Verbal Score Cutoff for Girls

In order to obtain the gold standard of SSAT scores, you need to be able to get Read more

Question Marks on Blackboard

What’s the average SSAT Score for test takers?

In an effort to give prospective SSAT takers (and their parents) a better idea of how most students perform on the competitive exam, we will break down past data and simplify it as best as possible.  Please note, we are starting with a very general question and will illustrate how it is better asked when being more specific.  We will attempt to answer the aforementioned question in the title as efficiently as possible along with addressing more specific versions of it in our explanation today.

First off, we need to define a few terms: 

  • raw scores
  • scaled scores
  • percentile ranks

It would be easy to simply say that overall, the average SSAT score is 50% out of 100%.  However, the questions that should be be immediately asked are: Read more

St Pauls School

What SSAT scores can get you into St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH?

As with any top boarding school, St. Paul’s School’s (SPS) admissions requirements are quite high.  As we’ve already reported, the top 2 programs in the United States have standards that approach almost perfect.  St. Paul’s in Concord ranks as as high as the #3 boarding school program in the United States.  Being a top 3 private institution, you’ll see it requires very high scores.

SSAT Median Ranges for SPS’ Class of 2022

From their SPS at a glance from their admissions for 2018-19, they tell you:

NEW STUDENTS FOR FALL 2018
Applications 1374
Percent admitted 16.8%
SSAT Middle 50% Quantitative 710-767
SSAT Middle 50% Verbal 686-758
SSAT Middle 50% Reading 674-725

However, these ranges depend on what grade the student is and what sex.  We’ll make an assumption that most of these kids are 8th graders applying to start their 9th grade at SPS.  Applying these assumptions, the median for admitted applicants are estimated as:

8th Grade Girls’ SSAT Median Percentile Range Estimates for SPS

Quantitative 710-767 (72-94%)*
Verbal 686-758 (68-95%)*
Reading 674-725 (63-93%)*

8th Grade Boys’ SSAT Median Percentile Ranges Estimates for SPS

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What’s the Average SSAT score for Phillips Exeter Academy’s Admissions?

90% Percentile at a bare minimum” for Exeter

Updated 11/2022

You could easily argue that prospective students should score as high as 99% Percentile for the SSAT for Phillips Exeter Academy.  At the same time, as we’ll repeat time after time, it depends on all the other aspects of a student’s application/profile.  For example, if you’re an Olympic grade sprinter or child prodigy that’s discovered a new element to add to the Periodic Table, you may not need to score as high as a student who lacks other characteristics Exeter may be looking for in a future alum.

With that said, most future applicants are still looking for guidance (as well as their parents).  Without further adieu, we’ll provide all the guidance that’s been documented online.

Test Prep Company Argues 90 or 94% Percentile as an Average for Exeter

SSAT Score for Exeter Admissions by Top Test Prep

In a 2013-14 guide provided a test prep company that provides insights re: boarding school admissions, they identified the above as their bottom line.  At the same time, in another online publication of theirs, they point out that 94% Percentile is their average.

91% Percentile is Argued by Exeter Student

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Harvard front gate

Top 10 Tips on How to get into Harvard University as an Undergraduate + Several Bonus Strategies

My answer became quite popular on Quora.  As a result, I thought I would share it with our readers here on our site helping many of you potential Harvard applicants.

Top 10 Strategies for Applying to Harvard + 4 Bonus Tips

For our Quora visitors, scroll quickly to the #11th tip in blue below for the extra tips: 

1) Become the valedictorian of Stanford’s Online High School and tell Harvard’s admissions team that you’ve had a change of heart. You’ve realized you should have went to Harvard’s Online High School. And since there is no such thing, Harvard Undergrad would be a fine substitute.

2) Get your parents to donate $400 million and 1 dollars to Harvard edging out A Billionaire Hedge Fund Manager Made Harvard’s Biggest Donation Ever. I’m thinking the admissions committee “might” give you a stronger look at your application. Ridiculous? Quite possibly. However, the typical 5% chance most people are faced won’t be the same for this future donor most likely.

Further support for this point comes from an edit:

Peter Malkin graduated from Harvard Law School in 1958. He became a very wealthy real estate businessman, and huge donor. In 1985, the university’s indoor athletic facility was renamed the Malkin Athletic Center in his honor. All three of Malkin’s children went to Harvard. By 2009, five of his six college-age grandchildren had followed suit. (One brave boy dared to go to Stanford instead.)

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wa best private schools

Top Washington State Private Schools

Most selective private schools in Washington (Admission rate)

1. Lakeside School (17%)
2. University Child Development School (20%)
3. Renton Prep Christian: Microsoft’s First US K-12 Flagship School Participant (22%)
4. The Overlake School (23%)
5. The Bush School (25%)
6. Lake Washington Girls Middle School (26%)
7. Open Window School (30%)
8. Bertschi School (35%)
9. Amazing Grace Christian School: A Microsoft Showcase School (37%)
10. St. Thomas School (41%)

Source

2020 Best Top 10 Private High Schools in Washington

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