WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL SSAT

QUANTITATIVE SECTION

  • Number of questions: 30

  • Scored section: Yes

  • Time allotted: 30 minutes

The quantitative section consists of thirty items that are a mixture of familiar basic mathematical concept familiar to students, as well as a few that may be a challenge. Included are questions on number sense, properties and operations, algebra and functions, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, and probability. These questions assume your student understands the following concepts:

  • Basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

  • Place value

  • Ordering of numbers (greater than, less than)

  • Fractions

  • Basic concepts of geometry (shapes and their attributes)

  • Basic concepts of measurement

  • Interpretation of graphs

VERBAL SECTION

  • Number of questions: 30

  • Scored section: Yes

  • Time allotted: 20 minutes

The verbal section of the test has two parts. The first is a vocabulary section and the second is an analogies section. These sections test understanding of language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings by relating them to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).

Synonyms:

Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings. For example, large and big are synonyms, as are beautiful and pretty. The Elementary SSATs focus on vocabulary appropriate to third and fourth grades, pulling words from all areas of study, including science, technology, and social studies.

Analogies

Analogies are a comparison between two things usually seen as different, but that have some similarities. These comparisons play an important role in the development of problem solving and decision-making skills, perception and memory, communication and reasoning, reading, and vocabulary building. Analogies help students process information actively, make important decisions, and improve understanding and long-term memory. These questions require the student to demonstrate an understanding of nuances in both word meanings and relationships.

There are numerous categories of analogies, including:

  • Opposites or antonyms: up is to down as short is to tall

  • Synonyms or words with identical or similar meanings: big is to large as little is to small

  • Characteristic: pillow is to soft as blanket is to warm

  • Part to whole: trunk is to tree as stem is to flower

  • Uses: broom is to sweep as pencil is to write

  • Users: hammer is to carpenter as brush is to painter

  • Category: robin is to bird as shark is to fish

  • Product to Producer: poem is to poet as sculptor is to statue

  • Degree: snow is to blizzard as rain is to hurricane

  • Homonyms: four is to for as see is to sea

READING SECTION

  • Number of questions: 28

  • Scored section: Yes

  • Time allotted: 30 minutes

The reading section consists of seven short passages, each with four multiple-choice questions. These passages may include prose, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction from diverse cultures. Students are asked to locate information and find meaning by skimming and close reading. They are also asked to demonstrate literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension. The reader must demonstrate an understanding of key ideas and details to determine the main idea of the text. Additionally, the reader must determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

WRITING SAMPLE

  • Number of prompts: 1

  • Scored section: No

  • Time allotted: 15 minutes

The writing sample gives the student a chance to express him/herself through written response to a picture prompt. The student is asked to look at a picture and tell a story about what happened and to be sure his/her story includes a beginning, a middle, and an end. This writing sample is not graded but a copy is provided to schools along with the student’s score report.

EXPERIMENTAL SECTION

  • Number of prompts - 15-17 (varies)

  • Scored Section: No

  • Time Allotted: 15 minutes

The experimental section is one section of mixed content questions (verbal, reading, and math). This section does not count toward reported scores. The SSAT test development team continuously tests new questions to make sure they are reliable, suitable, and acceptable for the SSAT. These questions may be used on a future SSAT form.