SSAT Preparation for Boarding and Independent Schools
The SSAT is the admissions test many independent and boarding schools in the United States and Canada use for entry from Grade 3 to Grade 11. It compares a student with other applicants, not with a syllabus — so preparation is about familiarity, vocabulary and judgement under a guessing penalty.
Short answer
SSAT preparation is offered online, one-to-one.
One-to-one lessons are 90 minutes long and start at USD 95 per lesson; lessons are booked singly or in packages.
No group class runs for this exam.
From USD 95 per lesson
Your lessons are taught by Nazlı Bayrak and Kenan Arı, who teach SSAT.
- Elementary, Middle and Upper Levels
- Upper Level: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Writing sample sent to schools
- Paper, at home or at a Prometric centre
What the SSAT is for
The Secondary School Admission Test is set by The Enrollment Management Association and used by independent day and boarding schools, mainly in the United States and Canada, as one part of an application. There are three levels — Elementary for Grades 3–4, Middle for Grades 5–7 and Upper for Grades 8–11 — and results are reported as percentiles against other test takers of the same grade.
For families in Africa considering a North American boarding school, the SSAT is usually one of the first concrete steps, taken a year or so before the intended start. It is taken alongside interviews, school reports and, for students whose first language is not English, often an English proficiency test.
The Upper Level SSAT
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Writing sample | 1 prompt (unscored) | 25 minutes |
| Quantitative 1 | 25 | 30 minutes |
| Reading | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Verbal | 60 (30 synonyms, 30 analogies) | 30 minutes |
| Quantitative 2 | 25 | 30 minutes |
| Experimental | 16 (unscored) | 15 minutes |
Source: The Enrollment Management Association (admission.org), checked 22 September 2026. Total 3 hours 10 minutes. The writing sample is not scored but is sent to schools. The Middle Level follows a similar shape with fewer questions.
What the lessons work on
Vocabulary and analogies
Half the verbal section is analogies and half synonyms. Both depend on vocabulary built steadily over weeks, and on a method for reasoning out an unknown word.
When to guess
On the Middle and Upper Levels a wrong answer loses a quarter of a point. Students learn when eliminating options makes a guess worth taking and when to leave a question.
Maths without surprises
The quantitative sections cover arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data. The aim is that nothing on the day looks unfamiliar.
The writing sample
Unscored, but schools read it. A clear, well-organised response in twenty-five minutes is practised like any other section.
How SSAT preparation works
Every lesson is live, online and 90 minutes long, scheduled in your own time zone. Lessons are taught in English, the language the exam is sat in.
Free intro call
Fifteen minutes with an advisor, at no cost and with no obligation.
Starting point
Your starting point is reviewed before the study plan is finalised. The exact method depends on the programme and is agreed on the intro call — for some students that means a timed section, for others it means reading a recent score report or a piece of marked work. We will tell you which applies to you before you book anything, rather than describing a process here that may not be the one you get.
Written plan
You receive a written plan built from your starting point and your test date: which SSAT sections come first, how many lessons that realistically takes, and when full practice tests enter. Nobody is sold a fixed number of lessons before the gap is known.
Lessons and review
Each lesson ends with set work and a target for the next one. Families receive progress notes, and the plan is re-read against every new score rather than followed blindly.
Ways to prepare for SSAT, with prices
The full breakdown, including instalment options, is on the pricing page.
One-to-one lessons
From USD 95 per lesson on the largest package (20 lessons). A single lesson can be booked first, to meet the tutor before committing.
Official practice material
There is no TestPrep mock for SSAT. Tutors work from the official past papers and practice material the awarding body publishes, which is the right material for this exam.
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SSAT Preparation: reviews from our students
Students and parents who prepared with us write these reviews themselves. We check each one before publishing it and never change its words or its star rating.
Nobody has reviewed this programme here yet. If you prepared with us, tell other students across Africa how it went.
Frequently asked questions
Short, direct answers. If yours is not here, ask us.
Considering a boarding school abroad?
Tell us the grade of entry and the schools you are looking at. We will tell you which level to prepare for and how much time it needs.