Hi! I realize that signing up for the SSAT can be logistically confusing. A lot of optional payments are pre-selected for you, so it’s important to be aware of what you’re accepting, and actively uncheck what you don’t want to pay for. This guide will take you through every step of the process.

If you’d like me to walk you through this, we can get it done in a couple of minutes over the phone. You can contact me here.

It’s also very possible to do it yourself, as follows:

  • Go to SSAT.org.
  • Click Register/Log In at the top right of the page.
  • Log in using your parent account, or create an account.
    • When an account is created, the parent and student are made accounts — to register for the SSAT, you must be logged into the parent account.
  • Click the “SSAT Testing” tab > “Register for Test”.
  • Scroll down, click “Let’s Get Started”.
  • This next page asks if you have been pre-approved for extra accommodations on the test, like additional time, a calculator, etc. Accommodations on the SSAT are for students with documented learning disabilities.
    • If you don’t have a learning disability, check off
    • “No” and click “Next”.
    • If you are been pre-approved for accommodations by the SSAT, check off “Yes” and then click “Next”. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read the next point.
    • If you have a learning disability, or a physical disability that requires extra time, and you have not yet applied for accommodations with the SSAT, you must do this through your portal before applying for a test. If you apply for a test now, you would be taking it without accommodations. Applying for accommodations requires you to provide the SSAT with the contact information of a doctor or school administrator who can attest to your needs. This is a bit of a process — you can contact me to guide you through it.
  • This page asks if you require testing on Sunday due to religious reasons. In 99.9% of cases, the answer is no. They ask this because paper-tests are only offered on Saturday mornings, and this conflicts with the schedules of some Jewish students who practice shabbat religiously. If this applies to you and you cannot test on Saturday mornings for religious reasons, then I would still click no, because you could test on many other days online. You just wouldn’t be able to take a paper test. So, check of “No”, then click “Next”.
  • This page asks you confirm and review the information you’ve inputted so far. If everything looks right, check off the confirmation box and click “Next”.
  • Select the grade level that you are currently in. When you get your final percentiles a few days after the test, the grade you chose is the group of people your score will be compared to. So if you end up with 55th percentile, this means you scored higher than 55% of the grade you selected.
    • If you are repeating a year in prep school, you can choose to select either your current grade, or the grade beneath you. For example, if you are in grade 11 and applying to repeat grade 11, you can select either grade 11, or grade 10, since the grade 10s are “your competition” going into grade 11. If you are not sure which one makes more sense to choose, you can contact me here.
    • If it is currently summertime and you are between grades, select the grade you will be in during the autumn semester (September – December) that you are submitting your application. So if you just finished grade 9 and it’s summertime, that means you will be in grade 10 when you apply, so you would be considered a 10th grader. If you are applying to repeat grade 10, then you could register as 10th or 9th grade.
    • Click “Next”.
  • They are here asking if you have a code from a member school. In general the answer is no. You can send your scores to schools manually later, or anytime. Click “Next”.
  • When asked to select a test format, there are two options: computer-based and paper-based. If you taking the test at-home or at a Prometric centre, select computer-based. If you are taking the test on a piece of paper at a testing centre, select paper-based.
    • At-Home Tests — If you want to take the test at home from your computer, select the at-home option. You will only have access to the at-home scheduler after you pay for your at-home test. For now, you can preview the at-home test dates.
      • Note that this previewer is not always perfectly up to date, so some dates may be missing once you actually get to the scheduler after payment.
      • Also note that the times of the test aren’t listed in the preview, but they range from 12pm – 6pm, subject to what’s still open/not filled up. If you have accommodations with extra time, your slots will be even more limited.
      • Select the At-Home option, then select the country you live in. Click “Next”.
        • Note that at-home tests are only available in the US and Canada (while Prometric and paper tests are available in many locations worldwide).
      • A window will pop up explaining that after your schedule an at-home test, you can make changes or cancellations up to 72 hours before the test time for free. After that, you cannot make changes. Click “Continue”.
      • Prometric Tests — Testing at a Prometric centre means you will test in-person, and use one of the SSAT’s testing computers. First, make sure that there is a centre close to you, and a date that works with your scheduled. You can view test dates, times and test centres here. This scheduling preview is up to date, but if you have accommodations with extra time, then later times are usually cut off from your options once you get into the real scheduler.
      • Once you know there is a date and location that fits with your schedule, select the Prometric option. You will only have access to the scheduler after you pay for your Prometric test. Then the country you live in and click “Next”.
        • You will get a pop-up window that says you can make free changes to the test date if it’s 28 days or more in advance. If you are between 3 and 28 days, there is a 35 USD change fee. If you are less than 3 days, you can’t make changes. Click “Continue”.
      • Paper Tests — Paper tests happen in-person at a test centre. To take a paper test, select the paper-based test option, then select your country and province or state. Click “Search”. Now select your preferred location and date. Click “Next”.
  • This page asks if you’d like to add score recipients. Score recipients are prep schools that you want to see your SSAT score the moment it’s available. So, the moment your score is ready, the schools will see it, whether it’s good or bad. Because of this, I suggest not putting any score recipients. Putting no recipients means that you will be responsible for checking your scores. Paper test scores come in at most 14 days later, while at-home and Prometric tests take at most a week and a half, so check daily. Once you’ve seen the scores and are happy with then, you can manually send your scores to schools, or choose to retest. In short: check off “No”, then click “Next”.
  • This page asks if you want to add a score advisor. In general the answer is no. A score advisor is someone from your school or an advising company who you want to manage and send off your scores for you. In most cases, check off “No”, then click “Next”.
    • If you end up getting a score advisor later on, you can manually add them later.
  • For score alert options, I suggest check off “No” to all. Your scores will be ready when they are ready; there is no way to “speed it up”. These options are simply asking if you’d like to be notified when they are available. There is an email option, a text option, and a postage option. You will still be able to view your scores in the exact same way, for free, if you don’t get these options. The only thing you will lose out on is the notification that they’re ready, but you can simply check the portal daily after your test:
    • Paper tests take up to 14 days to get your scores, but in general it’s around 10.
    • Computer-based tests (at-home and Prometric) take at most a week and a half.
    • Just check your portal daily, you don’t need this costly notification!
  • On this page, you are asked if you want a copy of your child’s writing sample for 26 USD + tax. This will give you an access to a copy of what they wrote on the writing section of the SSAT. Whether you get it or not, schools will be able to see it. In general, the only reason why you’d get this is if you’re worried about the quality of your child’s writing under pressure, and want to go over how they did with a tutor or teacher. If you click no, you can always purchase this later, even after scores are released. So check off “No”, then click”Next”.
  • You are now being sold the Character Skills Snapshot. This is an optional test that assesses a student’s personality. It is meant to give prep schools insight into holistic aspects of their personality, and can be an asset to a student’s application. For most schools this test is optional, but for some, it’s required. The Character Skills Snapshot is usually 60 USD, but is half price when you buy it with an SSAT test, so I do generally encourage people to add the Character Skills Snapshot test to their purchase at this stage. You can take it anytime, from anywhere, from your SSAT portal after purchase. It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Check off “Yes, please add The Snapshot”, then click “Next”.
    • Make a note in your calendar or set a reminder to actually take the Character Skills Snapshot! You paid for it, and you don’t want to forget about it! This is also something we can help you prepare for. Note that you only get one shot at the test, and you can choose which schools see your results. You can contact us for tutoring here.
  • You are now being sold practice materials. You have the option of the physical book, the digital course, both of them, or none of them. The physical book and digital course have the same practice tests, so there is no universe where you should ever the get the bundle. Furthermore, the physical book can take weeks to ship. In general I suggest getting nothing, or the digital course. For students who work with me, I suggest nothing for now, since I can potentially suggest cheaper or more targeted options based on your level. If you are unsure, get nothing for now, and purchase the digital course later. Check off “No Thanks”, then click “Next”.
  • This page asks you review all your choices. Some things to look out for before click Next:
    • If you have accommodations like extra time or a calculator, they should be listed and described on this page.
    • In general, the only thing checked off should be the Character Skills Snapshot.
  • This page asks you to read and accept some terms. In order to be able to click next, you have to scroll to the bottom of the terms. There will be one or two term boxes to review, depending on which test-type you chose. Check off the acceptance box (or boxes) and click “Proceed to Payment”.
  • On this page, you have to input your billing information. Some important things to note:
    • As of the time I am writing this, there is a glitch where the email of the billing recipient is set to the student’s email. It should normally be set the parent’s email, so you have to change this manually. If you don’t, the receipt will be sent to the student instead of you.
    • You have to click “Validate Address” after you input the information about the billing recipient.
    • After you add the card details, you have to click “Apply Card to Order”.
    • Review your charges and click “Submit Payment”.
  • If you booked an at-home or Prometric test, you will be given a list to the scheduler. It’s okay if you don’t click this link right away; you can always “hold onto the ticket for now” and schedule it when you’re ready.
  • You can view your test details, or be linked to the test-scheduler, in the SSAT portal. Click the “SSAT Test” tab, then click “My Test”. You will see a red table with your upcoming or past tests. To view even more details about a test, or to view/print your receipt, click the little down arrow to the left of a test.
    • Here, you can add score recipients, request a date change, or add paid extras to your test like score alerts or practice materials.
  • When you test results are ready, you can view them in your SSAT portal by clicking the “SSAT Scores” tab, then clicking “Active Scores”. You will see a red table with your past and upcoming tests. To view details of your scores, click the down arrow on the left of the table.
    • You can add score recipients here as well. In general I encourage families to wait for their scores to be released so they can decide whether they want to test again, or send their scores as-is.

You’ve now registered for the SSAT! To start preparing independently, check out some of my recommended resources. You can also reach out to me directly for targeted advice or tutoring.