SSAT Preparation

We've customized our program to the needs of first time test-takers to develop the skills necessary for success on this test day and all test days to come.

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Process

First time navigating a standardized test?

While this may be your child’s first experience with standardized testing, it won’t be their last. We can help you start off on the right foot.

1

Determine when your child needs to take the test

The SSAT is typically administered eight times annually. Since it takes around two weeks for the SSAT to report scores, make sure you account for that timeline alongside application deadlines before scheduling a test date. We recommend getting started early so that your child has plenty of time to prepare for the test and to retest if necessary.
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2

Familiarize yourself with the format of the exam

The SSAT features the following sections: Quantitative (Math), Verbal, Reading, Writing, and Experimental. The Middle Level SSAT exam (for students in grades 5-7) is 2 hours and 5 minutes, while the Upper Level SSAT exam (for students in grade 8-11) is 3 hours and 10 minutes. On both exams, neither the Writing nor the Experimental section count toward your child’s reported score. The writing sample is simply used to assess your child’s present writing skills, while the Experimental section is used as data for the test makers. 
View a summary of content on the SSAT north_east
3

Have your child establish a baseline on a practice test

Establishing a baseline score is an important first step in the process of studying for the exam, as it helps reveal your child’s natural strengths and weaknesses. We recommend that your child take a full-length diagnostic exam under timed conditions and in one sitting. 

4

Create a preparation plan

The SSAT is highly coachable, patterned, and predictable. We have found that a systematic tutoring program leads to dramatically superior outcomes, and we recommend a minimum of 12 sessions to cover the entirety of the test. Most of our students space these sessions out over the course of three months with a Comprehensive Package. 

View a sample syllabus
5

Start tutoring, and later practice testing

Once we’ve matched your child with a tutor, the real work begins! Your child will meet with their tutor regularly (ideally, once or twice per week), complete homework in between sessions, and take practice tests. Practice tests are the best way for your tutor to understand your child’s performance, and to gauge progress during the course of tutoring. Based on the results of your child’s practice tests, your tutor will adjust their approach, and make sure your child is getting as much out of the process as possible.

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Tutor spotlight

We are a cooperative of writers, historians, and mathematicians who provide exceptional one-on-one tutoring and standardized testing support to our students.

Meet everyone

We are a cooperative of writers, historians, and mathematicians who provide exceptional one-on-one tutoring and standardized testing support to our students.

Colleen

Colleen earned a PhD and MA from Harvard University in History, an MA in Modern European History from St Andrews, and a BA in History and Art History from University of Notre Dame. Currently, she is a researcher at Johns Hopkins.

Graham V.

Graham holds an MD (Vanderbilt University Medical School) and MBA (Harvard Business School). He earned his BS from MIT in Materials Science & Engineering. Currently, he is an Emergency Medicine Resident at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Bassel

Bassel received an MS in Civil Engineering from MIT and a BS in Engineering from Harvard. He has taught college courses on topics ranging from probability and statistics to modern history.

Mike Mc.

Mike attended Darmouth College, where he won numerous awards for his creative and critical writing. He earned his BA in English, and went on to become a secondary school teacher.

Maya B.

Maya is an MD student at Harvard Medical School. She graduated summa cum laude from Tufts with a BS in Biology and Community Health, where she was also a member of Tufts' oldest all female a cappella group.

Daniel Pa.

Dan is a PhD student in Mathematics at Ohio State University. He attended Bard College and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Mathematics and a minor in Physics.

Troy

Troy graduated from Yale with a BA in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. After serving in Teach for America, he attended Harvard Law. Currently, Troy works for an education technology startup focused on preparing students for college.

Matty

Matty earned a JD from Harvard Law. He graduated magna cum laude from Amherst with a BA in Geology. He has experience as a tax attorney working in corporate law in New York.

Alexander V.

Alex earned his Master's in Musicology from Oxford University and his Bachelor's, with a double major in in Mathematics and Music, from Harvard University. He has been tutoring students for over eight years.

Joy

Joy is an MD/PhD candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She earned a BS (Biochemistry, Molecular Biology) and BA (Anthropology) from Brown, and completed a postbacc fellowship at the National Cancer Institute.

Sam M.

Sam graduated with honors from Middlebury with a BA in English and a minor in Spanish. He went on to work in the film and tech industries for over a decade. Sam now specializes in private academic tutoring and exam prep.

Natalia Ic.

Natalia received her BA in History from the City College of New York. She went on to earn a Master's of Science in General and Special Childhood Education at the Bank Street College of Education.

Tess D.

Tess earned her BA in Psychology at Harvard College. After a few years working in entertainment, she's now pursuing a Master's in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College.

Sophia Ro.

Sophia holds a BA in English (Williams College) and an MS in Education from Johns Hopkins. After serving as a Princeton in Asia Fellow, she taught English in Baltimore Public Schools for four years.

Cassandra G.

Cassandra attended UVA on a four-year, full cost of attendance scholarship with a double major in Human Biology and Spanish. After graduating in May 2020, she went straight into the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, with dreams of becoming an adult or pediatric oncologist.

Alice Wa.

Alice studied English Literature at Wellesley College and graduated cum laude with honors. Currently, Alice is studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, specializing in Teaching and Curriculum. She's conducting her practicum at Arlington High School, where she teaches 9th grade English.

Eddy Y.

Eddy graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and a minor in Marketing/Psychology. Eddy went on to get his teaching certification in secondary mathematics from Penn’s Graduate School of Education and currently works as a middle and high school math teacher in South Philadelphia.

Marta

Marta is an MD Candidate at Harvard Medical School. Prior to matriculating at Harvard, Marta headed to Bonn, Germany as a Fulbright scholar. There, she conducted research related to Parkinson's disease and expanded her German language skills.

Matthew S.

Matthew attended Emory University, where he majored in English and Creative Writing and won several student film awards. He currently works in the film industry.

Raphael

Raphael attended Yale University, where he earned a BA in Musicology and graduated cum laude. After Yale, he completed a Masters of Music in Voice and Opera at McGill University, while tutoring math privately outside of his classical training.

Emily V.

Emily is a PhD candidate at Harvard University in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. Currently, she is being funded by the National Science Foundation to research conditions in which the gut microbiome may behave in a way that is adaptive to the host. Prior to graduate school, Emily graduated from Harvard College cum laude with a degree in Human Evolutionary Biology and minor in Chemistry.

Layla

Layla is an MD Candidate at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Writing Seminars and a minor in Islamic Studies. Her post-grad fellowship conducting ovarian cancer research at the National Center for Advancing Translational Science culminated in her choice to pursue a career in medicine.

Benazir

Benazir holds a BA in Linguistics from Harvard College, where she graduated cum laude and with honors. More recently, she was a recipient of the Alex G. Booth ’30 Travel Fellowship, which she used to study, sail, and travel around the world.

Yael

Yael earned a BA in Math and the History of Art and Architecture from Harvard College (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). In her senior year of college, she began the Harvard Teacher Fellows Program, through which she earned a Masters of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Molly P.

Molly received her BA from Harvard, graduating with Highest Honors in English and Theater, Dance & Media. During her time as an undergrad, she was named a Le Baron Russell Briggs Traveling Fellow, an Artist Development Fellow, and a John Harvard Scholar, and spent a summer studying Shakespeare at the University of Cambridge in England.

Hailey Y.

Hailey attended Yale, where she majored in Neuroscience. She's currently an MD Candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Akhil

Akhil holds a BA and MA in Political Science from Yale University. He is currently pursuing his MS in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar. Following his time in Oxford, he will begin studying for his JD at Yale Law School.

Anna Tw.

Anna holds an MFA in Acting from the Shakespeare Theatre Company/George Washington University and an MA in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Previously, she earned her BA in Creative Writing from Stanford University.

Jason L.

Jason is an MD Candidate at Harvard Medical School. Previously, he conducted research as a Fulbright Fellow in China, and graduated with honors from Stanford University, where he earned his BS in Human Biology.

Chris B.

Chris received his AB from Princeton, where he studied History and American Studies. After earning his Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, he’s been teaching in Boston for the past decade.

Alex S.

Alex holds a PhD in English Literature and an MA in English from Rutgers. Previously, he graduated from Rice University with a BA in English, magna cum laude. He is now an assistant teaching professor in the English Department at Rutgers.

Dana

Dana earned her bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in Political Science and Economics, graduating cum laude. She continued to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies to earn her master’s degree in International Relations and Economics, where she graduated with high distinction and served as a teaching assistant for Theories of International Relations.

Andrew St.

Andrew received a BA from Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude and double majored in American Studies and English. After earning his MFA in Poetry at Brooklyn College, Andrew is now an adjunct lecturer at CUNY.

Ed P.

Edward holds a JD from Columbia Law School and a MAT in 7-12 Math Education. Previously, he graduated magna cum laude from Boston University. He is currently a high school math teacher in New York City.

Angela R.

Angela attended Duke University, double majoring in Global Health and Biology with a Chemistry minor; she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She is pursuing her interests in health in the MD program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Siva

A first-generation US college student, Siva studied Mathematics and Molecular/Cellular Biology at Harvard College, graduating in three years with highest honors in field and Phi Beta Kappa distinction. He is now a MD candidate at Harvard Medical School.

Olivia M.

Olivia is a 2016 graduate of Harvard University (cum laude) in English and Mind/Brain/Behavior. She also holds a Master of Studies in English (1900-present) from St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford (2017). Olivia works as both a professional tutor and theatre director in the UK.

James Pa.

James graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University, majoring in Biology and minoring in Portuguese. He is now pursuing his MD at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Jack Mc.

Jack earned his BA in Theatre and Performance Studies (cum laude) at Yale University, where he also pursued extensive coursework in humanities departments like English and History. After Yale, Jack earned his MA in Theatre at The Ohio State University with a focus on dramatic literature, history, and theory.

Rob F.

Rob holds an MFA in Fiction from New York University. Previously, he worked for Bain & Company and graduated from Stanford with a major in Political Science. He currently writes poetry, fiction, and art criticism.

Patrick L.

Patrick is a recent JD graduate from Yale Law School. He previously received his BA in Economics from the University of Chicago and now works as a Trial Attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.

Anupam

Anupam graduated at the top of his law school at King’s College London with First Class Honors. Since graduating from King’s, he has worked as a Growth Lead in the tech, finance, and film industries. He is now beginning an MPhil in Economics at the University of Cambridge.

Claire H.

Claire holds a BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Bowdoin College. After working in a pediatric oncology research lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, she is now pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Science at the University of California San Francisco.

Jesse

Jesse holds a BA in History from Columbia, where he was a Navab Fellow, Solomon & Seymour Fisher Civil Liberties Fellow, and Benjamin F. and Bernice Block Scholar. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Theatre Acting at Columbia.

Taylor Y.

Taylor is an MD Candidate at Duke University School of Medicine. Previously, she majored in Chemistry with a Neuroscience focus at Bowdoin College.

Robert

Robert holds both a BA and MA in Chemistry from Harvard University. He is currently applying to PhD programs in the field. Robert’s research experience is in synthetic organic chemistry, specifically in the field of drug design.

Julia M.

Julia holds a BA in Economics (summa cum laude) from Harvard College. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Statistical Science at Oxford University.

Ava G.

Ava is a JD Candidate at Harvard Law School. She also holds an MSEd from the University of Miami and a BA in History and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame.Ava is a JD Candidate at Harvard Law School. She also holds an MSEd from the University of Miami and a BA in History and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame.

Cynthia L.

Cynthia holds a BA in Public Policy from Brown. After graduation, she lived abroad in Madrid, Spain for two years pursuing a US Department of State Fulbright Scholarship and a Master’s degree in Marketing. She has worked in the NBA’s marketing department and now works at a sports agency in brand partnerships.

Richard T.

Richard attended the University of California, San Diego where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Data Science with a minor in Mathematics. Last year, he moved across the country to New York, where he is now a data scientist at BNY Mellon.

Meena

Meena studied computer science with a focus on theory at Harvard College. After working in the education technology industry, she doubled down on her passion for teaching. Meena earned her master’s in education (MEd) from the Harvard Teacher Fellows practicum at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2020.

Meet everyone

Testimonials

“We absolutely loved working with Tess. Our 10-year-old was struggling while preparing for her first SSAT and Tess made the process of preparation enjoyable and effective. While firm and organized, Tess gave our child personalized, clear, innovative methods of solving challenging problems. She ensured that our child felt supported, engaged, and motivated, all while pushing her to become a stronger student. ”

Parent of SSAT StudentSSAT

“Andrew was very thorough and detailed. He coached me well and gave me a lot of confidence in test taking. Andrew also helped me with individual school application preparation, including essay writing and interview preparation. Each session was well defined and we went over material that was structured to my needs.”

Krishna SanthanaScored 99% SSAT, 96% HSPT

“Cambridge Coaching is fantastic! I've recommended Cambridge Coaching to several other parents. Troy has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He has great knowledge of the tests and helped our kids prepare without making them feeling more stressed. He is a treasure! Our daughter improved in Verbal, Reading, and Quantitative on the SSAT! We are thrilled. ”

RajaniSSAT

“Mac is friendly, incredibly smart, excited about teaching and able to adapt his style to fit Rachel's needs and personality. He suggested new books to read and some great vocab boosters. He observed how she was approaching the exam and suggested alternatives that made sense. Rachel was so well prepared and felt so confident going in to the test after Mac's tutoring sessions that we knew she was able to do her best. Thank you! ”

SusannaSSAT

Testimonials

“We absolutely loved working with Tess. Our 10-year-old was struggling while preparing for her first SSAT and Tess made the process of preparation enjoyable and effective. While firm and organized, Tess gave our child personalized, clear, innovative methods of solving challenging problems. She ensured that our child felt supported, engaged, and motivated, all while pushing her to become a stronger student. ”

Parent of SSAT StudentSSAT

“Andrew was very thorough and detailed. He coached me well and gave me a lot of confidence in test taking. Andrew also helped me with individual school application preparation, including essay writing and interview preparation. Each session was well defined and we went over material that was structured to my needs.”

Krishna SanthanaScored 99% SSAT, 96% HSPT

“Cambridge Coaching is fantastic! I've recommended Cambridge Coaching to several other parents. Troy has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He has great knowledge of the tests and helped our kids prepare without making them feeling more stressed. He is a treasure! Our daughter improved in Verbal, Reading, and Quantitative on the SSAT! We are thrilled. ”

RajaniSSAT

“Mac is friendly, incredibly smart, excited about teaching and able to adapt his style to fit Rachel's needs and personality. He suggested new books to read and some great vocab boosters. He observed how she was approaching the exam and suggested alternatives that made sense. Rachel was so well prepared and felt so confident going in to the test after Mac's tutoring sessions that we knew she was able to do her best. Thank you! ”

SusannaSSAT

“Tess is an amazing tutor. She approached SSAT preparation with the right balance of challenge and achievement, planned out the test practices and essays, created goals/milestones, and worked with our daughter on interview techniques and applications. Our daughter has a special confidence having worked with Tess that we have seen carry through to her classes and other interactions. In addition to the diligence and care with which she approaches her role as a tutor, she is a fantastic role model for a young person. ”

JessicaSSAT and HS Admissions

“My daughter loved Max. He eased her anxiety and gave her a plan she could follow, which helped her reach the scores she needed for admission to her target schools. Based on how happy she was with Max, all of her friends ended up signing up with Cambridge Coaching. ”

MicheleSSAT

FAQs

  • What’s on the SSAT?

    There are two versions of the SSAT: the lower level test, administered to students in grades 5–7, and the upper level test, administered to students in grades 8–11. Both versions of the SSAT contain a verbal section, a reading comprehension section, a quantitative section, and a writing sample.

  • How is the SSAT different from my child’s tests at school?

    These standardized tests are designed to be more difficult than the exams your child is currently encountering in school. Consequently, your child’s score on the SSAT may not reflect their current scores on school exams or grades. 

  • I’ve heard of the ISEE as well - which test should my child take?

    While there is considerable overlap in content between the SSAT and ISEE, some schools will state an explicit preference for one over the other. Check the “Admissions” section of your target schools’ websites to get an idea of which test your schools prefer. If a given school requires one of the two exams, then you don’t have a choice, take that one! If you do have a choice, have your child take a practice SSAT and a practice ISEE exam. You can find practice tests at the back of most standard SSAT/ISEE prep books. Compare your child's scores and think about which exam they felt played more to their strengths, or simply, which felt more accessible to them. Most students perform similarly on the two exams, but if they are scoring much higher on one of them, it is better to focus on preparing for that one.

  • How is the SSAT scored?

    On the SSAT, each question is worth one “raw” point; each incorrect answer deducts ¼ point. Your child will receive both a scaled score and a percentile rank. The percentile rank represents the percent of students who have scored at or below your child’s scaled score. For the Middle Level SSAT, the total scaled score ranges from 1320 to 2130. For the Upper Level SSAT, the total scaled score ranges from 1500 to 2400.

  • When should my child take the SSAT?

    Most private school application deadlines are in January, though it varies from school to school. While the date you choose to test should ultimately be guided by how much time needed to prepare, we often recommend setting November or December as targets. Why? A September test date would only offer two months over the summer to prepare, which might not be enough, especially bearing in mind summer travel plans and extracurricular activities. October is usually busy with midterms or schoolwork (i.e., important grade determinants), and early January is often busy with prepping application materials and traveling for interviews. So, November or December it is! And, since it takes two weeks for the SSAT to report scores to schools, be sure to schedule your child’s final test date to meet application deadlines appropriately. 

  • How long should my child study for the SSAT?

    As the SSAT is most likely the first time your child will encounter a standardized exam of this nature, it's recommended they start preparing as early as possible to get comfortable with the content, timing, and format of the test. The summer prior to a fall sitting of the exam tends to be the best time to begin prep, as your child will likely have more downtime outside of school. 

  • Can my child take the SSAT more than once?

    The SSAT has no limits on retesting. Still, be aware that the SSAT is only administered eight times a year.

Plans

We’ve created a structured yet flexible pricing plan that offers everything you need to succeed on test day.

Choose a Tutor Tier

Hourly Rate

1 Hour

All of our tutoring is available on an hourly basis. If you're not sure how much tutoring you'll need or when you plan to test, you can enroll in our "pay as you go" option.

$ 140

$ 180

$ 260

$ 340

First Time Package

3 Hours

The three session package is a good way to get a student's feet wet, evaluate the amount of tutoring they’ll ultimately need, and see if they feel comfortable with a tutor. Most students use this package to gauge their preliminary strengths and weaknesses so that the tutor can chart a longer term plan.

$ 420

$ 540

$ 780

$ 1020

Comprehensive Package

12 Hours 5% OFF

Our preferred approach to the SSAT offers complete coverage of the test. Our students learn all three sections of the test - quantitative (math), verbal, and reading comprehension - in detail. We review general test strategy and time management extensively.

$ 1596 You save $84

$ 2052 You save $108

$ 2964 You save $156

$ 3876 You save $204

Planning Ahead Package

16 Hours 10% OFF

Because the SSAT heavily rewards repetition and coverage, we offer this package to students who would prefer to space their preparation out over a longer duration. Some students find this package useful if they need to spend more time preparing for particular sections of the test or getting acclimated to the pressures of standardized testing.

$ 2016 You save $224

$ 2592 You save $288

$ 3744 You save $416

$ 4896 You save $544

Tutor Tiers

We have 4 tiers of coaches. The coach’s tier is based on the experience level of the coach with our team. All coaches begin working with Cambridge Coaching at the Standard tier.

  • Standard

    0-150 hours
    $140/hour

  • Senior

    150-200 hours
    $180/hour

  • Guru

    250-300 hours
    $260/hour

  • Master

    350+- hours
    $340/hour

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