Award-Winning SSAT Courses & Classes in Los Angeles, CA

Varsity Tutors can enroll your student in an excellent SSAT prep course in Los Angeles, California. The Secondary School Admissions Test is used by independent or private school's admissions offices to assess the abilities of students that are seeking to enroll at their school. We set up students of all backgrounds and demographics with courses that can help them as they reach for their score goals. Your student's educational path is partly determined by the score he or she receives on the SSAT.

What Concepts Does a Los Angeles SSAT Course Cover?

A Los Angeles SSAT course covers all of the concepts that your student will need to understand for the test. This standardized test measures basic verbal, math, and reading skills that have been determined to be needed in order to be successful in private and independent schools. There are three levels of the SSAT. The Elementary Level is for students applying for 4th or 5th grade at an independent school. The Middle Level is for students finishing 5th, 6th, or 7th grade that are applying to the following grade year at an independent school. Third, the Upper Level is for students from 8th-11th grade that want to enroll in an independent high school. Now, let's talk about each level so that you and your student know what to expect on the test.

The Elementary Level contains 5 sections that are broken down into a total of 89 questions. The five sections at this level are Quantitative, Verbal, Reading, Writing Sample, and Experimental.

The Quantitative Section has 30 questions, and the student must finish this section in 30 minutes. Your student will need to know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. They also should understand geometry, probabilities, number order, fractions, and measurements. They are not allowed the use of a calculator in this section.

Students will have 30 minutes to complete the 30 questions in the Verbal Section. In this section, a good understanding of language, word meanings, and relationships between words is important. The vocabulary in this section will come from all areas of study like science, technology, and social studies.

Your student will be given 7 passages to answer questions about in the Reading Section. There are 4 questions per passage, and they have 30 minutes to read and complete the section. Students should be excellent at recognizing information, identifying the main idea in a passage, understanding literal and nonliteral meanings of words, and determining word's meanings in context.

The Writing Sample requires your student to write a story based on a picture they are shown. They will need to display good writing skills. This includes grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The story they write must have a beginning, middle, and end. This section is unscored; however, the school's admissions offices are given a student's writing sample to help them determine their abilities.

Finally, the Experimental section is made up of possible questions to be used in future versions of the SSAT. Your student is not scored on this 15-minute section that is made up of 15-17 questions.

The Middle Level is comprised of 6 sections and is administered in a little less than 3 hours. The Writing Sample, Quantitative 1 & 2, Reading, Verbal, and Experimental are the 6 sections.

The Writing Sample requires a student to select one of two creative prompts to write a story on. They will be assessed on their ability to organize a story, as well as their grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Quantitative sections 1 & 2 are each comprised of 25 questions and both are allotted 30 minutes to complete. This section covers knowledge that should have been learned in the subjects of arithmetic, elementary algebra, and geometry. Your student should also understand ratio and proportion.

The Reading section is 40 minutes long and all 40 questions are based on passages provided. Students should be able to identify the main idea, find details, understand an author's tone, attitude, and reasoning. They should also have the ability to infer and predict information from the passage.

In the Verbal section, your student will have 30 minutes to answer 60 questions. There are 30 synonym questions and 30 analogies questions, so they should understand these two topics well. They will need to logically relate ideas and words to each other. A good understanding of the root of words is helpful in this section too.

The Experimental section at this level is the same as the other two. It does not count towards the student's score.

The last level of the SSAT is the Upper Level. This level has the same sections as the Middle Level, but the questions are harder as they are aimed at students that are further in their educational career. The Writing Sample at this level is an essay format. Your student selects whether to write a creative essay or traditional essay from two prompts. They need to know how to construct and organize an essay. They will be using persuasive writing techniques and will need to support their statements with examples.

In What Ways Can My Student Get Help Preparing with a Los Angeles SSAT Course?

We can set your student up in a Los Angeles SSAT class that can help them reach for their goals in several ways. By enrolling in a class provided Varsity Tutors, your student can attend live online classes in which the focus is on the skills needed to be successful on the SSAT. By collaborating and interacting with peers and an expert instructor, your student can increase their study skills and their information retention. The study skills they can learn in a Los Angeles SSAT class can also be applied to the study of future subjects.

Because a student attends a Los Angeles SSAT class online through our Live Learning Platform, they can choose their favorite place to study and learn, and they can choose a course section that fits their schedule.

How Does a Student Get Started to Connect with a Los Angeles SSAT Course?

Contact Varsity Tutors, and our Educational Consultants can enroll your student in a prep course that can be a great tool for helping students reach for their goals.