Is your child nervous about taking the Elementary Level SSAT? Are you worried about how he or she may do on the Reading section in particular, as reading isn’t his or her best subject? This guide explains what the Elementary Level SSAT tests on its Reading section, how the section is organized, and introduces some resources you can help your child use to improve their reading comprehension skills by answering questions exactly like those on the Elementary Level SSAT’s Reading section. By making use of this information and these resources, you can help your child feel completely confident and ready to do his or her personal best when he or she takes the Reading section on the Elementary Level SSAT.

The Elementary Level SSAT, or Secondary School Admission Test, is an exam given to students in the third and fourth grades in order to measure their skills quantitatively in a variety of academic areas. Elementary Level SSAT scores are required as part of an application for a child’s admission into many independent schools. The Elementary Level SSAT consists of three scored multiple-choice sections—Math, Verbal, and Reading—as well as a Writing Sample. The Reading section in particular consists of seven short passages with four related questions each, for a total of twenty-eight questions. Passages may be prose or poetry, as well as fiction and non-fiction. Students are given a half hour during which to read the passages and answer the corresponding questions. While the other sections of the SSAT require students to answer questions based on prior knowledge, the Reading section asks about information presented in passages and tests students’ abilities to understand what they read. SSAT Elementary Reading questions ask students to make inferences based on the passage, report information that is literally conveyed in the passage, and analyze information presented in the passage. Both third-grade and fourth-grade Elementary SSAT questions might ask students about the main ideas or details presented in the passage, to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words that are used in context in the passage, or distinguish language used literally and non-literally. In addition to the aforementioned question topics, fourth-grade Elementary SSAT questions might ask students about the theme of a passage, and ask them to find details or meaning by skimming and close reading the passage.

If you are looking for reliable resources that you can use to help your student prepare for the Elementary Level SSAT’s Reading section, look no further than Varsity Tutors’ free Elementary Level SSAT Reading Practice Tests. Each SSAT Elementary Level Reading Practice Test consists of about a dozen problems based on passages, just like the actual Elementary Level SSAT. By encouraging your student to work through these practice problems, you can help him or her become familiar with the way in which the Elementary Level SSAT’s Reading section is structured, so they know what to expect on test day. Additionally, you can elect to do problems drawn from a comprehensive selection of Elementary Level SSAT question types, or focus on one particular question type. So, for instance, if you know that your student hasn’t mastered the ability to make inferences based on a reading passage, you can help them work through problems that just focus on inferences to ensure there are no gaps in his or her reading comprehension knowledge and skills. After completing an Elementary Level SSAT Reading Practice Test, you can see how your student did in relation to other test-takers and how long it took him or her to answer each question. Also, full explanations are provided for each question, whether it was answered correctly or incorrectly, so if your student missed a problem, you can help him or her figure out where they made their mistake.

You can also have your student complete a Full-Length Elementary Level SSAT Reading Practice Test to get an accurate overview of their understanding of the subject. These exam-simulating tests give valuable insight to assist you as you assess your child’s test-taking pace and understanding of important concepts. The results pages for the full-length practice tests provide all of the useful review materials offered by the concept-specific practice tests, like scoring and timing statistics, extensive explanations, and links to further review on essential concepts. Any of the complete practice tests can help you formulate a custom SSAT study plan for your child by informing you of the topics on which they should spend their time reviewing. After your child has had the opportunity to review, you can evaluate their progress by having them take another Full-Length Elementary Level SSAT Reading Practice Test to assess their progress.

By making use of Varsity Tutors’ free Elementary Level SSAT resources and ensuring your student is familiar with the structure of the Elementary Level SSAT’s Reading section and the material it tests, he or she will be prepared to do his or her personal best on test day.