Are you anxious about the Quantitative sections on the Upper Level SSAT? You’re not the only one; many students, especially those for whom math is not their strongest subject, find the Upper Level SSAT’s Quantitative sections to be the test’s most challenging; however, by arming yourself with information about how the Upper Level SSAT structures its Quantitative sections, the topics that they test, and some great free resources available to help you study, you can prepare yourself adequately for the Upper Level SSAT’s Quantitative sections in no time!

The Quantitative sections of the Upper Level SSAT tests your ability to use mathematical concepts to solve a variety of problems. The sections are entirely multiple-choice, and each question has four answer choices. There are two Quantitative sections on every Upper Level SSAT: the first is the first multiple-choice section given after the Writing Sample, and the second is the last scored section on the exam, coming after the Verbal section, but before the Experimental section. Each Quantitative section on the Upper Level SSAT contains 25 problems that you are given 30 minutes to solve, so in total, the test gives you an hour to solve fifty math problems. The Upper Level SSAT’s Quantitative sections cover four main categories of mathematical topics. The first category is Number Concepts and Operations; it covers arithmetic word problems including those that test percents and ratios; basic concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; estimation; rational numbers; sequences and series; and frequencies. The second category, Algebra, tests properties of exponents; algebraic word problems; equations of lines; patterns; and absolute value. The third category, Geometry and Measurement, tests your ability to find the area and circumference of a circle; the area and perimeter of a polygon, and the volume of a cube, cylinder, or box; it also tests the Pythagorean theorem and properties or right, isosceles, and equilateral triangles, properties of parallel and perpendicular lines, coordinate geometry, and slope. The final category of topics tested on the Upper Level SSAT’s Quantitative sections is Data Analysis and Probability; questions that fall into this category test your ability to interpret data like tables and graphs, trends and inferences, and probability.

If mention of any of the above topics has made you suddenly apprehensive about your knowledge, and you’re fighting an urge to go review different types of triangles and how to work with exponents, you should go check out Varsity Tutors’ free Upper Level SSAT Quantitative Practice Tests. Each Upper Level SSAT Quantitative Practice test consists of between ten and twelve problems. If you want to review a comprehensive selection of topics tested on the Upper Level SSAT’s Quantitative section, you can do so, but you can also choose to be presented with questions from a specific topic. After completing a Practice Test, you are presented with detailed statistics about how you did in comparison to other students who answered the exact same problems. Detailed answer explanations are provided for each problem, so if you missed one and are not sure where you went wrong, you can find out and prevent yourself from making the same mistake in the future.

To get an idea of your skill level, kick-start your review by taking a free online Full-Length Upper Level SSAT Quantitative Practice Test. Each of the complete practice tests present questions on the entire range of concepts that may be covered on the real test. The exam-mimicking format also offers you the chance to check your test-taking speed to ensure you’ll have time to finish the whole section on exam day. The results page for the complete practice tests contains all of the helpful features you get on the results pages for the concept-specific practice tests, like detailed explanations for each answer and links to essential formulas. Each full-length SSAT practice test can help you streamline your study plan by assisting you in narrowing down the list of topics you need to review. After you have worked through your study plan, you can check your progress by taking another Full-Length Upper Level SSAT Quantitative Practice Test.

You can use Varsity Tutors’ free SSAT Upper Level Practice Tests to analyze your current skill level, identify what you most need to work on, and focus on problems that deal with those topics specifically. By doing this, you will be studying both efficiently and effectively for the Upper Level SSAT’s Quantitative section, and will be able to be totally confident of your mathematical prowess on test day!