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With private school applications on the horizon, now’s the time to plan for the SSAT or ISEE. Learn key timelines for testing and retesting, whether to take paper or computer formats, and what recent changes might mean for the future of both tests.
For families planning to attend private secondary schools, the SSAT or ISEE can be an important part of the application process. Now that school is in full swing, it’s time to plan which test to take and then build a timeline.
Whether students need to take the SSAT or ISEE depends on the schools they’re applying to. Unlike colleges, who generally view the SAT and the ACT as equivalents, many private schools partner with one test or another. In some regions, nearly all of the schools prefer one test. It’s important to check with the admissions offices of each school in order to know the policies. Thankfully, few students will need to take both tests.
For families that find themselves able to take either test, then there are some things to consider. The SSAT reading and verbal sections are more difficult than those sections on the ISEE. Conversely, the ISEE math sections are more difficult than those sections on the SSAT. Beyond the content, the timing and logistics of each test may play a key factor in selecting either test.
Students taking the SSAT have a variety of times and ways to take the test. The SSAT offers a weekend paper test once a month starting in October. Some schools, especially those that terminate in 5th, 6th, or 8th grade, will offer a private testing opportunity for their students. Additionally, the SSAT offers a paper flex test, which can be taken once per school year. During the pandemic, EMA (the makers of the SSAT) started offering a computer-based SSAT that can be taken once at-home and twice at a Prometric center. Families should plan for their students to test by November, as this will leave opportunities for retesting in December, January, and, if necessary, early February.
The ISEE only allows students to take the ISEE once per testing season: Fall (August to November), Winter (December to March), and Spring/Summer (April to July). Essentially, this means that students can only take the ISEE twice, as school applications are closed during the Spring/Summer season. It’s essential that students take one test during the Fall season, as that gives the opportunity to retest in the Winter season.
Similar to the SSAT, the ISEE offers paper testing at affiliated schools, and computer based options at home or at a Prometric center. The ISEE does not have nationwide test dates and the paper based options can be surprisingly limited, even in large metropolitan areas, so it’s best to go to the ERB’s ISEE homepage and begin the search now. Conversely, the at-home ISEE is offered nearly every weekend in the fall.
Unlike the changes to the SAT and the forthcoming changes to the ACT, the SSAT and ISEE tests are identical in format and structure whether students take them on paper or on a computer. The at-home options for either test were launched during the fall of 2020 to allow students to take the test during Covid restrictions. Initially, the SSAT allowed students to take the at-home test multiple times a month, but each year, students have been offered fewer opportunities to take the at-home option, and now it is essentially a second flex test.
Anecdotally, many students have had technical difficulties with the at-home test, including delays in starting and irregularities with proctoring. Specifically, students need to be on camera with a live microphone, and the digital proctor (a mix of AI surveillance guided by a human) can be quick to terminate tests for potential disruptions. For example, one family reported that the student’s test was canceled because their dog barked in another room. Beyond delays and strict proctoring, SSAT at-home students can choose to finish a section and move on to the next. With younger students, some have finished the nearly 3-hour test in less than an hour, as they lacked the maturity to use their timing properly.
With this feedback from families, we do not recommend the at-home test option. Admittedly, most of the negative feedback has been with the SSAT version, but as students can only take the ISEE a maximum of two times, we recommend that they do not leave one of those attempts up to the whims of a fickle remote proctor.
While Prometric centers do not have the connectivity issues of an at-home test, and there certainly won’t be any barking dogs or noisy siblings, some students have reported issues feeling comfortable there. Most Prometric clients are adults taking tests for advanced degrees, and many SSAT or ISEE students feel out of place in this environment. Given the option between Prometric and a paper-based test at a school, we would recommend the latter.
Maybe! EMA and ERB have announced their plans to merge into one company by the end of the year. Both companies have their strengths beyond admissions tests, with EMA running the Standard Application Online (SAO) and ERB providing widely used in-school testing. However, for families applying to private schools this fall, nothing will change for this academic year. Once the merger happens, and they appoint the new CEO from outside either company, we may know more about what will happen with the SSAT and ISEE. They could continue to run both tests independently, sunset one of the tests, or create a new test pulling the best parts of each test. We’ll be certain to cover any changes to the SSAT or ISEE as they are announced.
