SSAT Prep | ISEE Prep | HSPT Prep

The Quantitative section of the SSAT is meant to assess mathematical skills. The format varies based on level.

• Elementary Level SSAT Quantitative: 30 questions, 30 minutes.
• Middle and Upper Level SSAT Quantitative: this expands into two segments, each segment giving you 30 minutes to solve 25 questions. On the Elementary Level SSAT there is no penalty for guessing, but Middle and Upper deduct 1/4 point for wrong answers. Our SSAT tutors will help you with a guessing strategy!

The purpose of this test is mainly to judge whether you can work out things yourself, so calculators are a no-no at all levels of the test. That’s ok! Our SSAT prep in Needham and Wellesley helps you develop your brain-based (and pencil-based!) math skills, so you can still ace the test.

The Elementary Level SSAT Quantitative section is meant to primarily assess mathematical aptitude, since it is administered to younger students whose math capacity will still be poorly correlated with their acquired skills.

The Middle and Upper Level SSAT shift more to a computational or explicitly skills-based approach, since by the time a student is moving through the higher grades, his or her math competence begins to become more a function of how well they have paid attention in their classes thus far. Our SSAT prep tutors in Wellesley and Needham are ready to go to bat for you – let’s make that hard work in math class shine!

Just like the Quantitative section, the Verbal section varies based on level.

• The Elementary Level SSAT Verbal: 30 questions, 20 minutes, no penalty for incorrect answers
• Middle and Upper Level: 60 questions, 30 minutes, 1/4 point penalty for incorrect answers

That’s not a lot of time per question, but the Verbal section is meant to be pretty straightforward! The main thing it assesses is vocabulary and word sense. For those who took the SAT a long time ago [raises hand] you might remember the “analogies” section. Guess what, folks – analogies are alive and well on the SSAT!

Verbal skills are a type that take a long time to acquire. The best possible preparation for a test like this is to read widely and ensure that children are always being exposed to new vocabulary. The SSAT prep tutors who work in our Needham and Wellesley offices can help not just with the development of “test strategies” but also deep learning techniques intended to improve reading comprehension.

Of course, in addition to 30,000-foot comprehension strategies that help in life in general, there are focused SSAT specific tools that can help increase your test scores in a more targeted way – that’s what our expert Needham and Wellesley SSAT prep is here for!

The Reading section of the SSAT is meant to assess critical reading skills such as detecting main ideas, analyzing author point of view, and discerning word meanings in context.

• Elementary Level SSAT Reading: 28 questions, 30 minutes, no penalty for incorrect answers
• Middle and Upper Level SSAT Reading: 40 questions, 40 minutes, 1/4 point penalty for incorrect answers

Questions are asked about short passages drawn from literature, history, or rhetorical argumentation. The “lifestyle” prep for this is similar to that for the Verbal section: read widely, including some well-written magazine articles that argue a point of view. (Our SSAT prep in Needham and Wellesley can help you develop these comprehension skills!)

For the tutoring portion of things, we’ve got you! The fact is that although reading is a huge skill, the SSAT only asks questions in a certain number of configurations, and being prepared for these questions is the key to success. Our Needham and Wellesley SSAT prep prepares you for the question types and curveballs that the test tends to throw your way! Work with us and crush the reading section!

This one’s a little weird. Every SSAT administers a few questions toward the end that guinea-pig the students taking it. It consists of questions being evaluated for inclusion on future tests.

The responses to this section are not included in your score, and are used exclusively to judge whether those questions should be included in future tests. Don’t sweat it if this section feels a little off – doing “badly” on this section doesn’t make a lick of difference for admissions! (Maybe you could take a nap – but ask your SSAT tutor first.)

Like the Experimental Section, the Writing Section is unscored. Unlike the Experimental Section, the Writing Section matters. It matters not because it is rolled into your score, but because the writing sample you produce in this section will be sent to schools to demonstrate your writing ability.

Because it’s used to evaluate you as an applicant in a high-context manner, the essay is more a component of your “application” than of your “test score.” Be confident – our SSAT prep tutors understand the competitive nature of admissions in Needham and Wellesley, and are here to help you crack the essay!

Just like the Quantitative section, the Verbal section varies based on level.

• Primary Level: No Verbal section
• Elementary Level ISEE Verbal: 34 questions, 20 minutes
• Middle and Upper Level: 40 questions, 20 minutes

Unlike the SSAT, there are no analogies  (phew!) but that doesn’t mean the test is a cakewalk. The ISEE Verbal section is meant to assess your command of English language usage, mostly vocabulary. Now would be the time to break out the vocab flash cards (which our ISEE prep in Needham and Wellesley can help you make)!

To excel in this section, a few simple strategies are helpful. They assist with scaffolding toward understanding – of course the very best strategy is simply knowing all the words ahead of time, but our ISEE prep in Wellesley and Needham gives you the secret weapons for when you don’t know the answer!

The Quantitative section of the ISEE doesn’t primarily test formal knowledge of math. It’s about whether you can reason out answers to questions.

• Primary Level ISEE: No Quantitative section (rolled into the “Mathematics” section)
• Elementary Level ISEE Quantitative: 38 questions, 35 minutes.
• Middle and Upper Level ISEE Quantitative: 37 questions, 35 minutes.

Put your calculators away! The purpose of this test is mainly to judge whether you can work out things yourself. Our ISEE prep helps you develop your brain-based (and pencil-based!) math skills, so you can still ace the test.

Unlike the SSAT, the ISEE splits its math section into two components for Elementary and above. The Quantitative section is meant to test “intuitive” math skills, whereas the Mathematics Achievement section is meant to test “what skills have you learned in your math class.”  Knowing this distinction allows you to apply the smart strategy to succeed in both sections of the ISEE. Our Wellesley and Needham ISEE prep helps you to learn strategies that adapt well to each setting!

The Reading section of the ISEE is meant to assess critical reading skills such as detecting main ideas, analyzing author point of view, and discerning word meanings in context.

• Primary Level ISEE Reading: varies by grade
  • Primary 2: “Auditory Processing” instead of reading – a short recorded passage, followed by comprehension questions
  • Primary 3: true reading section, 24 questions, 28 minutes
  • Primary 4: true reading section, 28 questions, 30 minutes
• Lower Level ISEE Reading: 25 questions, 25 minutes
• Middle and Upper Level SSAT Reading: 36 questions, 35 minutes

There’s no substitute for being able to understanding something you read! The ISEE very sensibly acts as a gatekeeper to make sure that kids moving through the schooling system can demonstrate understanding of basic ideas in writing. Questions have to do with main ideas, author tone, and similar basic comprehension.

If you’re looking for ISEE prep in Needham and Wellesley, you’ll be pleased to know that Strength in Numbers covers this portion of the test! The ISEE only asks questions in a certain number of configurations, and being prepared for these questions is the key to success. Our ISEE prep primes you for success on this important test!

At most levels, the ISEE gives you two cracks at showing your math smarts. The first, the Quantitative section, goes over intuitive math. The second, the “Mathematics Achievement” section, is more about actual application of classroom knowledge.

• Primary Level ISEE Mathematics: varies by level
  • Primary 2-3: 24 questions, 26 minutes
  • Primary 4: 28 questions, 30 minutes
• Lower Level ISEE Mathematics: 30 questions, 30 minutes
• Middle Level ISEE Mathematics: 47 questions, 40 minutes
• Upper Level ISEE Mathematics: 47 questions, 40 minutes

Important to know: the ISEE tests math classroom knowledge in this section, and each exam is meant to cover a span of grades. This means someone taking, say, the Upper Level ISEE for admissions into 9th grade will be seeing questions intended to cover the entire range of grade 9-12 skills.

This matters because a lot of the time, students see math questions on the ISEE they’ve never learned how to solve. Oh no! Despair! But don’t worry, the people who score the exam understand that grade level factors in. Admissions staff at your target school only compare your scores with those of students at your level. When you work with our ISEE prep tutors in Needham and Wellesley, one of the things we’ll coach you in is how to deal with the anxiety of a test that includes material beyond what you’re familiar with.

Basically? Strength in Numbers has your back. Our ISEE prep tutors know how this test works, and can coach you through smart approaches that zero in on your top score.

Just like with the SSAT, the Essay section is unscored, but it is evaluated by schools you’re applying to. All levels except for Primary do include an Essay section, with 30 minutes to respond to a prompt. If you take the test on a computer, you can type the essay; taking the test on paper means you will be writing it by hand.

No matter what, 30 minutes to write a coherent essay is a demanding task. Our ISEE prep in Needham and Wellesley can lend a hand with acing this section, so that you can tell the most impressive story to schools who get your test results.

The HSPT Verbal subtest is a 16-minute blitz of 60 questions. It covers Synonyms, Antonyms, Verbal Analogies, and Logic. This section tests the student’s ability to categorize information and identify linguistic relationships instantly. There is no time for deep contemplation; students have approximately 16 seconds per question.

Because of this formatting quirk, the most important thing is to develop a quick trigger finger – without compromising on finding accurate answers. It’s possible – and our HSPT prep in Wellesley and Needham can help you find the way!

The Quantitative Skills section of the HSPT consists of 52 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. Once again, pacing is key! Questions range across Number sense, Geometry, and Non-verbal Reasoning.

A bit like the lower-level ISEE/SSAT tests, this is more an assessment of mathematical aptitude than it is a test to see what you’ve “learned” in math class. (In keeping with this theme, calculators are not allowed.) The smart money’s on honing good instincts, and then learning to trust them under pressure. Our Wellesley and Needham HSPT prep can help with developing these quick-execution skills!

The Reading section measures Comprehension and Vocabulary. It has a demanding pace just like the other sections: 25 minutes to answer 62 questions!!

Students must process passages efficiently to identify the main idea and supporting details while also demonstrating an understanding of words in context. The difficulty lies in the volume of reading required in a condensed timeframe.

Churning through big blocks of test and turning them into comprehended information is tough. Our Needham and Wellesley HSPT prep can help you become the zen master of reading comprehension!

Just like the ISEE, the HSPT splits “Math” into two subtests. The first, the Quantitative Skills subtest, assesses mathematical intuition. The Mathematics section is like the “Mathematics Achievement” section of the ISEE, in that it actually assesses whether you’ve learned a lot of math in your classes.

To this end, the Mathematics section of the HSPT actually covers hard mathematical skills: arithmetic, elementary algebra, and basic geometry. It is the longest section of the entire exam, clocking in at 45 minutes to answer 64 questions. It really requires sustained focus and ability to function well under pressure.

You’re gonna do well with less than one minute per question, 64 times in a row, on Math, of all things? With our HSPT prep in Needham and Wellesley, the answer is a resounding “Yes.”

The Language subtest is the final part of the exam for most students. It goes out with a bang: with 25 minutes to answer 60 questions, you have less than 30 seconds per question! The good part is that this should be pretty easy if you know the rules.

This section of the test assesses whether you can spot and correct various errors in Standard Written English. In this sense, it is highly similar to the Reading and Writing section of the SAT – the key ingredient isn’t so much knowing the difference between a comma splice and a dangling participle, but just knowing when something is written correctly and when it’s written incorrectly.

If you have read widely throughout your life, you should do fine! But whether you need major comprehension help over the long term, or just some synthesis of already-awesome skills, our HSPT prep in Needham and Wellesley will make sure you do as awesome as possible.

In case you’re a serious glutton for academic punishment, the HSPT does have a couple of optional sections: Science and Religion.

The optional Science subtest is used to assess your knowledge of various science subjects such as astronomy, earth sciences, chemistry, biology, and physics.

Since the HSPT is used by Catholic schools, the Religion subtest is meant to assess command of Catholic doctrinal principles and theology.

The HSPT standard booklet does not contain materials to administer these optional subtests, so you will want to contact your testing facility to see if you can take these sections. But remember, they are optional, and with the test already being a very grueling experience, it might be best to sit this part out.