Award-Winning SSAT Test Prep in Louisville, KY

Varsity Tutors can offer parents of students who are applying to independent or private schools in Louisville a little boost when it comes to helping their student to perform at their best. If you're looking for Louisville SSAT preparation, there are two potential options that we can set you up with: a Louisville SSAT prep class or one-on-one work with a tutor. Or, you could use a combination of both methods.

SSAT is the acronym for the Secondary School Admission Test, and there are three levels: Elementary (for students in grades three and four), Middle (for students in fifth, sixth or seventh grades), and Upper, for those in grades eight through 11. No matter the grade your student is in, engaging in SSAT tutoring can help them to explore concepts they don't fully understand, learn test-taking and time management skills, and to develop stronger study skills. Getting into any school can be stressful, but spending time with a Louisville SSAT tutor can be useful for students who flourish with one-on-one attention. These courses bring students and their instructor together with the use of our Live Learning Platform.

What can I expect from Louisville SSAT prep?

Elementary level students will encounter five sections, two of which are unscored.

In the Quantitative/Math section, students will have 30 questions and 30 minutes to answer them. They'll be evaluated on their knowledge of properties and operations, number sense, measurement, algebra and functions, and several other concepts. They can expect to see questions on basic addition and subtraction problems, multiplication and division; measurement, even fractions.

The Verbal section is comprised of 30 questions, and students are given 20 minutes to answer. Topics in this section include language understanding, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Students can expect to be evaluated on their word skills, use of analogies and synonyms, and age-appropriate vocabulary.

The Reading section has 28 questions, and students will have 30 minutes to complete it. They'll have seven passages to read and four questions for each passage. They'll be tested on whether they can locate the main idea of a paragraph, determine meanings through context, and their knowledge of the literal and non-literal meanings of words.

Next up is the Writing section, which is unscored. There is a time limit of 15 minutes for this. Students will be given a picture prompt and asked to write a story with a beginning, middle, and end. In this section, a student's knowledge of organization and writing skills (including grammar and spelling) are examined.

In the Experimental section, which is also unscored, there are 15-17 questions and a time limit of 15 minutes. This section allows test designers to try out questions that could be included in future exams.

For students taking the Middle and Upper Level exams, there are six sections, including an unscored writing sample. In the Writing section, Middle Level students will choose from two creative prompts and write a story in 25 minutes. They'll be tested on the same concepts as the Writing section in the Elementary level Writing category. For Upper Level students, there's a choice between a creative prompt and a traditional essay. They'll be evaluated on their ability to organize a story, their writing skills, use of persuasive writing techniques, and how well they can support statements with examples.

There are two Quantitative/Math sections, each with 25 questions that explore a student's knowledge of concepts like operations using variables, coordinate geometry, area and perimeter of geometric shapes, and working with mean, median, mode, and range for Middle Level students. Upper Level students are tested on how well they work through things like algebraic problems, line equations, word problems, graphing skills, properties of triangles, and fractions, among other concepts. Each section has a 30-minute time limit.

The Reading section has 40 passage-based questions and a time limit of 40 minutes. At the Middle Level, this section of the exam looks at a student's ability to find the main idea and details in a passage, making inferences, context from words and phrases, and evaluating the opinions and arguments in a piece. Upper Level students have the same structure of the section and time limit but are tested on how well they can find and use information from narratives and argumentative passages from a variety of sources. They'll be tested on how well they use context to understand words and phrases and determine the author's purpose, attitude, and tone by reading. They're also expected to be able to understand and evaluate arguments.

For both Middle and Upper Level students, the Verbal section of the exam explores analogies and synonyms, with 30 questions on each. Middle Level students are tested on how they relate words and ideas to each other, use prefixes and suffixes, and determine meaning from context. For Upper Level students, the content explores their knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, Greek, and Latin prefixes and suffixes, and word roots, among other topics.

Finally, as with the Elementary Level exam, there is an Experimental section with 16 questions, and a time limit of 15 minutes. This section is unscored.

What can I get out of Louisville SSAT prep?

There are two different models of instruction to choose from: Working with a private Louisville SSAT tutor for focused but flexible study, online or in the same physical location, or enrolling in a Louisville SSAT prep class, where a student will interact with others who are preparing for the SSAT and an instructor online.

Some students work better with one-on-one attention, and if private sessions are what a student is interested in, then Varsity Tutors can set them up with a Louisville SSAT tutor who is eager to help them prepare for school entrance exams. From the very start, the first session, your academic coach will use what they learn about your academic strengths and weaknesses, and learning style, to create a customized study plan. They can assess progress and the topics in the plan and rearrange the schedule, to change the focus if necessary. A student can work with a Louisville SSAT prep tutor in person in the same location, whether that's your home or another space, or through the Live Learning Platform and the Internet.

A Louisville SSAT prep class will bring a student into a virtual online classroom with others and an academic coach in real time. New classes start each week and run for two weeks or four weeks. In this type of SSAT prep, a student can participate in discussions with other students, complete work in a collaborative effort, and can learn from others' experiences.

How can I find Louisville SSAT prep?

Varsity Tutors is a fabulous place to start when you're looking for Louisville SSAT preparation for your child or yourself. Our educational consultants can help you to weigh whether one-on-one time with an academic coach or a classroom-style Louisville SSAT prep course would be a more suitable option. We look forward to helping you prepare!