Award-Winning SSAT Courses & Classes in Minneapolis, MN

Varsity Tutors provides connections to Minneapolis SSAT courses for students in third through eleventh grade who will be applying to an independent or private school. The SSAT gauges how well a student can perform the basic verbal, reading, writing, and math skills considered necessary to perform well in an independent or private school. Schools then can evaluate individual students based on their scores and use the scores to compare applicants for decision-making purposes. There are three separate age-appropriate exams: an Elementary Level test for students applying for grades 4-5, a Middle Level version for students applying for grades 6-8, and an Upper Level exam for students applying for high school grades.

There are many conveniences embedded into these SSAT study classes. There are numerous Minneapolis SSAT class sections available at different times of the day and on different days of the week, so you can pick a class that works best with your family's schedule. Plus, you can sign your student up for either a two- or a four-week class depending on their current study needs. If they ever get behind their classmates, you always have the option of requesting some individual time with their instructor to get them back on track. Whatever needs your student has, you can rely on Varsity Tutors to supply many options to meet them.

What content does a Minneapolis SSAT course cover?

Each level of the SSAT exam contains the same four subjects measured at an age-appropriate level. The sections are Reading, Quantitative, Verbal, and Writing. Following is a quick overview of what each section looks like at each level of the SSAT.

Elementary test takers have 28 questions to finish within 30 minutes on the Reading section. The Middle and Upper Level students have 40 minutes in which to complete 40 questions The Elementary Level judges basic reading comprehension. The Reading sections on the Middle and Upper Level delve deeper into interpreting the meaning of narrative and argumentative passages, with an increase in complexity at each level.

The Elementary Level Quantitative section queries students on basic math topics like addition, subtraction, and so on. There are 30 questions for students to finish in 30 minutes. The Middle and Upper Level Quantitative sections consist of 50 questions that must be answered in an hour. Questions revolve around topics such as arithmetic, elementary, or high school algebra; and geometry, both coordinate and plane for the Upper Level. Your student's Minneapolis SSAT course instructor can review the math concepts that will be tested and go into more detail where necessary.

There are 30 questions on the Elementary Level Verbal section which must be answered within 30 minutes. There are double the number of questions - 60 - on the Middle and Upper Level Verbal sections, which must also be completed in 30 minutes. This section tests your student's understanding of vocabulary and conventions of the English language. Synonyms and analogies are the two topics used to gauge language skills throughout every level of exam. The understanding and application required increases in difficulty and details through the levels, from a basic grasp of the ideas of synonyms and analogies to being able to recognize Latin, Greek, and Anglo-Saxon prefixes and suffixes to examine the meaning and parts of speech in context.

Students at every level are obligated to submit a Writing Sample, although it's not actually scored. However, it is considered by each school they apply to. Elementary Level students receive a prompt they must use to write a simple story that contains a beginning, middle, and end within 15 minutes. The Middle and Upper Level test takers may take up to 25 minutes for their Writing Sample. They receive two prompts and get to choose one to reply to with an orderly, logical response using proper English language conventions.

Now that you know what content can be found on each test section, you know what specifically will be studied during your student's Minneapolis SSAT class sessions. The majority of effort will be spent reviewing what your student has already learned, as the purpose of the SSAT is to measure their current abilities, not force them to quickly learn all new material.

How can a Minneapolis SSAT class help my child get prepared for the test?

There are many advantages to having your student study with an expert instructor in a live, online SSAT class with peers who are at approximately the same level they are. All of the students and the instructor can interact during class time, just as if you were all together. This means that if one student doesn't ask a question they're thinking of, another one is just as likely to, and then all the students benefit. At the same time, your student's SSAT class instructor will spend time introducing and having students practice various test-taking strategies that could help them during the exam beyond just knowing the material. It's possible that some of the older students have suggestions and ideas that worked for them, and your child and their peers can share ideas and bounce their thoughts off each other. With a wide range of potential techniques to use during the exam, your child may have a better chance of reaching their goal.

Studies have shown that collaborative classrooms like this help children retain more of the information they talk about, whether that's content reviewed or test-taking strategies attempted. With all the options Varsity Tutors offers, why not give your child every opportunity to improve their SSAT preparation process?

How do I sign my student up for a Minneapolis SSAT prep course?

As convenient as Varsity Tutors likes to make finding an SSAT class, it should come as no surprise that signing up for them is also quite simple. All you need to do is contact our educational consultants who can answer any questions you may have. Then you can tell them a bit about your student, their goals, and your family's scheduling needs. Once they have that information, they can set your student up with a spot in a Minneapolis SSAT course. We look forward to being a positive part of helping your student work to achieve their academic goals.