How to prepare for the SSAT: a plan by weeks
Start with one full timed test of the 150 scored questions (130 minutes), then spend 20 to 30 minutes on most days on the weakest skills, and repeat a full test every week or so. Four weeks is a comfortable plan; two weeks still helps. These plans are our suggestion, not a rule from the test organization, and no plan can promise a score.
Updated October 31, 2026 · by AdmitTest
First: one full test on the clock
Do this before any studying. It shows the pace and which skills lose points. Our free test has the scored sections E3n describes, written by us, with the same wrong-answer rule. Read the result with your child by section and skill, and count the blanks and wrong answers apart.
Free SSAT practice tests, no sign-up. Every test is timed section by section and ends with the score of each section and skill.
Choose your level and startA four-week plan
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | First full test. Go through every miss. Pick the two weakest skills. |
| 2 | 20 to 30 minutes on most days on those two skills, with the guide for each. One timed section at the end of the week. |
| 3 | Second full test. Redo missed questions. Pick the next two skills. One timed writing piece. |
| 4 | Third full test, early in the week, at the time of day of the real test. After that only light review; rest the day before. |
Only two weeks? Take one full test now, spend the days on the weakest skills and the blank-or-guess decision, and take a second full test about four days before the real one.
When to answer and when to leave a blank
This is the skill most other tests do not ask for. On Middle and Upper a right answer scores 1, a wrong one loses a quarter of a point and a blank scores 0 (E3n). A simple routine:
- You know it: answer.
- You can rule out two of the five choices: guess from the rest. That is the rule of thumb in E3n's Candidate Handbook.
- You cannot rule out anything: leave it blank and move on.
After each practice test, look at the wrong answers your child guessed. If guesses mostly lose points, be stricter next time. The score guide has the arithmetic.
What to practice in each section
- Synonyms and analogies: 60 questions in 30 minutes, so these reward steady speed.
- Quantitative: no calculator, so practice arithmetic by hand.
- Reading: find the main point of a passage, then go back to the text for each answer.
- Writing sample: unscored, but it goes to schools. Practice it apart.
Which practice to use
E3n's prices and contents are from its SSAT practice page, checked October 31, 2026.
| E3n Online Practice | AdmitTest SSAT Practice Tests | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes the tests | The test maker | We do, in the published format |
| Price | $80 fee, free with a fee waiver | $69 once |
| Access | 1 year | 12 months |
| Full tests | 4 full-length tests | 4 per level, the free one included |
| Other practice | 15 section tests, 50+ subject quizzes, video tutorials | Mistake notebook; no section tests, quizzes or videos |
| Explanations | Answer explanations | Every question |
| Score shown | Check E3n's page; it publishes estimate tables for its tests | Right, wrong, blank; by skill; estimated, unofficial scaled range |
| Free to try | 30-question mini test | 1 full test per level, and a short test |
If practicing on the test maker's own tests matters most to you, choose theirs. Ours has a 14-day refund if no more than one paid full test has been started. The free test costs nothing either way, so you can start there.
On test day
E3n's Candidate Handbook lists what to bring and what is prohibited, including calculators. Paper tests use #2 pencils. Read it the week before.
Ready to try it on the clock? Every test is timed section by section and ends with the score of each section and skill.
Choose your level and startCommon questions
How long should my child study for the SSAT?
E3n publishes no required number of hours, and neither do we. Four weeks of short sessions is our suggestion. The first full test shows how much there is to do.
Should my child guess on the SSAT?
Not blindly. A wrong answer costs a quarter of a point and a blank costs nothing. If two of the five choices can be ruled out, a guess can be worthwhile, which is the rule of thumb in E3n's Candidate Handbook.
Is there a word list to memorize?
E3n publishes none. It describes the verbal section as using common words and as more than a test of vocabulary, so learn words as you meet them in reading and in missed questions.
Should we use the test organization's practice or yours?
It depends on what you want. E3n's tests come from the test maker, and it adds section tests, quizzes and videos. Ours are written by us; we add a free full timed test, a report with an estimated, unofficial scaled range and a mistake notebook. The table on this page sets out both.
Does practice include the writing sample?
Not in our timed test. Have your child write one or two timed pieces apart. We provide prompts and a self-check list, and we do not grade them.