SSAT synonyms: what to expect and how to study
Synonyms are 30 of the 60 questions in the SSAT Verbal section on Middle and Upper, with 30 minutes for the whole section. Your child picks the choice closest in meaning to a word, from five. The test organization publishes no word list, so the best study is words met in reading and in missed questions.
Updated October 31, 2026 · by AdmitTest
What E3n says
Verbal has 60 questions in 30 minutes: 30 synonyms and 30 analogies (Upper, Middle). E3n's Interpretive Guide says the section uses common words the average test taker should know and is not only a test of vocabulary. E3n does not say whether questions get harder as the section goes on.
A method for each question
- Define the word in your own words before reading the choices, if you can.
- Use it in a phrase you have heard. Our example: if a word is familiar only from "a candid photo", think about what candid means there.
- Look at the parts. "Bene-" often points to something good, "mal-" to something bad.
- Check the choices against each other. Two close choices usually mean one is more exact.
- Decide: answer, guess or blank. Two choices ruled out can make a guess worthwhile. Otherwise leave it blank.
How to study words
- Keep a short list from missed questions and from reading, with a phrase for each word.
- Review a few words a day. Our suggestion is to prefer many short sessions to one long one.
- Learn common roots and prefixes, which help with words your child has never seen.
- Read widely: E3n's reading fields are humanities, social studies and science, so the same habit helps in Reading.
Try two
These are original questions in the Upper Level format.
Sample · Synonyms · written by AdmitTest
INEVITABLY
- usually
- eventually
- unavoidably
- suddenly
- probably
Answer: C. Inevitably means in a way that cannot be avoided, as winter inevitably follows autumn. Eventually is tempting, but it only says that something happens in time, not that it had to.
Sample · Synonyms · written by AdmitTest
INCISIVE
- lively
- cynical
- forceful
- concise
- perceptive
Answer: E. Incisive describes thinking that cuts straight to the heart of a problem, like a perceptive question. Concise is tempting, but a short answer is not necessarily a sharp one.
Practice on the clock
Our full test has the Verbal section on its 30-minute clock, written by us, and the result shows synonyms apart from analogies.
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 startCommon questions
How many synonym questions are on the SSAT?
30 on Middle and Upper, along with 30 analogies, in a 30-minute Verbal section, according to E3n.
Is there an SSAT word list?
We found none from E3n. Its Interpretive Guide says the section includes common words a typical test taker is expected to know, and is not only a test of vocabulary.
What if my child does not know the word?
Try it in a phrase, look for a familiar root, and rule out what clearly does not fit. With two choices out, a guess can be worthwhile. With none out, leave it blank: a wrong answer costs a quarter of a point.
Are these questions from the real test?
No. They are written by us.