SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test), eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
$160-$300
Provider
EMA
Validity
1 year
Available
USA/Global
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
1-3 years of hands-on experience recommended
Specific Requirements
- There are no academic prerequisites. Eligibility is set by the student's current grade: grade 3 or 4 for the Elementary Level, grades 5 to 7 for the Middle Level, and grades 8 to 11 for the Upper Level.
- A parent or legal guardian must create the SSAT parent account before a first registration and must affirm guardianship of every student entered. Student accounts are created automatically but cannot place orders, make payments or change registrations.
- Families must maintain no more than one account per parent or guardian and one per student. Duplicate accounts can lead E3n to cancel or restrict testing, merge accounts, or restrict access.
- Testing accommodations must be applied for and approved before the student registers, following the 2026 to 2027 Testing Accommodations Guide.
- Sunday testing on a paper Standard test requires prior approval; no approval is needed for a Flex, SSAT at Home or Prometric test that falls on a Sunday.
- SSAT at Home requires the student to be physically located in the United States, its territories, or Canada on test day, regardless of home address. Candidates outside the United States and Canada are prohibited from taking SSAT at Home.
- The candidate and the parent or legal guardian must read and agree to the SSAT Candidate Handbook and the SSAT Candidate Agreement, which E3n may revise up to and after registration with email notice.
Number of Questions
150 scored multiple-choice questions at Middle and Upper Level (60 verbal, 50 quantitative across two sections, 40 reading), plus one unscored writing prompt and 16 unscored experimental questions. Elementary Level has 88 scored questions (30 quantitative, 30 verbal, 28 reading) plus one unscored picture-prompt writing sample and 15 to 17 experimental questions.
Duration
3 hours 10 minutes (190 minutes) for Middle and Upper Level, and 2 hours 5 minutes (125 minutes) for Elementary Level. Middle and Upper Level students taking a paper test in a room with other testers must sit for the entire time allotted to each section; students in other testing modes, or taking a paper test alone, may end a section early.
Question Format
Synonym questions asking for the closest match to a prompt word, Analogy questions testing relationships such as opposites, part to whole, use, user, category, product to producer, degree and homonyms, Quantitative multiple-choice questions on arithmetic, elementary algebra, geometry, coordinate geometry, data analysis and reasoning, Reading comprehension questions on passages of roughly 250 to 350 words drawn from literary fiction, humanities, science and social studies, One unscored writing sample: an essay from a personal or general prompt at Upper Level, a creative story starter or personal prompt at Middle Level, and a picture prompt at Elementary Level
Passing Requirement
None. The SSAT has no passing score and E3n publishes no benchmark or score interpretation. Each school decides independently what it considers competitive, and families are directed to ask schools about their admission requirements.
How It Is Delivered
Paper-based Standard tests at public test centres, paper-based Flex tests arranged by a school or an educational consultant, computer-based tests at Prometric test centres, and computer-based SSAT at Home with a live proctor. SSAT at Home and Prometric are available for Middle and Upper Level only, and SSAT at Home only to students physically located in the United States, its territories, or Canada on test day.
Languages Offered
English
Visit the official EMA certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
Upper Level: 500 to 800 per section, 1500 to 2400 total. Middle Level: 440 to 710 per section, 1320 to 2130 total. Elementary Level: 300 to 600 per section with a mean of 450, and 900 to 1800 total with a mean of 1350. Every scaled score is accompanied by a percentile rank from 1 to 99.
Score You Need
None. The SSAT has no passing score and E3n publishes no benchmark or score interpretation. Each school decides independently what it considers competitive, and families are directed to ask schools about their admission requirements.
How It Is Calculated
On the Middle and Upper Level the raw score is one point per correct answer minus a quarter point per incorrect answer, with omissions neutral; on the Elementary Level there is no penalty for incorrect answers. Raw scores are converted to scaled scores using equating, a statistical adjustment that accounts for difficulty differences between editions so the same scaled score means the same performance on any form. Scoring is compensatory: strength in one section offsets weakness in another within the total. Percentiles are norm-referenced against other test takers in the same grade.
When You Get Results
There is no unofficial or immediate score at any test mode. Paper scores are typically released within two weeks of the test date; SSAT at Home scores on the Wednesday following the test date; Prometric scores on the Wednesday following the Sunday that ends the scoring period. Release can take up to three weeks in rare circumstances, and no expedited scoring is offered. Nothing is released until the parent or guardian submits the Confirmation of Testing Experience Statement, and families and designated schools receive results the same day.
In raw terms: E3n's official Upper Level sample score report shows a student with 54 correct, 3 incorrect and 3 unanswered out of 60 verbal items scoring 800 and a 99th percentile, while 36 correct, 8 incorrect and 6 unanswered out of 50 quantitative items produced 755 and a 75th percentile. The same report puts the average 9th grade scores at 675 verbal, 702 quantitative, 665 reading and 2042 total.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test)?
There are no academic prerequisites. Eligibility is set by the student's current grade: grade 3 or 4 for the Elementary Level, grades 5 to 7 for the Middle Level, and grades 8 to 11 for the Upper Level.. A parent or legal guardian must create the SSAT parent account before a first registration and must affirm guardianship of every student entered. Student accounts are created automatically but cannot place orders, make payments or change registrations.. Families must maintain no more than one account per parent or guardian and one per student. Duplicate accounts can lead E3n to cancel or restrict testing, merge accounts, or restrict access.. Testing accommodations must be applied for and approved before the student registers, following the 2026 to 2027 Testing Accommodations Guide.. Sunday testing on a paper Standard test requires prior approval; no approval is needed for a Flex, SSAT at Home or Prometric test that falls on a Sunday.. SSAT at Home requires the student to be physically located in the United States, its territories, or Canada on test day, regardless of home address. Candidates outside the United States and Canada are prohibited from taking SSAT at Home.. The candidate and the parent or legal guardian must read and agree to the SSAT Candidate Handbook and the SSAT Candidate Agreement, which E3n may revise up to and after registration with email notice..
How much does the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) cost?
The SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) exam costs $160-$300. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test)?
Visit the official EMA certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test)?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
Ready to prepare for SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test)?
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