From Test Center to Top Choice: Making the Most of SSAT Testing at Your School

The benefits of being an SSAT test center are multifaceted, from the shared responsibility of helping to open the doors to independent schools by providing a safe and comfortable environment for paper testing to welcoming candidates to your school. 

From an admissions perspective, the opportunity to bring prospective students and their parents to campus can be a real boon to applicant interest and your school's yield. Let's take a look at some effective ways to maximize this opportunity.

But first, there are two simple test center rules to be aware of:

1. Schools aren't permitted to proactively approach families about admissions. However, you can have signage and an admissions table as a resource for families who want to initiate these discussions. This is a subtle but important distinction to avoid distracting students and ensure that families don't feel pressured.
   
   
2. Schools cannot market directly to the test roster, which may only be used for official test administration purposes.
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1. Promote being an SSAT test center.

While you can't market directly to the test roster, you can promote being a test center to your prospective admissions audience. What could this look like? Start by prominently displaying the official SSAT Test Center badge on your school's application process webpage and throughout the admissions section. Also, consider adding it to a pop-up notice or announcements scroller on the home page.

It's also a great idea to advertise being a test center to attract more students. Start by including information in your email campaigns to prospective families. Social media boosts and ads to your admissions audience and a lookalike audience offer a cost-effective strategy. Geotargeted Google Ads could also drive significant traffic. 

For emails and ads, create a robust landing page that lists the SSAT test dates, your test center code, information about testing at your school (directions, where to park, etc.), the SSAT registration link, optional admissions activities for parents and students (see below for more on this), and any public events happening at your school that day such as concerts or sporting events.

2. Make students feel welcome.

It's natural for anyone to feel nervous about standardized testing. The more you make students feel at ease, the better their association with your school will be. Welcome them with friendly faces they can relate to by having current students serve as greeters, opening doors, and offering words of encouragement. If you can get enough students involved, station them from the parking lot to the testing building to point the way and preempt any anxiety over figuring out where to go.

At the entryway, a visual arts gallery can offer a timely distraction from fretting over the task at hand while displaying the quality of your school's programs. Make sure galleries are in a location where crown noise won't impact testing.

Another great way to win over students' hearts and minds is through their bellies. Offer refreshments such as juice, fruit, muffins, and croissants upon arrival, snacks during breaks, and congratulations cookies upon departure—bonus points for serving goodies from the school's cafeteria. 

3. Inform and entertain parents while they wait.

Middle and Upper Level SSAT testing takes over three hours to complete. That's a good chunk of time for parents to fill. Offering planned activities shows you care about their experience, which bodes well for their impression of your school. Just make sure that foot traffic and noise are kept away from testing.

• Create a parent lounge in admissions or the student center; offer fireside-chat-style Q&A with admissions and current students/parents; serve treats from the school's food service.
  
• Provide school tours or offer campus nature walks to get movement and fresh air; alternatively, offer micro-tours led by faculty of specific facilities such as a new science building, arts, athletic training spaces, or the school's garden to let parents self-select what they want to experience.
  
• Deliver admissions programming, such as a session on financial aid, the application process as a whole, or summer programming; partner with a Community-Based Organization to illuminate pathways for all students.
• Showcase the arts through visual art exhibits, a special concert, or, if the timing works, a theater dress rehearsal.

4. Host a post-test admissions open house.

Yes, this will be a long day, but families and staff have already arranged their busy schedules to be at the school. Making it a two-for-one saves them another trip. Students will have missed any programming offered to parents during testing, and their opinions weigh heavily on enrollment decisions. A post-test open house allows them to tour the school and talk to current students. Of course, they'll be hungry by this point, so start by serving lunch in the school's dining commons. You could also include some hands-on robotics or 3D printing activities to foster fun engagement.

Ready to turn test day into an admissions advantage?

Whether you run with our suggestions or these spark your ideas, putting in the extra effort to make test day a positive experience for your school shows a commitment to families that's sure to impress. 

‍Learn about becoming a test center and contact us at testgroup@enrollment.org with questions.