The SSAT

The most reliable, objective, accessible, and secure independent school admission assessment.

Enrollment professionals need an equitable way to assess applicants, regardless of their background or experience.

We are committed to ensuring reliability and fairness and have the industry's most rigorous assessment development and review process, providing reliable score equity measurements and expert guidance.

Developed to standardize admissions for grades 3-11, the SSAT measures students' verbal, math, and reading skills and provides objective insights enrollment leaders need to reduce inherent biases and predict first-year student success.

As the assessment landscape continues to evolve and grade inflation rises, the SSAT offers a significant asset to decision makers inside a holistic assessment process by giving an objective, scientific measurement within an admission file with mostly subjective inputs. The SSAT allows schools to compare students' cognitive skills in similar circumstances when used as one component in an overall applicant portrait.

The SSAT is part of a holistic admissions process.

Circle graphic showing how the SSAT is part of a holistic admissions process.

Our testing experts continually monitor The SSAT to ensure it remains:

An icon of a key with an orange to yellow gradient.

Secure

Maintaining security and confidentiality is critical for ensuring fair and equal testing opportunities for all students.

The processes and procedures for SSAT administration are the same for every student at test sites around the world.

Accessible

We believe in breaking down barriers to independent school education. EMA’s long-standing Fee Waiver Program supports our mission by offering member schools fee waivers for several EMA products and services, including SSAT, for students who may not otherwise be able to afford them.

Flexible

We have you covered to ensure your applicants can schedule assessments that works best for them. EMA has the most available testing options around the world, as well as individual remote testing for students with the SSAT At Home.

An icon of an owl wearing a graduation cap with an orange to yellow gradient.

Reliable

Our development and scoring practices adhere to The Standards of Educational and Psychological Testing, American Education Research Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education. Each question is thoroughly reviewed by our staff, psychometricians, test developers, and external review panels.

An icon of an owl wearing a graduation cap with an orange to yellow gradient.

Objective

Statistical procedures are used to adjust difficulty so that scores from different assessment forms carry the same meaning and can be used interchangeably. Our assessments are written and reviewed by experts, subject-matter thought leaders, and independent school educators dedicated to equity, fairness, and inclusion.

Our experts also provide training to schools on how to reduce bias in admissions and properly use assessment results during the enrollment process.

Without a reliable test of cognitive skills, it is impossible to compare applicants from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

704,460
SSATs taken worldwide in the last 10 years.
181 countries
Students from 181 countries have taken SSAT in the last 10 years.
ADDED VALUE

SSAT Customized Score Services

Want to get the most out of every SSAT score report you receive? EMA offers two services to provide you with customized information appropriate to your school's unique needs:

1

The SSAT scores of currently enrolled students can help schools establish a baseline for comparing incoming applicant scores. It can also help establish a benchmark to measure the future progress of current students.

2

Applicant Comparison Data

We can provide school-specific data to give schools a better understanding of where each applicant’s scores fall in relation to currently enrolled students and the previous year’s applicant pool.

Quality test development requires a rigorous scientific approach.

Our test development and scoring practices adhere to The Standards of Educational and Psychological Testing, the American Education Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education.

Assessments are written and reviewed by test experts, subject-matter thought leaders, and independent school educators dedicated to equity, fairness, and inclusion.

Each question receives a full review by our staff, psychometricians, test developers, and external review panels to reduce bias and remove items that all students would not understand.

Statistical procedures are used to adjust for difficulty so that scores from different test forms carry the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

Our experts also provide training to schools on how to reduce bias in admissions and properly use assessment results during the enrollment process.

A close-up image of a student's hand gripping a pencil and completing the SSAT answer sheet.

Schools need reliable assessment tools to make confident decisions about applicants.

It's time to champion transformational education journeys. Let’s do it together.

Standard Test Dates for the 2024-2025 school year are as follows:

  • October 12, 2024 (Upper, Middle)
  • November 9, 2024 (Upper, Middle, Elementary)
  • December 7, 2024 (Upper, Middle, Elementary)
  • January 4, 2025 (Upper, Middle)
  • February 1, 2025 (Upper, Middle)
  • March 1, 2025 (Upper, Middle)

Schools Benefitting From The SSAT

A Better Chance logoViewpoint School logoProctor Academy logoRansom Everglades School logoRiverdale School logo

Create an equitable admission review process.

EMA's standardized admission assessments—the SSAT and the Character Skills Snapshot—enable schools to conduct equitable and non-biased enrollment processes by providing objective, scientific measurements.

Our longstanding Fee Waiver Program helps thousands of students explore the possibilities of independent school education.

A close-up image of a student's hand gripping a pencil and completing the SSAT answer sheet.

Ready to learn more about the SSAT? Let's chat!