.png)
For families planning to attend private secondary schools, the SSAT or ISEE can be an important part of the application process. Now that school is in full swing, it’s time to plan which test to take and then build a timeline.
SSAT or ISEE: Which Test Fits Your Student Best?
Does Your School Require the SSAT or ISEE?
Whether students need to take the SSAT or ISEE depends on the schools they’re applying to. Unlike colleges, which generally view the SAT and the ACT as equivalents, many private schools partner with one test or another.
In some regions, nearly all of the schools prefer one test. It’s important to check with the admissions offices of each school in order to know the policies. Thankfully, few students will need to take both tests.
Which Is Harder: the SSAT or ISEE?
For families that find themselves able to take either test, there are some things to consider. The SSAT reading and verbal sections are more difficult than those sections on the ISEE. Conversely, the ISEE math sections are more difficult than those sections on the SSAT. Beyond the content, the timing and logistics of each test may play a key role in selecting either test.
When Should Students Take the SSAT or ISEE?
SSAT Timing
Students taking the SSAT have a variety of times and ways to take the test. The SSAT offers a weekend paper test once a month starting in October. Some schools, especially those that terminate in 5th, 6th, or 8th grade, will offer a private testing opportunity for their students. Additionally, the SSAT offers a paper flex test, which can be taken once per school year.
During the pandemic, EMA (the makers of the SSAT) started offering a computer-based SSAT that can be taken once at home and twice at a Prometric center. Families should plan for their students to test by November, as this will leave opportunities for retesting in December, January, and, if necessary, early February.
ISEE Timing
The ISEE only allows students to take the ISEE once per testing season: Fall (August to November), Winter (December to March), and Spring/Summer (April to July). Essentially, this means that students can only take the ISEE twice, as school applications are closed during the Spring/Summer season. It’s essential that students take one test during the Fall season, as that gives the opportunity to retest in the Winter season.
Similar to the SSAT, the ISEE offers paper testing at affiliated schools and computer-based options at home or at a Prometric center. The ISEE does not have nationwide test dates, and the paper-based options can be surprisingly limited, even in large metropolitan areas, so it’s best to go to the ERB’s ISEE website and begin the search now. Conversely, the at-home ISEE is offered nearly every weekend in the fall.
How Should Students Prepare for the SSAT or ISEE?
The best thing a student can do is take a practice test. Both the SSAT and ISEE are long tests with unique question types, including some that are not typically seen in school. The practice test will show the student’s strengths and weaknesses and give a better understanding of what needs to be studied.
Both tests explicitly test vocabulary, so creating a vocab study plan will be essential for most students. Neither the SSAT nor ISEE is particularly aligned with math grade standards, so students may need to get more familiar with math concepts that haven’t yet been covered in school.
Which Version is Better: Paper or Computer?
The SSAT and ISEE tests are identical in format and structure whether students take them on paper or on a computer. The at-home options for either test were launched during the fall of 2020 to allow students to take the test during Covid restrictions.
Initially, the SSAT allowed students to take the at-home test multiple times a month, but gradually, students have been offered fewer opportunities to take the at-home option, and now it is essentially a second flex test.
Anecdotally, many students have had technical difficulties with the at-home test, including delays in starting and irregularities with proctoring. Specifically, students need to be on camera with a live microphone, and the digital proctor (a mix of AI and human proctor surveillance) can be quick to terminate tests for potential disruptions.
For example, one family reported that the student’s test was canceled because their dog barked in another room. Beyond delays and strict proctoring, SSAT at-home students have been adversely affected by the test allowing them to finish a section early and move on to the next. Some younger students have finished the nearly 3-hour test in less than an hour, as they lacked the maturity to use their timing properly.
With this feedback from families, we do not recommend the at-home test option. Admittedly, most of the negative feedback has been with the SSAT version, but as students can only take the ISEE a maximum of two times, we recommend that they do not leave one of those attempts up to the whims of a fickle remote proctor.
Is a Prometric Testing Center Better?
While Prometric centers do not have the connectivity issues of an at-home test, and there certainly won’t be any barking dogs or noisy siblings, some students have reported issues feeling comfortable there.
Most Prometric clients are adults taking tests for advanced degrees, and many SSAT or ISEE students feel out of place in this environment. Given the choice between Prometric and a paper-based test at a school, we would recommend the latter.
Are the SSAT and ISEE Going to Merge Into the ISSATEE? Or Will One Test be Retired?
Maybe, but not anytime soon. EMA and ERB have merged into E3n, although they have not yet changed their product lines. Both companies have their strengths beyond admissions tests, with EMA running the Standard Application Online (SAO) and ERB providing widely used in-school testing. Most importantly for families, both EMA and ERB have announced that there are no changes to the SSAT and ISEE this 2026-2027 school year.
Interestingly, schools who affiliate with either ERB or EMA now get access to both tests. This may lead to more widespread adoption of schools accepting both tests, but it’s too early to see. E3n has collected resources for most of its family-facing services on admission.org, including both tests forms detailed information on both the SSAT and ISEE. Regardless of what happens, we’ll be certain to cover any changes to the SSAT or ISEE as they are announced.
.png)
