Free SSAT practice questions, with answers

Updated November 3, 2026

These are real questions from Rookling's practice bank, at the middle level SSAT's style and level: five choices, A to E, with tempting wrong answers. Try each one before you tap for the answer. The explanation says why the right answer is right, and what makes the trap look good.

Synonyms

Pick the word that means most nearly the same as the word in capitals. See synonym strategies for words you half know.

Question 1

TRANSIENT most nearly means:

  1. Adistant
  2. Bfrequent
  3. Crapid
  4. Dpermanent
  5. Etemporary
Show the answer

E, temporary. Transient means lasting only a short time, like something passing through. Rapid describes speed, not how long something lasts.

Question 2

METICULOUS most nearly means:

  1. Aconfident
  2. Bthorough
  3. Cclever
  4. Defficient
  5. Einventive
Show the answer

B, thorough. Meticulous means paying very careful attention to every detail. Efficient means avoiding wasted time, and meticulous work often takes longer.

Question 3

PREMONITION most nearly means:

  1. Afirmness
  2. Bopening
  3. Cforewarning
  4. Ddiscovery
  5. Econspiracy
Show the answer

C, forewarning. A premonition is a feeling that something, often bad, is about to happen; pre- means before. A discovery is finding something that is already there.

Question 4

ALLEVIATE most nearly means:

  1. Aerase
  2. Bprevent
  3. Cignore
  4. Dease
  5. Eendure
Show the answer

D, ease. Alleviate means make pain or trouble less severe. Erase goes too far, because it means wipe out completely.

Question 5

CANDID most nearly means:

  1. Apolite
  2. Brude
  3. Csecretive
  4. Dhonest
  5. Echeerful
Show the answer

D, honest. Candid means honest and open about what you really think. Rude means impolite; candid words can be kind or blunt.

Analogies

Pick the pair related the same way as the first pair. Make a sentence that links the first pair, then test each choice with it. See how to solve analogies.

Question 1

Plausible is to believable as...

  1. Ainevitable is to avoidable
  2. Btemporary is to permanent
  3. Cabundant is to scarce
  4. Dimpartial is to unfair
  5. Emeticulous is to careful
Show the answer

E, meticulous is to careful. Plausible means believable, and meticulous means very careful about details. Every other pair is made of opposites, like abundant/scarce.

Question 2

Weigh is to weight as...

  1. Alift is to strength
  2. Bmeasure is to length
  3. Cgrow is to height
  4. Dtravel is to distance
  5. Estretch is to flexibility
Show the answer

B, measure is to length. Weighing something finds out its weight, and measuring something finds out its length. Growing and stretching change a property instead of finding it out, and traveling just covers a distance.

Question 3

Cartographer is to maps as...

  1. Aastronomer is to telescopes
  2. Bpilot is to airports
  3. Clibrarian is to books
  4. Dplaywright is to plays
  5. Esailor is to oceans
Show the answer

D, playwright is to plays. A cartographer creates maps, and a playwright creates plays. Astronomer/telescopes is a scientist and a tool, not a creator and the work they make.

Question 4

Damp is to soaked as...

  1. Abrilliant is to bright
  2. Bstarving is to hungry
  3. Cfurious is to irritated
  4. Dfreezing is to chilly
  5. Etired is to exhausted
Show the answer

E, tired is to exhausted. Soaked is much wetter than damp, and exhausted is much more tired than tired. Every other pair goes from stronger to milder, the opposite direction.

Question 5

Meticulous is to careless as...

  1. Agenerous is to charitable
  2. Bimpartial is to biased
  3. Chesitant is to uncertain
  4. Dfragile is to delicate
  5. Ediligent is to hardworking
Show the answer

B, impartial is to biased. Meticulous (very careful) is the opposite of careless, and impartial (fair) is the opposite of biased. The other pairs, like generous/charitable, are similar in meaning.

Question 6

Volcanologist is to eruptions as...

  1. Aecologist is to habitats
  2. Bbirdwatcher is to binoculars
  3. Czookeeper is to parrots
  4. Dresearcher is to laboratory
  5. Eglaciers are to glaciologist
Show the answer

A, ecologist is to habitats. A volcanologist studies eruptions, and an ecologist studies habitats. Zookeeper is to parrots is tempting, but a zookeeper cares for animals rather than studying them.

Math

No calculator, like the real test. Estimate first, then work it out. See the math guide for the topics.

Question 1

What is 1.2 × 0.3 × 0.5?

  1. A0.36
  2. B2
  3. C0.18
  4. D1.8
  5. E0.018
Show the answer

C, 0.18. 1.2 × 0.3 = 0.36. Multiplying by 0.5 takes half, and half of 0.36 is 0.18.

Question 2

Which is closest to 0.48 × 812?

  1. A40
  2. B800
  3. C400
  4. D1,600
  5. E4,000
Show the answer

C, 400. 0.48 is about 0.5, which is one half, and 812 is about 800. Half of 800 is 400. The exact product is 389.76.

Question 3

What is 3 3/4 ÷ 1 1/2?

  1. A5 5/8
  2. B2 1/4
  3. C2 1/2
  4. D2/5
  5. E4 1/2
Show the answer

C, 2 1/2. 3 3/4 = 15/4 and 1 1/2 = 3/2. 15/4 ÷ 3/2 = 15/4 × 2/3 = 30/12 = 2 1/2.

Question 4

How many integers are greater than −4 and less than 3?

  1. A2
  2. B5
  3. C7
  4. D6
  5. E8
Show the answer

D, 6. The integers greater than −4 and less than 3 are −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, and 2. That is 6 integers.

Question 5

A hiking trail was 16 kilometers long. Rangers shortened it to 12 kilometers. By what percent was the trail shortened?

  1. A4%
  2. B25%
  3. C33 1/3%
  4. D75%
  5. E133 1/3%
Show the answer

B, 25%. The trail lost 16 − 12 = 4 kilometers. 4 ÷ 16 = 1/4, which is 25%.

Question 6

Ty runs 4 laps around a 400-meter track every day. How many kilometers does he run in 5 days? (1 kilometer = 1,000 meters)

  1. A0.8
  2. B1.6
  3. C8
  4. D80
  5. E8,000
Show the answer

C, 8. Each day Ty runs 4 × 400 = 1,600 meters. In 5 days that is 8,000 meters, which is 8 kilometers.

Keep practicing

Rookling's free plan has 12 more sample questions in each section, reading passages included, plus a timed practice test in each section. Each question gives a hint if your child is stuck and coaches a wrong answer with a second try. On Rookling Plus, the tutor writes new questions at your child's level and brings missed ideas back until they stick.

Questions parents ask

Are these real SSAT questions?
No. They're original questions written in the same style and at the same level, so they're good practice, but they aren't from the official test.
How many practice questions should my child do?
For most kids, 20 to 30 questions on most days works well, with time to understand each miss. Short sessions work better than long ones.
Where can my child take a full practice test?
Rookling has timed practice tests for verbal, reading, math, and writing. The first one in each section is free.

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