Last-minute SSAT prep: what to do in the final month

Week 1: find the misses

Do a short practice set in every section and sort the misses by kind, not by section. Was it a word your child didn't know? An analogy relationship read backwards? A math step skipped? A reading answer that was true but didn't answer the question? The two or three most common kinds are the plan for the month.

Weeks 2 and 3: fix one kind of miss at a time

• Practice 20 to 30 minutes a day. A short session every day works better than a long one on the weekend.
• Work on one kind of mistake per session, e.g. only analogies with tools and materials, or only percent word problems.
• After each miss, have your child say why the right answer is right before moving on.
• Bring yesterday's misses back today. A missed idea that comes back once is far more likely to stick.

An adaptive tutor saves the most time here. Rookling finds the kinds of misses for you, coaches each one, and brings them back on its own.

Week 4: pacing and test-day habits

• Take one or two timed practice sections. Verbal is the fastest part: 60 questions in 30 minutes, about 30 seconds each.
• Practice the guessing rule: guess only when you can rule out at least one choice. See when to guess.
• Write one practice writing sample in 25 minutes. See the writing sample guide.
• Stop new material two days before. The last two days are for light review, sleep, and a normal routine.

The night before and the morning of

1. 1Pack what the test needs the night before: admission ticket, ID if asked, pencils, and a snack.
2. 2Sleep at the usual time. A late cram costs more than it adds.
3. 3Eat breakfast and arrive early.
4. 4Remind your child that every student skips some questions. That's part of the plan.