Which test do you actually need?

The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is a standardized test used for admissions to private and independent schools for students in grades 3-11.

• Elementary Level: Grades 3-4
• Middle Level: Grades 5-7
• Upper Level: Grades 8-11

• Quantitative (Math): 2 sections, 25 questions each
• Verbal: 60 questions (synonyms & analogies)
• Reading Comprehension: 40 questions
• Writing Sample: 1 essay (unscored but sent to schools)

• Score Range: 1500-2400 (Upper Level)
• Percentile: Compared against other test-takers
• No penalty: As of recent changes, no penalty for wrong answers

• Synonyms: Build vocabulary through reading and flashcards. Learn common roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Analogies: Identify the relationship between the given pair first, then find the matching relationship among answer choices.
• Tip: Read challenging books (classic literature, science articles) to build vocabulary naturally.

• Focus Areas: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
• Word Problems: Practice translating word problems into equations systematically.
• Tip: No calculator is allowed — practice mental math and estimation skills.

• Passage Types: Literary fiction, humanities, science, and social studies.
• Strategy: Read the questions first to know what to look for, then skim the passage for relevant details.
• Tip: Practice identifying main ideas, tone, and author's purpose quickly.

• Format: Choose between a creative prompt and an essay prompt (Upper Level).
• Strategy: Plan for 5 minutes, write for 20 minutes. Use clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Tip: Schools read this to assess your writing ability and personality — show your unique voice.

2 hours 14 minutes

400-1600

Reading, Writing, Math

$68 USD (U.S.) / $111 USD (Intl.)

• Structure: 2 Modules (27 questions, 32 min each)
• Passage Strategy: Each question has its own short paragraph (25–150 words).
• Focus Areas: Craft & Structure (vocabulary/purpose), Information & Ideas (evidence), Standard English Conventions (grammar), and Expression of Ideas (transitions/synthesis).
• Time Management: About 71 seconds on average.
• Tip: If a question involves a graph or chart, read the "Command of Evidence" prompt first to know exactly what data point to look for.

• Structure: 2 Modules (22 questions, 35 min each)
• Calculator Use: A calculator is allowed for the entire math section.
• Focus Areas: Algebra, Advanced Math, Data Analysis, and Geometry/Trig.
• Time Management: About 95 seconds per question.
• Tip: Master the built-in Desmos Graphing Calculator. You can often solve complex equations just by typing them in and finding the intersection points on the graph.

2 hours (core); +40 min with optional Science or Writing

1-36

English, Math, Reading (+ optional Science and Writing)

$70 USD (core); $75 with Science, $95 with Writing, $100 with both

• Content: Revising and editing short texts and essays in different genres
• Time Per Question: ~42 seconds
• Key Focus: Quick decision-making on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and clarity
• Tip: Trust your ear for what sounds right, but verify using grammar and style rules

• Content: Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, data analysis, and problem-solving
• Time Per Question: ~67 seconds
• Key Focus: Questions get progressively harder; focus on accuracy and strategy
• Tip: Skip difficult questions and return later; double-check calculations

• Content: 4 passages (prose fiction, social science, humanities, natural science)
• Time Per Passage: ~10–11 minutes
• Key Focus: Speed reading with comprehension; use evidence from passages
• Tip: Start with your strongest passage type and eliminate obviously wrong answers

• Content: Data interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving in biology, chemistry, Earth/space, and physics
• Time Per Passage: ~6 minutes
• Key Focus: Graph/table reading and logical reasoning
• Tip: Focus on interpreting data; no outside science knowledge is required

• Content: Writing skills taught in high school English classes and entry-level college composition courses
• Time Per Question: 40 minutes (full essay)
• Key Focus: Organize thoughts clearly, support arguments with evidence, and demonstrate strong writing mechanics
• Tip: Plan structure before writing; leave a few minutes to proofread

Advanced Placement is a set of individual college-level subject courses, each ending in an exam. Unlike the IB, it is not a package — students take one subject or several, and can add more in a later year.

Each exam is marked 1–5. Universities set their own policies for what a score is worth, and those policies differ widely: the same 4 may earn credit at one institution, advanced placement without credit at another, and nothing at a third. Check the policy of the schools on your list rather than assuming a threshold.

Most AP exams now run through the College Board's Bluebook app. Some are fully digital, with both multiple-choice and free-response answered on screen. Others are hybrid: the multiple-choice is on screen but free-response answers are handwritten in a paper booklet. A few subjects, such as Art and Design, are portfolio submissions with no sitting at all.

Exams run once a year, over two weeks in May, with a late-testing window for genuine conflicts. Schools order exams months in advance, so registration is handled through your school in the autumn — not something you can arrange the week before.

• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics C: Mechanics
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Precalculus
• AP Statistics
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Computer Science Principles

• AP African American Studies
• AP Comparative Government and Politics
• AP European History
• AP Human Geography
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Psychology
• AP United States Government and Politics
• AP United States History
• AP World History: Modern

• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition

• AP 2-D Art and Design
• AP 3-D Art and Design
• AP Drawing
• AP Art History
• AP Music Theory

• AP Chinese Language and Culture
• AP French Language and Culture
• AP German Language and Culture
• AP Italian Language and Culture
• AP Japanese Language and Culture
• AP Latin
• AP Spanish Language and Culture
• AP Spanish Literature and Culture

• AP Seminar
• AP Research

The Diploma Programme is a two-year curriculum, not a single exam. Students take six subjects — three or four at Higher Level and the rest at Standard Level — alongside three core requirements: Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS.

Each subject is graded 1–7, giving 42 points across six subjects. Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay together contribute up to three more, for a maximum of 45. The diploma is awarded at 24 points provided the subject-level conditions and CAS are met.

Higher Level courses cover roughly 240 teaching hours against 150 at Standard Level, but both are graded against the same descriptors and count equally towards the total. HL is about depth and breadth of material, not a harder grading scale.

Most subjects carry an internally assessed component — a lab portfolio, an oral, a maths exploration — marked by the teacher and moderated by the IB. These are completed during the course, so a large part of the final grade is decided before the exam session starts.

• Check university requirements first. Many programmes specify HL subjects, and a missing HL cannot be fixed in Grade 12.
• Balance the load. Four HLs is permitted but only the best three count towards the HL points requirement.
• Be honest about writing volume. Several HL subjects carry substantial coursework on top of the Extended Essay.

• Pick a question you can answer in 4,000 words. The most common failure is a topic too broad to argue properly.
• Start in Grade 11. The essay competes directly with Grade 12 coursework and university applications.
• Use your supervisor sessions. They are formally recorded and are the cheapest feedback you will get.

• Map every IA deadline onto one calendar. They cluster, and teachers set them independently of each other.
• Treat the mark scheme as the brief. IA criteria are published; work written without reading them loses marks on structure alone.

~2 hours

Bands 1–6 (CEFR-aligned, since Jan 2026)

Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing

~$249 USD (Canada) / $270 USD (U.S.); varies by country

• Practice with a timer - timing is crucial
• Record yourself and listen back
• Use transitional phrases naturally
• Don't worry about accent - focus on clarity
• Prepare templates for each task type

• Integrated: Take organized notes while reading/listening
• Independent: Plan your essay structure (5 minutes)
• Aim for 300+ words on independent task
• Use varied vocabulary and sentence structures
• Save 2-3 minutes to proofread

• Take notes on main ideas and key details
• Focus on professor's emphasis and attitude
• Watch for signal words (however, therefore, etc.)
• Practice with academic lectures on YouTube
• Listen to English podcasts daily

• Skim passage first for main idea (2 minutes)
• Refer back to passage for details
• Eliminate obviously wrong answers
• Build academic vocabulary systematically
• Practice with academic articles

Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Princeton (≈ 100–120 on the old scale)

• Reading: Band 5+
• Listening: Band 5+
• Speaking: Band 5+
• Writing: Band 5+

UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, BU, USC (≈ 90–99 on the old scale)

• Reading: Band 4.5+
• Listening: Band 4.5+
• Speaking: Band 4.5+
• Writing: Band 4.5+

State universities, regional schools (≈ 80–89 on the old scale)

• Reading: Band 4+
• Listening: Band 4+
• Speaking: Band 4+
• Writing: Band 4+

IELTS measures English for study and migration. The Academic version is the one universities ask for; General Training is used for immigration and work. Listening and Speaking are identical in both — only Reading and Writing differ.

The test takes 2 hours 45 minutes across four sections: Listening (about 30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), Writing (60 minutes) and Speaking (11–14 minutes). It can be taken on paper or on computer at a test centre, and the format is the same either way.

Each section is reported as a band from 1 to 9 in whole or half bands, and the overall band is the average of the four. Because it is an average, a single weak skill pulls the overall band down — which is why balanced preparation matters more than a strong Reading.

The Speaking test is an interview with a human examiner in three parts: familiar questions, a short talk from a prompt card, and a discussion. It is the section students most often under-prepare because it cannot be practised silently.

• Read ahead. You get time before each part — use it to predict what kind of word each gap needs.
• Watch the word limit. "No more than two words" is marked strictly; three words scores zero even if correct.
• Spelling counts. Unlike a conversation, a misspelt answer is simply wrong.

• There is no transfer time. Unlike Listening, answers must be written on the sheet within the hour.
• Budget 20 minutes per passage and move on; the third passage is usually the hardest and needs the time.
• True / False / Not Given is about the text, not the world. "Not Given" means the passage does not say, even if you know the answer.

• Task 2 is worth twice Task 1. Spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2, in that order of importance.
• Meet the minimums. 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2; short answers are penalised.
• Answer the whole question. A two-part prompt that only gets one part answered caps the task response band.

• Extend every answer. One-word replies give the examiner nothing to assess.
• Use the one minute of preparation in Part 2 to note four or five points, not full sentences.
• Fluency beats perfection. Self-correcting every clause costs more marks than the original slip.