As a SSAT Test coach and tutor, the best advice that I can give is to be prepared. No, you are not prepared. Every year I meet families who think because their child is very bright, does well in school, and has a history of exceptional scores of standardized tests, that their child is prepared for the SSAT. Some are right, but most are wrong.

Yes, the SSAT is like many other standardized tests, but:

1). There are nuance differences.

2. The stakes are extremely high.

Rest assured that your child's SSAT test score is not the only criteria for admission into private school. The SSAT test is just one factor in the Admission Committee's decision. But with a 70 - 80% rejection rate in many schools, it is wise to control what is in your power to control. Your SSAT test scores are within your power to control with adequate preparation.

SSAT Sample Question Courtesy of PrivateSchoolExam.com

4. The hippopotamus is a large animal whose name means “river horse” in Greek. It is a mostly plant-eating animal that lives exclusively in Africa. There are two major subtypes: the regular hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus. It lives primarily in rivers and lakes in the sub-Saharan portion of Africa in groups as large as forty hippos. A group of hippos is known as a pod, herd, school or bloat. They cool themselves in the waters of the river or lake by day; both reproduction and childbirth occur in the water. At dusk, they emerge to graze on nearby grass. Their closest living relatives are the whales and the porpoises.

Only the elephant is a larger land animal than hippos by weight. The hippo is among the most dangerous and aggressive of all mammals. About 150,000 hippos live throughout the lower part of Africa. The male hippo is known as a bull, the female is known as the cow and the baby hippo is called a calf. The most common type of hippopotamus is known as the Common or Nile Hippopotamus. Hippopotamuses are classified along with other even-toed animals and belong to the order that also includes camels, cows, dear and pigs, even though they are actually, by DNA, related to whales and porpoises.

As many as three species of hippo have already become extinct; the most recent became extinct within the last 1000 years. These were known as the Malagasy hippos, smaller than the modern hippos and were believed to become extinct due to human hunting. The European Hippopotamus ranged throughout continental Europe and the British Isles, becoming extinct before the last glacier came through.

Hippos are believed to weight about 2 tons and females are considered smaller than their male counterparts. Males continue to grow throughout their lives, while females quit growing around age 25. Hippos can run faster than humans on land at a rate of about 25-30 miles per hour. When not hunted or killed by something else, hippos have a lifespan of about 40-50 years. The oldest known hippo is more than 55 years old and is the oldest known hippo in captivity, living in Evansville, Indiana.

1. According to the passage, how much do hippos weigh on average?

a. 500 pounds

b. one ton

c. 750 pounds

d. two tons

e. 2500 pounds

Answer: d. Hippos reach a weight of about two tons.

1. What is the lifespan of the average hippopotamus?

a. 70-80 years

b. 40-50 years

c. 30-35 years

d. 20-25 years

e. 10-15 years

Answer: b. Hippos live to about 40-50 years of age.

1. In paragraph two, what is a good synonym for “aggressive”?

a. adamant

b. forceful

c. uncompromising

d. insistent

e. hostile

Answer: e. The word “hostile” is most synonymous with “aggressive” in this setting.

1. According to DNA analysis, the closest relative to the hippopotamus is what kind of animal?

a. cow

b. whale

c. rhino

d. pig

e. elephant

Answer: b. The hippopotamus is, by DNA analysis, found to be related to the whale.

1. Which is not a name for a group of hippos together?

a. pride

b. herd

c. school

d. pod

e. bloat

Answer a. All but the term “pride” is used to document a group of hippos together.