SSAT Tutoring

With Natalie’s help for their SSAT prep, hundreds of students have successfully reached their score goals for school admissions. Her SSAT tutoring includes complete test preparation for all sections of the Elementary, Middle, and Upper Level SSAT tests, including the essay section. The SSAT is a top private school admissions exam that is offered internationally, so make sure your child is ready for it! She has helped students in grades 2-12, and her students are top scorers, 85th percentile or higher.

Elementary Level

Students in grade 3 take the Elementary SSAT Grade 3 exam, while students in grade 4 take the Elementary SSAT Grade 4 exam. The reading, quantitative, and verbal sections are challenging for students at this age, especially special question types like analogies. Natalie helps her students prepare for higher-grade-level math concepts and reading passages, and she also teaches them useful strategies to work through analogies on both Elementary SSAT levels.

Middle Level

Students in grades 5-7 struggle the most with the verbal section, which includes advanced middle school-level vocabulary and analogies, an analytical question type. The 2 quantitative sections have algebra and geometry concepts, while reading comprehension is set at a 7th/8th grade level. Natalie guides students through all these areas so they can reach their score goals.

Upper Level

8th grade students and high school students take the Upper Level. All sections are set at a high school level, so that translates into needed concept review and vocabulary study. Using extensive practice and proven techniques, Natalie helps her students build their confidence and skills so they won’t feel overwhelmed on test day and can score high.

SSAT essay prep

Being “mini-interviews” that help schools get to know their applicants, students’ submissions need to highlight their individual voices, creativity, talents, and achievements. Younger students can choose between a story or personal essay, while Upper Level students must respond to either a personal essay prompt or an argumentative essay prompt. After they decide which prompt category is a better fit for them, Natalie works with them on development, structure, and mechanics.

Tutoring includes:

Study plan based on previous SSAT score results or initial practice test scores

Complete review of SSAT concepts and strategies with targeted practice (available for all sections)

Weekly feedback on student progress and homework completion (available for all sections)

Online resources for math, reading, and verbal practice

Timed practice sets during lessons

FAQ about Natalie’s test prep

Do you offer a full test prep program or classes?

I offer one-on-one lessons, not classes, where my tutoring adapts to the needs of every student. I guide students through their test prep with targeted concept review, strategies, and time management techniques. I do not have a one-size-fits-all approach or set curriculum for everyone to follow.

What does a typical lesson with you look like?

Test preparation is a combination of concept review and test-taking strategies. I help my students not just get to the right answer, but also understand how they got to the right answer and what makes it correct. They also learn how to methodically approach questions and answers. A typical lesson for a reading comprehension test section would be working through a number of passages with test-specific questions, for example, or for math test sections, working through practice questions and any needed concept review for those questions at the same time. A good amount of lesson time is spent on mastering strategies and building good time management skills. By understanding how a test works and how the testmakers have created the questions, students better learn how to take that test with minimal stress and maximum success.

Can you guarantee a score increase on the actual test?

Successful test prep depends entirely on a student’s commitment to a study plan, daily practice, and application of strategies and techniques learned during lessons. I personally cannot promise that any student will definitely raise scores just because of my tutoring. However, students who practiced diligently and listened to my advice during lessons — and applied it — did in fact raise their scores significantly.

How many lessons will my child need?

Some students need more support, while others need less. Guessing how many lessons a student needs requires more information. To start, I always ask for practice test results or previous test results to help me see where we need to focus our efforts the most. I also ask about what test prep, if any, you have done so far, and what your specific test score goals are. Your test preparation should start as early as possible before a test date. If your child has any struggles or gaps in a specific subject area, like math, reading or vocabulary, then they will most likely need more tutoring than the average student.