Middle Level SSAT prep for grades 5 through 7

The Middle Level is a big step up: 3 hours 10 minutes, 150 scored questions, and the first SSAT where a wrong answer costs points. Practice on 20 full-length Middle Level tests, scored the way the real one is.

Start my free 7 days What changes at this level

$0.00 due today · 7-day free trial · cancel anytime

Test length: 2 hr 5 min→3 hr 10 min
Scored questions: 88→150
Math sections: 1→2
Wrong answers: No penalty→−¼ point

Elementary Level → Middle Level

An SSAT Middle Level reading section: a line-numbered poem about a beehive beside question 18, with answer D selected and 23:17 left of 40 minutes. — A Middle Level reading question on a line-numbered poem, from one of our 20 Middle Level practice tests.

What changes after the Elementary Level

The Middle and Upper Levels share one format. Compared with the Elementary test, almost everything gets longer, and guessing now has a cost.

FeatureElementary · grades 3–4Middle Level · grades 5–7

Length2 hr 5 min3 hr 10 min

Scored questions88150

MathOne 30-minute sectionTwo 30-minute sections of 25 questions

Verbal30 questions in 20 minutes60 questions in 30 minutes

Reading28 questions in 30 minutes40 questions in 40 minutes

Wrong answersNo penalty−¼ point each

Writing sample15 minutes, a picture story25 minutes, a story starter or a personal question

Where you testPaper onlyPaper, a Prometric center or at home

Score scale300–600 per section, 900–1800 total440–710 per section, 1320–2130 total

When to guess, now that a wrong answer costs a quarter point

Every SSAT question has five choices. A right answer earns 1 point, a wrong one loses ¼ point, and a blank is 0. Choose how many answers your child can rule out to see what a guess is worth.

How many answers can your child rule out?

Chance a guess is right: 1 in 4

Average points per guess

+0.06

Worth it. Ruling out one answer makes every guess a small gain on average.

Over ten guesses like this: about +0.6 raw points

Our practice tests deduct the same quarter point, so a habit of blind guessing, or of leaving too many blanks, shows up in the score before test day. The full guessing strategy

Where the clock gets tight

The three scored sections run at very different speeds. Verbal is the fastest: 60 questions in 30 minutes leaves 30 seconds for each.

Verbal30 sec per question

60 questions in 30 minutes · 30 synonyms, then 30 analogies

Reading60 sec per question

40 questions in 40 minutes · including the time to read each passage

Quantitative 1 and 272 sec per question

25 questions in 30 minutes · per section, no calculator

SSAT Middle Level score report pacing: time curves for all four sections, time per question colored by result, and a results table by section and topic. Example results. — Every practice test report shows how the time was spent, question by question. Example results shown.

Practice that feels like the real Middle Level

60 synonyms and analogies against the clock

The verbal section is timed like the real one, and the 564-word vocabulary trainer builds the words behind it, with a word of the day.

An SSAT Middle Level verbal synonym question, SINCERE, with "genuine" selected at question 10 of 60 and 27:00 left of 30 minutes.

Scored with the real penalty

Each report estimates section scores on the 440–710 scale and a total on the 1320–2130 scale with the quarter-point deduction applied, plus a percentile for each section. Example results shown.

SSAT Middle Level practice results: an estimated total of 2021 on the 1320–2130 scale with the quarter-point wrong-answer penalty applied, Quantitative 672, Reading 670 and Verbal 679. Example results.

Learn from every miss

Each question shows the answer chosen, the right one and why. Then practice only your missed and flagged questions in the 3,000-question bank.

SSAT Middle Level answer review for synonyms: a missed question, INTEGRITY, with the student’s answer, the correct answer and an explanation, above correct answers. Example results.

Story starter or personal question: your child chooses

The writing sample comes first on test day: 25 minutes, one of two prompts. It isn’t scored, but every school that receives your child’s scores gets a copy.

Creative story starter

An opening line to continue, such as “She opened the door and saw…”

For children who like to write stories. Plan a beginning, a problem and an ending before starting to write.

Personal question

A question about your child’s own life, interests or opinions.

For children who write clearly about themselves. Answer the question in the first lines, then support it with one specific example.

Before test day

Practice both prompt types at least once, timed
Many younger writers do their best work on the story
Leave two minutes to reread and fix errors

Middle Level writing sample guide

Everything for the Middle Level in one plan

Practice tests, course, question bank and vocabulary trainer for grades 5 through 7. Start with 7 days free.

SSAT Middle LevelBest value

$29/mo~~$39~~

$87 billed every 3 months

Save $30 vs monthlyStart my free 7 days →

$0.00 due today · full access for 7 days · cancel anytime

Included in your trial

Everything for this level, from day one

Personalized study plan: your child’s estimated scores and weakest skills, with practice for each
20 full-length practice tests scored on the 1320–2130 scale, timed like the real test, with save and resume
Score report with estimated scaled scores and percentiles, pacing, and a question-by-question review
61-hour on-demand course with 80 lessons across Quantitative, Reading, Verbal, and the writing sample
73 problem sets by section and skill
3,000-question bank: practice new, missed, or flagged questions, untimed or timed
564-word vocabulary trainer with a word of the day

Preparing more than one child, or not sure of the level? The All-Levels plan covers Elementary, Middle and Upper. See all plans

Frequently asked questions

Who takes the Middle Level SSAT?

Students in grades 5, 6 and 7 who are applying for grades 6, 7 and 8.

Is a fifth grader compared with seventh graders?

No. Percentiles compare your child with first-time test takers in the same grade over the past three years. A fifth grader takes the same test as a seventh grader but is ranked only against fifth graders.

Should my child guess on the Middle Level SSAT?

Only after ruling out at least one answer. With five choices and a quarter-point penalty, a blind guess breaks even on average, and every choice ruled out makes a guess worth more.

Are calculators allowed?

No. Both math sections are done by hand, so practice without one too.

Can my child take the Middle Level at home?

Yes. It is offered on paper, at Prometric test centers and at home, and it runs 3 hours 10 minutes in every format.

What is a good Middle Level SSAT score?

There is no official cutoff. Schools read the percentile, and many publish the middle range of their admitted students’ percentiles, so set a target from your own list of schools.

More on the Middle Level

Middle Level test breakdown Sections, timing and scoring in detail.Middle Level vocabulary list The words that come up most often.Writing sample guide Both prompt types, with examples.Scoring by level How the three levels’ score scales compare.Analogy practice Free analogy questions with explanations.Middle vs Upper Level How the two levels differ, side by side.

Get used to the long test before test day.

Start with 7 days free and $0.00 due today. Cancel anytime.

Start my free 7 days