The recent merger of the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) and the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) has aligned the independent school industry's two leading admissions assessments—the ISEE and the SSAT—under one unified organization: E3n.
Understandably, this may have you wondering: "Which assessment should my student take?"
Please know that E3n, also the parent organization behind Admission.org, appreciates the opportunity to support your family on its admission journey. We don't have a preference for which assessment students take, and have compiled the following guidance to help you make a selection based on your unique circumstances.
Before we get to the recommendations, it's important to understand that the ISEE and SSAT are remarkably similar in what they assess, the difficulty and length for each grade level, and their ability to predict first-year success within an independent school curriculum.
While these tests align in purpose, reliability, and effectiveness, they differ operationally. These policy and implementation differences likely aren't decision-making factors for you, but they are important to understand. We've highlighted the key differences below, but make sure to carefully review the information and instructions for the ISEE and SSAT, including their test modes.
- Fee waivers are available to qualified families for both assessments, but there are differences between the programs.
- Likewise, student accommodations are available for both, with variances between each.
- Scoring is unique to each test: The SSAT has a quarter-point penalty for incorrect answers on the Middle and Upper Level tests, and the ISEE doesn't deduct points. Schools view scores in comparison to current and historical results for each assessment, so this is only noteworthy for students' test-taking and guessing strategies.
As for the factors to consider when deciding to register for the ISEE or SSAT, we have listed them below in priority order.
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<span class="text-color-orange" role="decoration">School Application Requirements</span>
First and foremost, check each school's application requirements to ensure compliance with their procedures. Many schools accept both assessments, allowing families to choose the test that works best for them, but in some regions, only one test is offered, especially in localized day schools.
School preferences may also vary by school level (lower, middle, upper) and grades, so read the requirements carefully. This is most notable in elementary grades, where the ISEE begins with current first graders applying to second grade, and the earliest SSAT offering is for current third graders applying to fourth grade. We've included a chart at the bottom of this article to show the ISEE and SSAT test equivalents for each student grade.
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<span class="text-color-lightblue" role="decoration">Test Modes</span>
Is your student more comfortable taking a paper or computer test, which includes either handwriting or typing their essay?
Paper tests offer the comfort and security of testing at a school, a testing office (ISEE), or with an educational consultant (SSAT), with most students testing in groups with similar-aged peers. Availability: Both.
Computer tests at a school or testing office provide a similar experience to paper in terms of overall environment. Availability: ISEE.
Home testing on a device provides the convenience and comfort of testing alone in a familiar environment with an online proctor. Please note: When testing at home, parents assume the responsibility for ensuring a distraction-free environment and compatibility between the home device and the testing software. Availability:
- ISEE at-home testing is offered worldwide at times that align with U.S. time zones
- SSAT at-home testing is available to testers physically located in Canada and the United States
Prometric significantly expands access by providing proctored, computer-based testing in a controlled environment at over 5,000 test centers worldwide. At Prometric centers, students may be seated in testing rooms with adults taking different exams. Availability: Both.
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<span class="text-color-green" role="decoration"> Availability and Timeline</span>
When determining your preferred test modes, also factor in proximity to the nearest test center and whether the testing dates align with your schedule.
In general, ISEE paper tests are available on numerous dates throughout the testing seasons, with each school setting the dates. These schools can offer a computer-based version of the test at their preference. The SSAT has 6 designated Standard paper test dates, beginning in October and ending in March; SSAT Flex testing is also available with educational consultants and schools throughout the testing year with each location setting the dates. SSAT at Home testing is available for 1–2 weeks per month, whereas, ISEE at Home is generally daily. Most Prometric test centers offer both assessments daily.
The following links will help you compare the testing schedules and locations.
- ISEE Test Dates and Locations Search (for all test options)
- SSAT Paper Test Dates
- SSAT Paper Test Center Search
- SSAT at Home Test Dates
- SSAT Prometric Center Search (Select "SSAT by the Enrollment Management Association" from the drop-down menu)
The overall application timeline could also affect your decision if your student plans to take an assessment more than once. ISEE testers can take it once per testing season for a total of up to 3 times per school year. Testing Seasons are defined as:
- Fall: August – November
- Winter: December – March
- Spring/Summer: April – July
The SSAT's policies align with the test mode instead of the season. For paper, Middle and Upper Level students may take up to 6 Standard tests and 1 Flex test. For computer testing, SSAT at Home allows 1 test per school year, and Prometric allows 2 tests per school year (both are Middle and Upper Level only).
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<span class="text-color-orange" role="decoration">Character Skills Snapshot and Standard Application Online</span>
Interconnectivity between our admission services is a work in progress as we navigate the technical aspects of the merger. In the short term, there is some benefit to using resources that are already aligned.
When applying to schools that ask students to take the Character Skills Snapshot, there is a cost-saving bundle option when registering for the SSAT, as well as potential time savings from only registering in one system.
Likewise, the SSAT and Snapshot results are linked to Standard Application Online (SAO) applications for convenience, and they also share the same account profile information and settings.
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<span class="text-color-lightblue" role="decoration">Score Reporting Timeline</span>
ISEE paper test scores are typically available within 5–10 days of the test administration, and computer test results are usually ready in 3–5 days.
SSAT paper scores are typically released within two weeks of the test administration. SSAT at Home scores are typically released on the Wednesday following your test administration. For assessments administered at a Prometric center on Monday through Sunday, results are typically made available on Wednesday following that testing week.
For the ISEE, results are available to families and schools on the same day when families have designated score recipients by their test date. For the SSAT, score recipients who are entered at any time before the score release will receive the results immediately upon release. For both assessments, families can begin designating schools to receive results during registration; however, if you want to review the scores before schools receive them, please wait to designate recipients until after the release.
It's also worth noting that most schools are understanding of receiving test results after application deadlines when the test administration occurs close to or soon after their deadline. Always confirm this with the school before registering for either assessment around deadlines.
<span class="text-color-green" role="decoration">ISEE and SSAT Equivalencies By Current Grade Level</span>
The following chart displays the ISEE and SSAT tests that students should take based on their current grade. Please note that in the spring, SSAT testers may test up a grade (for example, current 7th graders can take the test for current 8th graders), and those results are eligible for submission with fall applications.
For any specific questions related to either assessment, please don't hesitate to contact our Support teams.
