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150 multiple-choice questions and 55 flashcards, written to the SSAT Upper Level blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
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SSAT Upper Level — 5 sections: Quantitative (Math) 1, Reading, Verbal, Quantitative (Math) 2, Writing Sample (unscored)
CoStudy's SSAT Upper Level (Grades 8-12 Admissions) bank holds 205 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
CAT : KITTEN :: DOG : ?
Answer: B — Puppy
Adult : young relationship. A/C/E) Wrong concept. B) Correct. D) Cat:meow-type analogy, not adult:young.
Simplify: x⁵ ÷ x²
Answer: A — x³
Subtract exponents: 5-2=3. B) Correct.
Probability of rolling a 6 then a 3 on two fair dice (in order):
Answer: E — 1/36
Independent: 1/6 × 1/6 = 1/36. E) Correct.
Solve x² - 5x + 6 = 0.
Answer: A — x = 2, 3
(x-2)(x-3) = 0. B) Correct.
SCORES — Top private schools usually look for:
Answer: B — 80+ percentile in all sections
A/C/D) Reductive. B) Correct — most-selective schools 90+, but 80+ is the common threshold.
In context, 'the candidate's address was eloquent' means the speech was:
Answer: D — Articulate and persuasive
Vocabulary in context. B) Correct. A/D) Off-by-one. C/E) Antonym register.
Evaluate: 2³ × 3²
Answer: D — 72
8 × 9 = 72. D) Correct. A) 4×9. B) 8×6. C) 6×9. E) 9×9.
Synonym for RAUCOUS:
Answer: A — Rowdy
Raucous = loud and disorderly. A) Antonym. B) Correct. C/D/E) Antonym register.
In a class of 30, ratio of boys to girls is 2:3. Number of boys:
Answer: C — 12
2/5 × 30 = 12. C) Correct. D) Number of girls.
BOOK : READ :: SONG : ?
Answer: D — Listen
Object : action performed on it. A/C) Parts. B) Correct. D) Attribute. E) Category.
Synonym for TREPIDATION:
Answer: B — Apprehension
Trepidation = fear or anxiety. A) Antonym. B) Correct. C) Off-by-one (surprise ≠ fear). D/E) Wrong emotion.
STRATEGY — SSAT guessing penalty is:
Answer: A — -1/4 point per wrong answer
B/C/D) Wrong. A) Correct — only guess with elimination. Random guessing on average loses points.
6 sample cards from the 55 in the bank.
Reading structure?
40 min, 40 questions, ~7-8 passages (~250-350 words each). Mix of fiction, nonfiction, poetry.
Probability basics?
P(event) = favorable/total. For independent events: P(A and B) = P(A)·P(B). Complement: P(not A) = 1 - P(A).
Arithmetic essentials?
Order of operations (PEMDAS), fraction arithmetic, percent ↔ decimal ↔ fraction conversion, signed numbers.
Should you pick the creative prompt or the essay?
Choose the one you can write more strongly in 25 min. Both are read by admissions. The 'right' choice = the one where you write a complete, coherent piece.
Verbal pace?
30 sec per question. Quick + decisive. If you don't recognize a word's meaning at all, skip — don't guess (penalty).
Strategy: tone words?
Build a vocabulary of tone descriptors: nostalgic, sardonic, reverent, ambivalent, ironic, elegiac, contemptuous, sympathetic. SSAT loves these.
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
Open SSAT Upper Level (Grades 8-12 Admissions) →
The SSAT Upper Level (Grades 8-12 Admissions) bank holds 205 items: 150 multiple-choice questions, 55 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 205-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.