Choate does not require SSAT or ISEE scores, and it does not publish a minimum or average score. If your student is applying to grade 9 and chooses to submit one, Choate accepts the SSAT or the ISEE taken on or after June 2026. Choate says applicants who do not submit scores are not penalized, and that it reviews the highest score from each section across test dates.
This guide covers which tests Choate accepts by grade, how the scores are used, how to send them, and how to decide whether to test at all.
What Choate says about testing
The Frequently Asked Questions page says standardized testing is not required to apply. It says applicants will not be penalized for not submitting scores, that scores are considered as part of a holistic review, and that a student is never assessed based solely on test scores. Choate also says it sets no minimum requirements and does not publish average GPA or test scores, so no school-published target score exists. Be skeptical of any site that gives one.
Which tests Choate accepts, by grade
Choate's FAQ lists these options:
- Grade 9: SSAT or ISEE, taken on or after June 2026.
- Grades 10 and 11: SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, or ACT, taken on or after June 2025.
- Postgraduate: PSAT, SAT, or ACT, taken on or after June 2024.
Choate's Admission Process page words the grade ranges slightly differently from its FAQ, so confirm the list for your grade on the admissions site before you register for any test.
How scores are reviewed
Choate says it reviews the highest score from each section across multiple test dates, often called superscoring. A student who takes a test twice does not have to worry that the second sitting replaces the first. Scores should be sent directly to Choate from the testing organization, or from the applicant's school, whenever possible. For the PSAT, SAT, and ACT, a school counselor may submit verified scores.
Choate publishes score-report codes on its Admission Process page. The page lists them without clearly labeling which code belongs to which test, so do not guess. Open the page when you register and match each code to its test.
What the two tests look like
SSAT Upper Level
The Enrollment Management Association lists the Upper Level SSAT at 3 hours and 10 minutes in total, including two 10-minute breaks. It has quantitative, reading comprehension, and verbal sections, an unscored experimental section, and a 25-minute writing sample. The writing sample is not scored but is sent to the schools you choose.
ISEE Upper Level
The 2026-27 ISEE Quick Facts Guide from ERB describes the Upper Level ISEE, for applicants to grades 9 through 12, as having Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and a 30-minute essay that the guide describes as unscored. Total test time is 2 hours and 40 minutes plus two 10-minute breaks.
If you are choosing between them, Choate does not state a preference for one test over the other for grade 9. Look at the format that suits your student and the schools on the list. Ask each school you are applying to which tests it accepts.
Should your student submit scores?
Because testing is optional, the decision is practical, not required.
- Submit if your student's scores represent them well and add information the transcript does not. Choate says it reviews them as part of the whole file.
- Skip if the score does not reflect the student, or if preparing would crowd out schoolwork. Choate says there is no penalty for not submitting.
Whatever you decide, the interview, essays, recommendations, and transcript carry the application. See the Choate application guide and the Choate interview guide.
A simple plan if you choose to test
- Identify the test your student will take and its date, inside the window Choate lists for the grade.
- Build practice around what the test measures, for example reading, quantitative reasoning, and writing.
- Register using the score-report code that matches the test, or ask the testing organization to send the scores to Choate directly.
- Plan the test early enough that scores can arrive before the January 15 deadline. Choate says it must receive some indication of current-year performance no later than February 1. See the Choate admissions timeline.
Test fee waivers
Choate says to email admission@choate.edu to request a test fee waiver. Clarity, the financial aid application, also determines fee waiver eligibility automatically. See the Choate financial aid guide.
Common mistakes
- Taking an out-of-window test. Scores must fall inside the dates Choate lists for your grade.
- Assuming optional means ignored. Choate says scores are reviewed in a holistic file, not that they are meaningless.
- Using a number from the internet as a target. Choate publishes none.
- Mixing up score codes. Verify each code on the admissions site.
- Neglecting the rest of the file. A strong score does not replace the essays or interview.
Frequently asked questions
Does Choate require the SSAT or ISEE?
No. Choate says standardized testing is not required to apply and that applicants are not penalized for not submitting scores.
What SSAT or ISEE score do I need for Choate?
Choate does not publish a minimum or average score. Its FAQ says it sets no minimum requirements.
Which tests can a ninth grade applicant send?
The SSAT or the ISEE, taken on or after June 2026, according to Choate's FAQ.
Does Choate superscore?
Yes. Choate says it reviews the highest score from each section across multiple test dates.
How do I send scores to Choate?
Choate asks that scores be sent directly from the testing organization or from the applicant's school. Use the score-report codes on its Admission Process page.
Where EduAvenues fits
If you want structured help preparing a student for the application, see the programs page. The free diagnostic and the planner on the resources page are good places to begin.
Sources
- Choate Admission Process
- Choate Admission Frequently Asked Questions
- Choate Admission
- Choate Tuition and Financial Aid
- Choate Tuition and Financial Aid FAQ
- Choate About
- Choate Campus Tour
- What's on the Upper Level SSAT (The Enrollment Management Association)
- ISEE Quick Facts Guide 2026-27 (ERB)
ChoatePrep by EduAvenues is an independent service, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Choate Rosemary Hall.