SSAT Upper Level Verbal

A comprehensive guide to mastering the verbal section of the SSAT Upper Level, focusing on vocabulary, analogies, and reading comprehension skills.

Advanced Topics

Complex Analogy Relationships

Recognizing Nuanced Relationships

Not all analogies are straightforward. Some test your ability to spot subtle or abstract relationships, like cause and effect, degree, or sequence.

  • Cause and Effect: Rain : Flood
  • Sequence: Seed : Plant
  • Degree: Warm : Hot

Tips for Tough Analogies

  • Use process of elimination.
  • Think about how the words are connected in real life.
  • Make up your own sentence showing the relationship.

Application Beyond the Test

Understanding complex relationships is useful in science, literature, and even solving real-life puzzles!

Examples

  • 'Embryo is to baby as sapling is to tree'—a sequence analogy.

  • 'Spark is to fire as seed is to plant'—a cause-and-effect analogy.

In a Nutshell

Challenging analogies require creative and logical thinking.