phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language. The reading comprehension section of the SSAT guides schools in placing students in appropriate classes. However, not al schools require an SSAT score, and few schools use the SSAT to judge the students academic skills, so the reading comprehension test does not help unless it is an independent school judging a students academic skills by the SSAT. Verbal SSAT Verbal Reasoning is the first and fastest section in the test. Verbal reasoning is mainly understanding and reasoning using concepts expressed in words. It aims at assessing the ability to think constructively, rather than at simple fluency or vocabulary recognition. This section of the test is composed of two parts – synonyms and sentence completions. It takes 20 minutes to complete the 20 Synonym Questions and 20 Sentence Completion Questions. These questions test students' familiarity with vocabulary and their ability to apply that knowledge. Outside of the test, verbal reasoning skills allow students to understand and solve complicated subject questions and perform logical reasoning. Synonym questions in the SSAT look like this: CELEBRATE: (A) align (B) fathom (C) rejoice (D) salivate (E) appreciate In this case, the answer would be (C). Analogy questions in the SSAT look like this: Dog is to Puppy as (A) Lion is to Lioness (B) Cat is to Kitten (C) Monkey is to Ape (D) Rabbit is to Carrot (E) Cello is to violin In this case, the answer would be (B). On the Middle and Upper Level SSATs, the verbal section is 30 minutes long and consists of 30 synonym and 30 analogy questions. It asks students to identify synonyms and to interpret analogies. The synonym questions test the strength of the students' vocabulary, while the analogy questions measure their ability to logically relate ideas to one another. Analogies are a comparison between two things that are usually seen as different from each other but have some similarities. They act as an aid to understanding things by making connections and seeing relationships between them based on knowledge already possessed. Comparisons like these play an important role in improving problem-solving and decision-making skills, in perception and memory, in communication and reasoning skills, and in reading and building vocabulary. Analogies help students to process information actively, make important decisions, and improve understanding and long-term memory. Considering the relationships stimulates critical and creative thinking. Elementary