Independent School Entrance Exam & Test Preparation

What is the ISEE?

The Independent School Entrance Exam, or ISEE, is a high school entrance exam taken by students in grades 4 through 12 seeking admission into private schools and non-Catholic religious schools throughout the United States. The ISEE is a four-section, multiple-choice exam administered by the Education Records Bureau. The test is designed and written by teachers, school administrators, and the Education Records Bureau. There are three levels of the ISEE: Upper, Middle, and Lower.

Many independent and non-Catholic religious affiliated schools consider your ISEE scores as part of their admission criteria. Schools also use your ISEE scores to assess how well you might perform academically if admitted to their school. It is a common measurement of your academic capabilities, separate from school records.

What is the content on the ISEE? What are the different test sections of the ISEE?

Upper Level Number of Questions Section Time
Verbal Reasoning

ISEE Verbal Reasoning

  • Tests vocabulary and reasoning abilities
  • Synonym section focuses on word recognition
  • Sentence Completion section measures students' knowledge of words and their function
  • Use context clues to decide which word best fits the sentence
40 20
Quantitative Reasoning

ISEE Quantitative Reasoning

  • Tests mathematical synthesis, skill, comprehension, and logical reasoning
  • Quantitative Reasoning problems are higher-order thinking problems
  • Interpreting data
  • Solving application problems
  • Estimating
  • Recognizing patterns
  • Solving non-routine problems
37 35
Reading Comprehension

ISEE Reading Comprehension

  • Tests reading ability through six to eight passages, depending on the ISEE test level.
  • Each passage is followed by at least 4 text-related questions.

Read more...

36 35
Mathematics Achievement

ISEE Mathematics Achievement

  • Correlates with common mathematics curriculum taught in schools.
  • Students may NOT use calculators on the ISEE.

Read more...

47 40
Essay

ISEE Essay

  • Students are allotted 30 minutes to formulate an essay
  • Students' essays must be in response to a provided prompt
  • Students' essays are sent to each school that receives the ISEE score report
  • Essays are NOT SCORED, but are instead evaluated individually by each school
  • The ISEE essay section is intended for students to demonstrate their writing abilities
1 prompt 30
Middle Level Number of Questions Section Time
Verbal Reasoning

ISEE Verbal Reasoning

  • Tests vocabulary and reasoning abilities
  • Synonym section focuses on word recognition
  • Sentence Completion section measures students' knowledge of words and their function
  • Use context clues to decide which word best fits the sentence
40 20
Quantitative Reasoning

ISEE Quantitative Reasoning

  • Tests mathematical synthesis, skill, comprehension, and logical reasoning.
  • Evaluates high-order thinking through Quantitative Reasoning problems.
  • Interpreting data
  • Solving application problems
  • Estimating
  • Recognizing patterns
37 35
Reading Comprehension

ISEE Reading Comprehension

  • Tests reading ability through six to eight passages, depending on the ISEE test level.
  • Each passage is followed by at least 4 text-related questions.

Read more...

36 35
Mathematics Achievement

ISEE Mathematics Achievement

  • Correlates with common mathematics curriculum taught in schools.
  • Students may NOT use calculators on the ISEE.

Read more...

47 40
Essay

ISEE Essay

  • Students are allotted 30 minutes to formulate an essay.
  • Students' essays must be in response to a provided prompt.
  • Students' essays are sent to each school that receives the ISEE score report.
  • Essays are NOT SCORED, but are instead evaluated individually by each school.
  • The ISEE essay section is intended for students to demonstrate their writing abilities.
1 prompt 30
Lower Level Number of Questions Section Time
Verbal Reasoning

ISEE Verbal Reasoning

  • Tests vocabulary and reasoning abilities.
  • Synonym section focuses on word recognition.
  • Sentence Completion section measures students' knowledge of words and their function.
  • Uses context clues to decide which word best fits the sentence.
34 20
Quantitative Reasoning

ISEE Quantitative Reasoning

  • Tests mathematical synthesis, skill, comprehension, and logical reasoning
  • Quantitative Reasoning problems are higher-order thinking problems
  • Interpreting data
  • Solving application problems
  • Estimating
  • Recognizing patterns
  • Solving non-routine problems
38 35
Reading Comprehension

ISEE Reading Comprehension

  • Tests reading ability through six to eight passages, depending on the ISEE test level.
  • Each passage is followed by at least 4 text-related questions.

Read more...

25 25
Mathematics Achievement

ISEE Mathematics Achievement

  • Correlates with common mathematics curriculum taught in schools.
  • Students may NOT use calculators on the ISEE.

Read more...

30 30
Essay

ISEE Essay

  • Students are allotted 30 minutes to formulate an essay
  • Students' essays must be in response to a provided prompt
  • Students' essays are sent to each school that receives the ISEE score report
  • Essays are NOT SCORED, but are instead evaluated individually by each school
  • The ISEE essay section is intended for students to demonstrate their writing abilities
1 prompt 30

What are the different levels of the ISEE?

Testing Level Grade Student Entering
Upper 9-12
Middle 7-8
Lower 5-6

How long does the ISEE take?

Testing Level Total Testing Time
Upper 2 hours, 40 minutes
Middle 2 hours, 40 minutes
Lower 2 hours, 20 minutes

How do I register for the ISEE? When is the test offered?

Each school chooses their own test date. ISEE test dates, locations, and registration information can be found at http://erblearn.org/parents/admission/isee/registration

How many times can I take the ISEE?

The ISEE may be taken only once within any six-month period.

How is the ISEE scored?

For all levels of the ISEE, for each multiple-choice question answered correctly, you receive one point. You are not penalized for incorrect answers or for omitted answers. Your speed in completing each ISEE section is not considered in scoring. Correct, incorrect, and omitted answers are tallied for each test section to produce a raw score. The total number of correct answers is your raw score.

Raw scores are then converted into scaled scores, using a formula designed to compensate for any differences in difficulty from test to test. The ISEE is graded on a scale of 760 to 940. The scales are derived from specific tables produced by the test maker. Once scores are converted to scaled scores, they are compared with the scores of students of the same grade level across the country. This is done using a 3-year rolling pool of test-taker scores.

Program percentiles compare you with peer test-takers within the same age and grade group.

  • Scores between the 50th percentile and 74th percentile are considered to be "barely above average".
  • Scores at or above the 75th percentile are considered to be "very strong".

      • A student who always scored above the 50th percentile on other tests may place below the 50th percentile on the ISEE, and students who normally score above the 90th percentile on other tests may score barely above average on the ISEE. For example, parents are frequently surprised when they see a 75th percentile score for a child who scored at the 95th percentile last year on a test based on state or national norms. This difference is due to the high-achieving population of students taking the ISEE, which makes the ranking very competitive.

      ISEE Essays are not scored and therefore not factored into your score report. Instead, the Essays are forwarded to the same schools that will receive your ISEE score report. Admissions committees from each school will individually assess the applicant's writing capabilities.

      ISEE Score Reports are released to the schools, educational consultants, and education organizations that you select on your registration form. Scores remain active for one academic year. The scores required for admissions vary by school. Contact the schools directly for
      admissions information.

      Interested in preparing for the ISEE Exam? Huntington can help! Call 1 800 CAN LEARN


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