For general knowledge about ISEE, including the test format, how to register, the fee, where to take, how to interpret ISEE scores, and so on, please check it here ISEE.
Before the test
What is ISEE?
The ISEE is an admission test that has three levels: a Lower Level, Middle Level, and Upper Level. The Lower Level is for students currently in grades 4 and 5 who are candidates for admission to grades 5 and 6. The Middle Level is for students in grades 6 and 7 who are candidates for grades 7 and 8. The Upper Level is for students in grades 8 through 11 who are candidates for grades 9 through 12. In addition, there is a Primary ISEE for students applying for grades 2, 3 and 4. More quick facts about ISEE
Which level of the ISEE should I take?
There are six levels of the ISEE. Students currently in grade 1 (applicants to grade 2) take the Primary 2.Students currently in grade 2 (applicants to grade 3) take the Primary 3.Students currently in grade 3 (applicants to grade 4) take the Primary 4.Students currently in grades 4 and 5 (applicants to grades 5 or 6) take the Lower Level.Students currently in grades 6 and 7 (applicants to grades 7 or 8) take the Middle Level. Students currently in grades 8 and above (applicants to grades 9-12) take the Upper Level. More details about each level.
How many times can I take the ISEE?
A student could take one ISEE per season (Fall: August to November, Winter: December to March, and Spring/Summer: April to July), up to three times per year.
Will schools see how many times I've taken ISEE?
No. This information is not included on the score report.
Can schools see my list of score recipients?
No. Your list of score recipients is not shared with any schools.
When can I add and remove schools from my score recipient list?
You may add schools to your score recipient list at any time before or after your student's test date. You may remove schools from your score recipient list up until your student's test date—schools cannot be removed from the list after your student tests.
What can I expect at the test site on the day of the test?
Students will present their verification letter and identification to be checked in upon arrival. The test site schools do not conduct admission activities or highlight their schools on the day of testing. Knowing that testing may be stressful for some students, schools will provide test administrators who are teachers or other school personnel who teach or interact with children on a daily basis. Test administrators may not discuss test questions during the test. However, they will give clear test directions, and your child is encouraged to ask for clarification, if necessary, before beginning each section of the test.
What does the scaled score mean?
A scaled score is a common scale, derived from the raw score, that has the same meaning for all students regardless of the edition or form taken. The scaled score is used to control slight variations among different forms of a test. It enables us to report a score on a common scale that has the same meaning for all students. The scaled score range for all sections and levels of the ISEE falls between 760 and 940.
Are there multiple versions of the ISEE?
At each of the three levels, there are several different, but equivalent, forms. The specific forms to be used each year will be determined in advance by ERB. These forms are randomly assigned to the students and are statistically equivalent, regardless of which form was actually taken by the student.
The ISEE is an admission test that has three levels: a Lower Level, Middle Level, and Upper Level. The Lower Level is for students currently in grades 4 and 5 who are candidates for admission to grades 5 and 6. The Middle Level is for students in grades 6 and 7 who are candidates for grades 7 and 8. The Upper Level is for students in grades 8 through 11 who are candidates for grades 9 through 12. In addition, there is a Primary ISEE for students applying for grades 2, 3 and 4. More quick facts about ISEE
Which level of the ISEE should I take?
There are six levels of the ISEE. Students currently in grade 1 (applicants to grade 2) take the Primary 2.Students currently in grade 2 (applicants to grade 3) take the Primary 3.Students currently in grade 3 (applicants to grade 4) take the Primary 4.Students currently in grades 4 and 5 (applicants to grades 5 or 6) take the Lower Level.Students currently in grades 6 and 7 (applicants to grades 7 or 8) take the Middle Level. Students currently in grades 8 and above (applicants to grades 9-12) take the Upper Level. More details about each level.
How many times can I take the ISEE?
A student could take one ISEE per season (Fall: August to November, Winter: December to March, and Spring/Summer: April to July), up to three times per year.
Will schools see how many times I've taken ISEE?
No. This information is not included on the score report.
Can schools see my list of score recipients?
No. Your list of score recipients is not shared with any schools.
When can I add and remove schools from my score recipient list?
You may add schools to your score recipient list at any time before or after your student's test date. You may remove schools from your score recipient list up until your student's test date—schools cannot be removed from the list after your student tests.
What can I expect at the test site on the day of the test?
Students will present their verification letter and identification to be checked in upon arrival. The test site schools do not conduct admission activities or highlight their schools on the day of testing. Knowing that testing may be stressful for some students, schools will provide test administrators who are teachers or other school personnel who teach or interact with children on a daily basis. Test administrators may not discuss test questions during the test. However, they will give clear test directions, and your child is encouraged to ask for clarification, if necessary, before beginning each section of the test.
What does the scaled score mean?
A scaled score is a common scale, derived from the raw score, that has the same meaning for all students regardless of the edition or form taken. The scaled score is used to control slight variations among different forms of a test. It enables us to report a score on a common scale that has the same meaning for all students. The scaled score range for all sections and levels of the ISEE falls between 760 and 940.
Are there multiple versions of the ISEE?
At each of the three levels, there are several different, but equivalent, forms. The specific forms to be used each year will be determined in advance by ERB. These forms are randomly assigned to the students and are statistically equivalent, regardless of which form was actually taken by the student.
What Types of Questions Are on the ISEE?
The first four sections are composed of multiple-choice questions. The fifth section, the essay, is not scored but requires the student to respond in his or her own handwriting to a preselected writing prompt.
Study methods
- Verbal Reasoning Section consists of two types:
- Vocabulary: consists of an abstract, grade-level appropriate word followed by four possible answer choices
- Sentence completion: consists of a sentence with one missing word followed by four potential answer choices. A student must select the word that most appropriately completes the context of the sentence.
- Quantitative Reasoning section consists of word problems and quantitative comparisons.
- Some of the word problems require either no calculation or simple calculation.
- The quantitative comparison items present two quantities, (A) and (B), and ask the student to select one of the following four answer choices:
- (A) The quantity in Column A is greater.
- (B) The quantity in Column B is greater.
- (C) The two quantities are equal.
- (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
- Reading Comprehension section measures the applicant’s ability to correctly answer curriculum-based concepts that are appropriate at that grade level according to curriculum standards adopted by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The student is asked to read a passage and then answer items specific to that passage. The six passages in this section are age-appropriate and length-appropriate, covering a variety of subject areas including arts, contemporary life, history, and science.
- Mathematics Achievement asks the student to identify the problem and find a solution to a problem, which require one or more steps in calculating the answer. Like Reading Comprehension section, it's curriculum-based, grade level appropriated based on the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
- The Essay is written by the student in response to a writing “prompt” or topic that is grade-level appropriate. The prompts rotate throughout the testing season. They are designed to prompt a student to write an informed essay on a particular topic. As is true of the passages in the Reading Comprehension section, these prompts have been written for a contemporary feel and a high level of interest to current students. Each prompt is one or two sentences long and asks students to respond to the situation described.
Study methods
- Study on your own
- Study with a tutor
- Go to test prep institutes like Trinity Scholar, where you can work with an instructor who is not only an expert on the test him/herself, but also has gone through training from a test prep company (in our case, Kaplan).
Download Guide Book with Practice Test
During the test
Can I bring a snack or drink to the test?
Yes. Snacks and drinks are allowed but may only be accessed or consumed during scheduled breaks, outside the test room.
Can I use the restroom during the test?
There are break provided during the test for trips to restroom.
Yes. Snacks and drinks are allowed but may only be accessed or consumed during scheduled breaks, outside the test room.
Can I use the restroom during the test?
There are break provided during the test for trips to restroom.
Test Day Checklist
1. Print your Verification Letter: A Verification Letter is required at check-in on the day of testing. The Verification Letter confirms a student’s test date, time, and location. Upon completion of the registration process, the Verification Letter will be emailed confirming test registration details. The Verification Letter is also available in your online account and may be printed out.
2. What to Bring:
3. What NOT to Bring into the test room
2. What to Bring:
- Verification Letter
- Photo ID of the student: such as library card, birth certificate, social security card, school report card, school ID, passport or green card, and so on. Photocopies are acceptable at all testing locations except Prometric testing offices.
- Photo ID of the parent/ guardian: For testing at a Prometric testing center, the parent or guardian must also have legal identification (state-issued ID or driver's license, passport, or green card). Prometric testing centers will accept only original identification documents—no photocopies.
- Paper based only: 4 #2 or HB Pencils (no mechanical pencils)
- Paper based only: 4 good erasers (if not part of the pencil).
- Paper based only: Two black or blue ballpoint pens (erasable pens are permitted)
- Snack or Drink (Bring snacks and drinks in a clear zip-top bag with your student’s name on it.)
3. What NOT to Bring into the test room
- Do not bring any personal items or materials to the test room besides those listed in the above point 2.
- Students may not bring any books, papers, rulers, calculators*, calculator watches, rulers, protractors, compasses, dictionaries, thesauruses, cell phones of any kind, or other electronic devices (iPods, MP3s, beepers, etc.) into the examination room. If a student does not comply, he or she will be excused from testing and the test will be invalidated.
- Calculators are permitted only if the student was approved for a testing accommodation that explicitly allows for calculator use.
After the test
When will my scores are available?
Can I see my writing sample?
Student essays are not shared with families or students because of the high security of ISEE essay prompts; the writing sample will be shared to the schools in your recipient list.
- After paper testing, schools send the ISEE answer sheets and essays to the ISEE Operations Office for production of an Individual Student Report (ISR). Scoring takes place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The ISR is posted to a family’s online account right after scoring and an email is then sent to notify the family that this has taken place. Copies of the ISR are also posted for ERB schools and consultants, only if the family has listed them as recipients. The essay, which is not scored and is released only to ERB schools, accompanies the ISR. Score reports to schools do not list any other school recipients.
- For online ISEE testing at a school or Prometric site, score reports will post online 3–5 days after the exam. A notification will be emailed to let you know the report is ready. A hard copy will not be sent to the home address.
Can I see my writing sample?
Student essays are not shared with families or students because of the high security of ISEE essay prompts; the writing sample will be shared to the schools in your recipient list.
How can I improve my Reading & Writing / English sections?
Make a habit of reading
- read magazines, news, short articles or books in English frequently, as this will improve your reading speed and overall text comprehension.
- Practice often. For non-native English speakers, the time limit often poses a problem. Time yourself to figure out your reading pace, and to familiarize yourself with the amount of time you will have during the actual test.
- Mark the questions you are unsure about, so that if you have time after finishing the entire section, you can reread those questions. After correcting your answers, review the ones you got wrong. Analyze the passage again, and figure out what the mistake was and why you made it.
How can I improve my math section?
- Practice.
- Find out what you don’t know and fill in the content gaps.
- Re-solve questions you get wrong before looking at answer explanations.
- Keep asking questions until you understand a topic fully.
How can I improve Essay/Writing test?
Read more
- read magazines, news, short articles or books in English frequently
- Analyze and see what gives an essay a high score. What do they have that you don’t?
- Imitate their style/techniques you like
- Since it would be difficult to grade your own essay, get an experienced teacher to read your essay and give you advice.
Source: www.erblearn.org/