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The ISEE may be your student’s first exposure to standardized testing, and a smart, patient, experienced tutor can make all the difference in helping them to feel confident and perform to their ability on Test Day. For more than 10 years, Open Door has been helping students earn ISEE scores that they are proud to send to schools.
While the content that is tested on the ISEE is the same for each student, no two students have precisely the same needs. Your student will start by learning the structure and nature of the test and developing essential high-level understandings and strategies. From there, your student will receive individualized guidance in response to their unique strengths and challenges. From mastering the formulas they need to know for the Quantitative Reasoning section to learning smart strategies for sentence completion questions in the Verbal Reasoning section, your student will gain habits and skills that will have a meaningful impact on their Test Day performance.
By the time Test Day arrives, your student will be equipped with the confidence, skills and strategies to exceed their goals and expand their opportunities.
Students who are applying to private schools that accept ISEE scores should plan to take the ISEE. Your student should start by taking a diagnostic ISEE to establish baseline scores and identify priorities.
There are four different levels of the ISEE. The Primary Level ISEE is for students applying for grades 2 through 4, the Lower Level ISEE is for students applying for grades 5 and 6, the Middle Level ISEE is for students applying for grades 7 and 8, and the Upper Level ISEE is for students applying for high school.
The ISEE is broken into five sections in four content areas: Verbal, Math, Reading, and Essay Writing.
The Verbal Reasoning section tests students knowledge of vocabulary as well as their ability to recognize correct usage in context. The Verbal section is split into two parts: Synonyms and Sentence Completions. The Synonyms section asks students to find words with the same meaning, while the Sentence Completion section tests students’ ability to identify the correct word to use given context cluse in the sentence. On the Upper Level ISEE, the Verbal section is 40 questions in 20 minutes, with 20 Synonyms questions and 20 Sentence Completion questions.
The Math section is split between the Quantitative Reasoning section and the Mathematics Achievement section. Both sections test a range of math content from number properties and operations up through geometry and exponent rules. The Quantitative Reasoning section is primarily word problems and quantitative comparison questions that ivolve executing math operations, while the Mathematics Achievement section does not require calculations. Students are not permitted to use calculators. On the Upper Level ISEE, the Quantitative Reasoning section is 37 questions in 35 minutes while the Mathematics Achievement section is 47 questions to be completed in 40 minutes.
The Reading section tests reading comprehension by presenting students with a series of short passages on a range of topics. The most important underlying skills being tested are the ability to locate evidence and recognize paraphrasing, as most answers choices are summaries of or variations on what is already stated in the text. On the Upper Level ISEE, the Reading section includes 36 questions in 35 minutes.
The Writing section of the ISEE presents students with a single prompt to which they must respond. The prompt often asks students to consider a change they would like to make in the world or a topic that is important to them. On the Upper Level ISEE, the Writing section is 30 minutes long.
It is best to begin preparing at least two-and-a-half months before your first ISEE. Students who meet with their tutor 8-10 times before their first test and then 4-6 times before each subsequent test typically see the greatest score improvements.
Building vocabulary takes time and requires consistent work. Students are wise to begin practicing vocabulary as much as six months before their first test.
Each section of the ISEE is scored on a scale of 760 to 940 points. Students will also receive a percentile rank as well as a stanine. A stanine is essentially a score from 1 to 9, with 9 representing the highest scores.
Most students and admissions professionals focus on the percentile or the stanine rather than the scaled score, and this is the value that you will see referenced most when researching schools’ score ranges.
In order to be ready for your test, make sure to prepare your materials in advance. You will need:
My 8th grade daughter worked with Tom on ISEE prep and he was fantastic!! She really looked forward to her weekly sessions and Tom’s post-session recaps were spot-on. We were thrilled with the overall experience and highly recommend for anyone looking for test prep. Not only did her scores improve over time, but she was also accepted to her top choice. Tom and Open Door were integral members of our “team” and we are so happy to have found them.
My 8th grade daughter worked with Tom on ISEE prep and he was fantastic!! She really looked forward to her weekly sessions and Tom’s post-session recaps were spot-on. We were thrilled with the overall experience and highly recommend for anyone looking for test prep. Not only did her scores improve over time, but she was also accepted to her top choice. Tom and Open Door were integral members of our “team” and we are so happy to have found them.
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