ISEE

# Summit the ISEE.

The Independent School Entrance Examination is used for admission to private middle and high schools.

• Elite guidance on your schedule

• Available online and in person

• Custom curriculum

• Full-length practice tests

• Expert materials and strategies

# ISEE Basics

Overview

The ISEE is often required for admission to private schools for grades 2-12. The ISEE students take depends on the grade level for which they are applying.

Appropriate Test Levels

Grades 5 and 6: Lower Level
Grades 7 and 8: Middle Level

ISEE Primary Level

• The Primary 2 Exam is 53 minutes long and is for students entering second grade.

• The Primary 3 Exam is 54 minutes long and is for students entering third grade.

• The Primary 4 Exam is 60 minutes long and is for students entering fourth grade.

• All tests include an untimed writing prompt.

ISEE Lower Level

The Lower Level Exam is required for students applying to enter fifth or sixth grade. It is 2 hours and 20 minutes in length.

Verbal Reasoning

34 questions

20 minutes

Quantitative Reasoning

38 questions

35 minutes

25 questions

25 minutes

Mathematics Achievement

30 questions

30 minutes

Essay

1 question

30 minutes

ISEE Middle and Upper Level

• The ISEE Middle Level Exam is required for students applying to enter seventh or eighth grade.

• The ISEE Upper Level Exam is required for students applying to enter ninth through 12th grade, though the PSAT, ACT, and SAT can often be used for grades 11 and 12.

• The Middle Level and Upper Level exams are both 2 hours and 40 minutes in length.

Verbal Reasoning

40 questions

20 minutes

Quantitative Reasoning

37 questions

35 minutes

36 questions

35 minutes

Mathematics Achievement

47 questions

40 minutes

Essay

1 question

30 minutes

Length

Primary Level (candidates for grade 2-4)

# 53-60mins

(depending on grade level) plus untimed writing sample

Lower Level (candidates for grade 5 and 6)

# 2 hrs20 mins

Middle/Upper Level (candidates for grades 7 and 12)

# 2 hrs40 mins

Sections

Primary Level

Mathematics
Writing Sample

Lower/Middle/Upper Level

Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Mathematics Achievement
Unscored Essay (sent to all schools)

Format

The ISEE is available to take on paper or on the computer. An on-demand, at-home test is now available for students taking the lower, middle, or upper level tests.

Test Dates and Fees

The ISEE has three testing seasons. Students can take the test once each season and up to three times in a 12-month period.

• Fall Season - August through November

• Winter Season - December through March

• Spring/Summer Season - April through July

The test is offered numerous times each month at participating schools, small testing offices, and Prometric test centers. The on-demand, at-home testing option is run by Prometric, and spots are widely available.

Test Fees range from $125 (large group testing at schools) to$200 (Prometric testing).

You can see available test dates and register to test via the official ISEE website, but you must create a parent account before registering.

Common Questions

When can I take the ISEE, and how do I sign up?

How is the ISEE scored?

The ISEE converts your raw score (number of correct answers) to a scaled score ranging from 760 to 940. The ISEE reports scaled scores, percentiles, and stanine score (a range of percentiles), for four sections:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Mathematics Achievement

How is the ISEE scored?

The ISEE converts your raw score (number of correct answers) to a scaled score ranging from 760 to 940. The ISEE reports scaled scores, percentiles, and stanine score (a range of percentiles), for four sections:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Mathematics Achievement

ISEE or SSAT?

# Which test is right for you?

The ISEE and the SSAT are both used for admission to private schools, and they both test Vocabulary, Math and Reading Comprehension. Most schools will accept either test, so you can choose which test you prefer.

The major difference between the tests lies in the types of questions they use to assess your abilities. The ISEE, for example, uses sentence completion to test vocabulary, while the SSAT uses analogies. Additionally, the reading passages on the ISEE are usually a bit longer than those on the SSAT, but the SSAT tests a more extensive range of genres, including poetry.

Finally, the ISEE also emphasizes mathematical reasoning more than does the SSAT.