Overview of the ISEE

The ISEE (Independent Schools Entrance Exam) is an admission test administered by the ERB (Educational Records Bureau). Many private schools in North America, and a handful of international schools, use the ISEE as a crucial part of the admissions process for grades 2 through 12.

The ISEE serves as a standardized metric by which admissions departments can compare students from different schools. There are many parts to an application, and the manner in which ISEE scores impact admissions is very school-dependent.

Regardless of the school, an excellent score on the ISEE sets you apart in the admissions process, especially at highly competitive schools. Based on our years of test prep experience, we believe that standardized test taking is a skill that you can master, and—like all skills—you need to learn and practice in order to improve.

Note: Is the ISEE related to the ERBs that I took? If you already attend an independent school, you may have taken the Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP), which is commonly referred to as the ERBs. The CTP, like the ISEE, is developed by the ERB. However, the CTP is an achievement test administered by schools to assess their students’ current skills, whereas the ISEE is an admission test.

Scores on the CTPs and other achievement tests are often higher than ISEE scores. Achievement tests are designed to measure a student’s grade-level proficiency in a subject, while admission tests like the ISEE are designed to compare many potentially qualified applicants.

Primary Level 2

Application to grade 2

Primary Level 3

Application to grade 3

Primary Level 4

Application to grade 4

Lower Level

Application to grades 5 or 6

Middle Level

Application to grades 7 or 8

Upper Level

Application to grades 9–12

What are the ISEE questions like?

There are two types of questions on the ISEE. Every section of the ISEE, except the essay or writing sample, consists of multiple-choice questions with four answer choices. They look like this:
How many answer choices do ISEE questions have?
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
Students indicate the answer (hopefully D in this case) on their answer sheets, bubbling in their choice. The essay section requires students to write a response to the given prompt. These prompts might look something like this:
Who is one of your favorite characters from a book, and why?

The structure and timing of the Primary Level ISEE varies by grade. Because elementary-school children are at such a different stage in their schooling, many aspects of the Primary Level are slightly different from the other levels. Overall test-taking strategies still apply and will help younger students acclimate to standardized test taking, something with which they may not have much experience.

Note: Three main differences between the Primary Level ISEE and other levels: No Verbal section, no writing sample, and only one Math section.

Primary Level 2 ISEE:

For application to grade 2

Section # of Questions Time
Auditory Comprehension
6
7 minutes
Reading
18
20 minutes
Break
–
5 minutes
Mathematics
24
26 minutes
TOTAL
49
58 minutes

Primary Level 3 ISEE:

For application to grade 3

Section # of Questions Time
Reading
24
28 minutes
Break
–
5 minutes
Mathematics
24
26 minutes
TOTAL
49
59 minutes

Primary Level 4 ISEE:

For application to grade 4

Section # of Questions Time
Reading
28
30 minutes
Break
–
5 minutes
Mathematics
28
30 minutes
TOTAL
57
65 minutes

Lower Level ISEE:

For application to grades 5 or 6

Section # of Questions Time
Verbal Reasoning
34
20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
38
35 minutes
Break
–

5–10 minutes
Reading Comprehension
25
25 minutes
Mathematics Achievement
30
30 minutes
Break
–

5–10 minutes
Essay
1 prompt
30 minutes
TOTAL
128
2 hours, 30 minutes

Middle Level ISEE:

For application to grades 7 or 8

Section # of Questions Time
Verbal Reasoning
40
20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
37
35 minutes
Break
–

5–10 minutes
Reading Comprehension
36
35 minutes
Mathematics Achievement
47
40 minutes
Break
–

5–10 minutes
Essay
1 prompt
30 minutes
TOTAL
161
2 hours, 50 minutes

Upper Level ISEE:

For application to grades 9–12

Section # of Questions Time
Verbal Reasoning
40
20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
37
35 minutes
Break
–

5–10 minutes
Reading Comprehension
36
35 minutes
Mathematics Achievement
47
40 minutes
Break
–

5–10 minutes
Essay
1 prompt
30 minutes
TOTAL
161
2 hours, 50 minutes

 ISEE Prep Guide Home

 Getting Started

5 Critical Things to Know about the ISEE