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

Primary Level 3 ISEE:

For application to grade 3

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

Primary Level 4 ISEE:

For application to grade 4

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

Lower Level ISEE:

For application to grades 5 or 6

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

5–10 minutes

Section
Reading Comprehension
# of Questions
25
Time
25 minutes
Section
Mathematics Achievement
# of Questions
30
Time
30 minutes
Section
Break
# of Questions
Time

5–10 minutes

Section
Essay
# of Questions
1 prompt
Time
30 minutes
Section
TOTAL
# of Questions
128
Time
2 hours, 30 minutes

Middle Level ISEE:

For application to grades 7 or 8

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

5–10 minutes

Section
Reading Comprehension
# of Questions
36
Time
35 minutes
Section
Mathematics Achievement
# of Questions
47
Time
40 minutes
Section
Break
# of Questions
Time

5–10 minutes

Section
Essay
# of Questions
1 prompt
Time
30 minutes
Section
TOTAL
# of Questions
161
Time
2 hours, 50 minutes

Upper Level ISEE:

For application to grades 9–12

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

5–10 minutes

Section
Reading Comprehension
# of Questions
36
Time
35 minutes
Section
Mathematics Achievement
# of Questions
47
Time
40 minutes
Section
Break
# of Questions
Time

5–10 minutes

Section
Essay
# of Questions
1 prompt
Time
30 minutes
Section
TOTAL
# of Questions
161
Time
2 hours, 50 minutes