Overview of the ISEE - ISEE Practice Test

What is the ISEE?
Primary Level
Lower Level
Middle Level
Upper Level

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?

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

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5 Critical Things to Know about the ISEE