How to Prepare for the ISEE:
What is the ISEE?
The ISEE stands for the Independent School Entrance Exam and is an important admissions test for many private schools in the Bay Area. There are four different levels of the ISEE depending on the test taker’s grade level. The multiple-choice questions primarily test students on their verbal, reading comprehension, and mathematics skills. The ISEE also includes an essay portion which is not factored directly into a student’s score, but instead a copy is sent to all schools a student requests to have their scores sent to.
Primary Level is intended for students applying to enter 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade; the exam is approximately 60 minutes long.
Lower Level is intended for students applying to enter 5th or 6th grade; the exam is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes long.
Middle Level is intended for students applying to enter 7th or 8th grade; the exam is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes long.
Upper Level is intended for students applying to enter a private high school; the exam is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes long.
What is on the ISEE and How is it scored?
Regardless of which level of test you'll be taking, the ISEE always has the same sectional format: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement. The test also contains an un-scored essay that is sent directly to schools a student is applying to. When it comes to scoring, all questions on the ISEE have equal value and there is no guessing penalty. An ISEE score report includes multiple sets of scores and percentiles, but the most important data point is a student’s stanine placement. A stanine represents a student’s percentile rank placement; it is scored from 1 to 9, with 5 as a midpoint. The higher a student’s stanine score, the better they did in relation to their peers.
What Bay Area Schools Require the ISEE?
Castilleja School in Palo Alto
Menlo in Atherton
Woodside Priory in Portola Valley
Harker in San Jose
Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto
Drew in San Francisco
The Nueva School
Lick-Wilmerding in San Franciso
Belmont Oaks in Belmont
How to Prepare for the ISEE
We generally recommend approximately 8-10 1-hour sessions to fully prepare for an ISEE, though this sometimes varies depending on your student’s particular needs and goals. In sessions, we will cover not only test taking strategies, but also specific content focused on your student’s particular academic strengths and weaknesses. We also provide additional supplementation in the form of practice drills that target areas where we feel your student has the most room for improvement. Throughout the course of a prep, your student will get to work through and review hundreds of practice questions with their tutor, as well as at least two practice tests, cover-to-cover. By the time test day rolls around, your student will be feeling confident and optimistic in their ability to do well on the ISEE, which we believe is half the battle to a successful test date. Still have questions? Refer to our FRQ section below, or simply give us a call.
How to pick an ISEE Test Date
The is ISEE offered all year-round, but students can only take the exam one time per testing season. There are three testing seasons throughout the year: Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer. Fall season is between August and November, Winter is from December to Mark, and Spring/Summer is from April to July.
Bay Area ISEE Testing Locations
Once you’ve picked your testing season you should register a testing location immediately because popular testing locations in the Bay Area tend to fill up quickly. The ISEE test dates are different at each location, so it maybe worth considering where you want to take the ISEE before you start looking at specific dates in a testing season. The ISEE test is offered in three different types of venues:
Large Group Testing at a School
Small Group Testing at a Testing Office
Small Group Testing at an ERB Satellite Test Site
San Mateo and Burlingame have testing locations that host small group testing, and many schools offer great options for larger groups. You can find test dates and locations in the Bay Area here.
ISEE Vs HSPT
The ISEE is a common entrance exam used by many K-12 independent schools. The HSPT alternatively is a common entrance exam used by many Catholic high schools in the Bay Area. If you’re applying into grades K-8, you’ll most likely take the ISEE if the schools you’re applying to require it. However, when applying into 9-12, some schools accept both the ISEE and HSPT for admissions. Check out our infographic here to see which test is right for you.
What are the ISEE Test Dates? >>
The ISEE Registration information and test dates can be found here on the ERB website. We recommend registering as early as possible in order to secure your ideal testing date, as test dates often fill up quickly.
When are the ISEE Registration Deadlines? >>
Registration closes two weeks prior to a test date. We also recommend that you verify any application deadlines with the schools to which your student is applying to ensure that score reports are received in a timely manner.
What is a stanine? >>
A stanine is a score from 1 to 9, with 5 as a midpoint. Stanines are derived by dividing the entire range of students’ scores into nine segments. You can learn more here
What is a good score on the ISEE? >>
Stanines 7-8 are statistically “above average,” stanines 4-6 are considered “average,” and stanines 1-3 are “below average.” Remeber, a 'good' score is a somewhat subjective term, as there are many factors in admissions, especially grades and family connections.
How long is the ISEE? >>
The lower level ISEE is 2 Hours and 20 minutes long, the mid-level and Upper lever is 2 hours and 40 minutes long.
Do I get breaks when taking the ISEE?
Yes! There are generally 5-15 minute breaks between sections, but the format varies slight acrossed testing locations.