ISEE Test Preparation and Exam Format
The ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination) is a multiple-choice standardized test administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) and the exam is mainly used by private and independent schools as an admission test. The test comes in three different levels (ISEE upper-level test, middle level, and lower level), and has five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and Essay.
The Different Sections in ISEE Test Prep Online
Verbal Reasoning
This is the first section of the ISEE exam, which covers topics and asks questions in the following format.
Synonyms: Each of these questions has a term and four answer options, one of which is a synonym for the term in the question. Students have to select that.
Sentence completion: The students have to choose the appropriate word from the four answer options to finish a statement that has one or two blank spaces.
There are 40 questions in this area of the test, which is found in both the Middle and Upper levels, and the student has 20 minutes to complete it. There are 34 questions and a 20-minute time limit on the lower level of the test.
Quantitative Reasoning
The section is on the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). It includes numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement data analysis, etc., which are the subjects for question in this area. This section covers two different types of questions:
Word Questions: This set of questions gives you background information in a paragraph followed by four answer options, instead of mathematical notation.
Quantitative Comparison: Only the middle and upper levels of the test have questions of this type, which compare two amounts. Two columns, Column A and Column B, are used to display the quantities that are being compared. There are always four possible answers to these questions (the quantity in Column A is greater, the quantity in Column B is greater, the two quantities are equal, and cannot be told from the information given).
This section of the ISEE test has 37, 37, and 38 questions for the upper, medium, and lower levels, respectively. The test duration for each level in this division is 35 minutes.
Reading Comprehension
In this section of the test, you will find passages to read followed by questions based on them. The purpose of the questions is to test your knowledge of these 6 subjects:
- Understanding and summarizing the main idea
- Supporting Ideas
- Inference from text
- Understanding vocabulary from context
- Determining the organizational and logical structure of a passage
- Comprehension of point of view, mood, tone, and figurative language
This section of the test has a time limit of 35 minutes and consists of six passages followed by six questions for each (a total of 36 questions). The lowest level has five passages, five questions after each (for a total of 25 questions), and a 25-minute time limit.
Mathematics Achievement
The test's quantitative reasoning and mathematics achievement sections both have questions based on the NCTM standards (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics). This component, in contrast to the Quantitative Reasoning section, has calculations to answer the questions. This segment of the test includes a 40-minute time limit and 47 questions for the higher and middle levels. The time allotted for the lower level's 30 questions is 30 minutes.
Essay Writing
Students have to write a brief essay in response to a prompt in this part of the exam. You will get a 30-minute time limit for this section on all exam levels.
ISEE Exam Preparation Online
Preparation is the most important part of any exam if you want your child to perform on the day of the ISEE test. ISEE Test Preparation classes online provide a selection of practice programs to make the test material easier, more familiar, and more encouraging for your child. So, whether you are looking for an ISEE tutoring in NYC, an ISEE tutor in Boston, or an ISEE tutor in Houston, you need not worry. Moreover, at CrunchGrade, you will find ISEE test prep tutors to guide you systematically for the test. Use our ISEE practice test papers to study with questions and explanations for each test section and level.
Table: Exam Time Limit and Number of Questions for Each Subject and Level
|
ISEE Levels
|
Subjects
|
Grade Level
|
Time Limit +number of questions
|
|
ISEE Upper-Level Exam
|
- Verbal Reasoning
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics Achievement
- Essay
|
Students in grades 8-11 for admission to grades 9-12 |
160 minutes 160 questions + Essay |
| ISEE Middle-Level Exam |
Students in grades 6-7 for admission to grades 7-8
|
160 minutes 160 questions + Essay |
| ISEE Lower Level Exam |
Students in grades 4-5 for admission to grades 5-6 |
140 minutes 127 questions + Essay |
