About the ISEE Upper Level
The ISEE Upper Level is the ACT of private school admissions for grades 9 through 12. Just as colleges use the SAT and ACT to determine applicant preparedness, many independent schools across the US achieve the same effect with the ISEE.
Because teachers, curriculums, and academic difficulty vary from school to school, a student’s report card is not sufficient enough to accurately compare students from different schools. Therefore they use a standardized test like the ISEE.
ISEE is an acronym that stands for the Independent School Entrance Exam. It is administered by the non-profit group ERB, Educational Records Bureau. You’ve probably heard of ERB before in the context of annual testing, particularly if your school administers the CTP-4, which is somewhat similar to the ISEE.
ISEE Upper Level Research, Analysis, & Adice
ISEE Math Review – Factoring Algebraic Expressions
Since we can multiply algebraic expressions we can factor them out. While the process of factoring is different than using a factor tree, the concept is the same. You are looking for what parts make up the whole algebraic expression. Think of factoring as the reverse of multiplying algebraic expressions. Factoring out algebraic expressions works just like factoring out a known quantity in that nothing is being removed from the [...]
What is Tested on the ISEE Upper Level? Topics, Question Difficulty, and Word Counts
The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) Upper Level is a popular admissions test taken by American students applying to private US high schools for grades 9-12. It is developed and marketed by the non-profit Educational Records Bureau (ERB). Students receive about 3 hours to complete the 161-question ISEE, which is comprised of 4, separately scored sub-tests and a non-scored essay: Verbal Reasoning (20 minutes, 40 questions) Quantitative Reasoning (35 minutes, 37 [...]
Synonym Questions on the ISEE Upper Level
The Upper Level ISEE Verbal Reasoning section is composed of two parts - synonyms and sentence completions. You will have 20 minutes to answer 20 Synonym Questions and 20 Sentence Completion Questions. These questions test your knowledge of vocabulary and your ability to apply that knowledge. (Skip this how-to guide and go straight to practicing - free log-in required) For Synonyms, you must know the definition of the word in [...]
Reading Comprehension Questions on the Upper Level ISEE
Students will have 35 minutes to read six passages and answer 36 questions in the Reading Comprehension section. These passages will cover a wide variety of topics, including the humanities (literature, art, biography), social studies (history, economics, sociology), and science (medicine, meteorology, zoology). Each passage is followed by a number of questions that are based on the content of the passage. These questions are not designed to trick you or ask [...]
The Essay on the Upper Level ISEE
The fifth and final section of the ISEE is always the essay, a two-page response to a specific prompt. Your essay is not scored, but a copy of your essay is sent to every school you designate to receive your ISEE results. The schools may then use your essay as a separate weight in determining whether or not to offer you admission to their school. Schools might compare your ISEE essay [...]
Scoring the Upper Level ISEE
Students taking the ISEE Upper Level will receive a "stanine score" that ranges from 0 to 9, with 9 being best. They will receive an overall stanine in addition to stanine scores for each sub-test (Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement.) The stanine scores are what schools ostensibly care about most and what you'll hear other parents discussing. However, each of the four sections on the ISEE will receive [...]
