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
How to Tackle Word Problems on the ISEE Test
The entirety of the ISEE Upper Level Mathematics Achievement test is comprised of word problems, and much of the Quantitative Reasoning section is as well. Given that the Mathematics Achievement Test is the longest test on the ISEE test, and the Quantitative Reasoning test is generally considered the most challenging, it's a good idea to improve your skills on these questions. You are not allowed to use a calculator for [...]
Quantitative Comparison Questions on the Upper Level ISEE
The Quantitative Reasoning section is often considered the most difficult part of the ISEE Test, and the Mathematics Achievement section is the longest part of the test. Plus, you are not allowed to use a calculator for these two sections. Sounds fun, right? You will have 35 minutes to answer 37 questions in the Quantitative Reasoning section. ISEE Upper Level Test Quantitative Comparison Questions Each question contains two quantities that [...]
How to Tackle Sentence Completion Questions on the ISEE Upper Level
The ISEE Upper Level 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. For Sentence Completions, you must understand the structure of the sentence, know the definition of each answer choice, and decide whether or not each [...]
ISEE Upper Level Overview and Test-Taking Strategies
The Educational Records Bureau (ERB) developed the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) as an admissions tool for private schools, much like the SAT and ACT are used as admissions tools for colleges and universities. The ISEE tests a student’s knowledge of and skills in vocabulary, math, reading, writing, critical thinking, and reasoning to demonstrate to private schools the student’s capabilities and how well the student might perform under their instruction. [...]
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 [...]
