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 – Factors and Multiples
The factors of a number are integers that can be divided evenly (without a remainder) into the number. For example, the number 20 is divisible by 5 in that 5 can go into 20 four times without going over or under the number 20. However, the number 20 is not divisible by 6, as 6 can only go into the number 20 three times before going over. Common factors are [...]
ISEE Math Review – Ratios and Proportions
A ratio demonstrates a mathematical relationship between two quantities, and can be represented as a fraction, two numbers joined by a colon, or two numbers joined by the word “to.” If the ratio is a fraction, generally the first value mentioned goes in the numerator while the second value goes in the denominator. If the ratio is in the other two forms, generally the first value mentioned is written first [...]
ISEE Math Review – Percentages
A percent is a mathematical relationship between two quantities where one quantity is a particular portion of the other quantity. This relationship is always defined within the context of a certain number of parts out of 100 parts, where the first number is the percentage. You can determine what percent a quantity is of another quantity in two ways: Notice that the proportion is actually the same thing as the [...]
ISEE Math Review – Percent of Change (Increase / Decrease)
Percent of change is used to measure a specific percent increase or decrease of an integer or measurement, such as a discount on an item, marking up the price of an item, or changing the size of a geometric shape. Basically, you find the difference between the original value and the new value and divide that difference by the original value. Voila, you have your percent of change. An important [...]
ISEE Math Review – Sequences
A sequence in math is a series of values or objects that occur in a specific order and are related in a specific way. Your job is to determine how that specific order occurs; in other words, you must recognize the pattern of the terms in the sequence. You may be asked to solve geometric sequences, which involve a series of polygons or other objects.
ISEE Math Review – Fundamental Counting Principle
The Fundamental Counting Principle determines the number of combinations one can make with data pulled from independent sets. For example, an ice‐cream store has many flavors of ice cream and many types of toppings. The flavors are elements in one set while the toppings are elements in another set. If you are allowed to choose one element from each set, you can determine how many combinations you can make by [...]
