ISEE: The Basics

The Independent School Entrance Examination, commonly referred to as the ISEE (pronounced eye-see), is an admission test that is administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) and used by many private schools to evaluate prospective students.

Three Levels

The ISEE has three levels with a different test for each level. The Lower Level is for students currently in 4th and 5th grade who are seeking admission to 5th and 6th grade. The Middle Level is for current 6th and 7th graders who are applying to 7th and 8th grades. Finally, the Upper Level test is for students currently in 8th through 11th grade who are applying to to 9th through 12th grades.

All of the levels have the same basic format with questions divided into five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Math Achievement and an Essay. The number of items, length of time for each section and topics covered are as follows:

• Lower Level
  Total testing time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
  • Verbal Reasoning: 34 items, 20 minutes
    Synonyms
    Sentence Completion
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 38 items, 35 minutes
    Comprehension
    Interpretation/Application
    Higher Order Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension: 25 items, 25 minutes
    Humanities Passages
    Science Passages
    Social Studies Passages
  • Math Achievement: 30 items, 30 minutes
    Knowledge and Skills
    Computation/Comprehension
    Applications
  • Essay: 1 question, 30 minutes

• Middle Level
  Total testing time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
  • Verbal Reasoning: 40 items, 20 minutes
    Synonyms
    Sentence Completion
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 37 items, 35 minutes
    Concepts/Understanding
    Applications/Higher Order Thinking
    Quantitative Comparison
  • Reading Comprehension: 36 items, 35 minutes
    Humanities Passages
    Science Passages
    Social Studies Passages
  • Math Achievement: 47 items, 40 minutes
    Knowledge and Skills
    Computation/Comprehension
    Applications
  • Essay: 1 question, 30 minutes

• Upper Level
  Total testing time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
  • Verbal Reasoning: 40 items, 20 minutes
    Synonyms
    Sentence Completion
  • Quantitative Reasoning: 37 items, 35 minutes
    Arithmetic/Algebra/Geometry
    Concepts/Understanding
    Applications/Higher Order Thinking
    Quantitative Comparison
  • Reading Comprehension: 36 items, 35 minutes
    Humanities Passages
    Science Passages
    Social Studies Passages
  • Math Achievement: 47 items, 40 minutes
    Arithmetic/Algebra/Geometry
    Knowledge and Skills
    Computation/Comprehension
    Applications
  • Essay: 1 question, 30 minutes

All of the sections are scored except for the essay, which is photocopied and mailed to the schools to which the student is applying. Learn more about understanding ISEE scores. Also, the test is only taken as part of the school admission process and may be taken once every six months. Students are not allowed to take the ISEE solely for practice.

Learn more

Read more about the ISEE and register online

Download a PDF copy of the 2009-10 ISEE Student Guide

Download the What to Expect on ISEE preparation book