ISEE Prep
The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is published by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) and is accepted by many private and independent schools. ISEE tutoring is offered at three levels: Lower Level for students applying for 5th or 6th grade, Middle Level for students applying for 6th or 7th grade, and Upper Level for students applying for grades 9th-12th grade. The ISEE exam is administered in about 3 hours.
Students who take practice tests can gain a better understanding of the particular subjects: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Math Achievement, and Essay. Having a chance to do sample questions as part of the practice tests helps students learn the types of questions on the exam. A score on the subject area of the practice tests can help identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses and indicates which areas need improvement.
During the Verbal Reasoning section of the ISEE, students may find vocabulary words that seem unfamiliar. Especially with synonyms and vocabulary-based sentence completions, understanding the vocabulary is a key part of the test. As part of ISEE test preparation, we help students increase their vocabulary skills.
The ISEE exam at each level covers Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension Mathematics Achievement and an Essay. A scaled test score is then calculated between “750-950,” including percentile ranks, and stanines. Stanines between 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest) are given for the sections. There is no scoring penalty for guessing. The essay isn’t graded, but it is sent along with the test scores to each school.
The exam is given at a variety of schools. The test dates vary each year and by location, so it is best to visit the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) and see the ISEE Student Guide. Most students will register online, but registration is also available by phone, mail, and fax.
Since a majority of students take the ISEE Middle Level exam, the topics and approximate number of questions are as follows:
| Section | Number of Questions | Minutes per Section |
| ISEE Verbal Reasoning | 40 questions | 20 minutes |
| ISEE Quantitative Reasoning | 37 questions | 35 minutes |
| ISEE Reading Comprehension | 36 questions | 35 minutes |
| ISEE Math Achievement | 47 questions | 40 minutes |
| ISEE Essay | 1 prompt (unscored) | 30 minutes |
SSAT Prep
The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is a standardized test for students who want to apply for admission to private or independent middle and high schools.
The SSAT is offered at three levels:
- Elementary Level SSAT – for students applying for grades 4 and 5
- Middle Level SSAT – for students applying for grades 6 through 8
- Upper Level SSAT – for students applying for grades 9 through PG (Post Graduate)
The Elementary Level SSAT test runs 2 hours and 5 minutes. The Upper and Middle Level SSAT tests run 3 hours and 5 minutes. Each of the levels have three main sections: verbal, quantitative/math, and reading comprehension. There is also an experimental section on the SSAT as well as a writing sample. The writing sample isn’t scored. A copy of the writing sample is sent to schools along with the score report.
The three main Elementary Level test sections is scored on a scale of 300 to 600, giving it a total scaled score range of 900 to 1800. The three main Middle Level test sections is scored on a scale of 440 to 710, giving it a total scaled score range of 1320 to 2130. Each of the three main Upper Level test sections is scored on a scale of 500 to 800, giving it a total scaled score range of 1500 to 2400.
HSPT Prep
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is a placement test for students applying for grade 9.
The test has 300 multiple-choice questions and covers the following topic areas: Reading, Language Skills, Mathematics, Cognitive Skills, and Science (optional).
The test is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.