The ISEE, or the Independent School Entrance Exam, is the test accepted by over 1,200 independent, private, and boarding schools throughout the United States. It is administered at several levels: the Primary Level for students applying to grades 2-4, Lower Level for students applying to grades 5-6, Middle Level for students applying to grades 7-8, and Upper Level for students applying for high school entrance.

The Primary Level ISEE is further differentiated based on the student’s target grade because the academic ability of students is markedly different between grades 2, 3, and 4. Thus, there are 3 versions of the ISEE Primary: the ISEE Primary 2, the ISEE Primary 3, and the ISEE Primary 4.

The ISEE is graded on a percentile scale, which measures a student’s success by comparing them to their peer group. This means that even though students applying to both grades 5 and 6 (so students ranging in age from 9 to 11) will take the same test, they will be graded on a curve. Fourth graders are compared to other fourth graders and fifth graders are compared to other fifth graders. The exact number of questions a student gets right on any one exam will not give a full picture of the student’s score.

There are three testing “seasons” for the ISEE. Students may take the exam once per season. The seasons are as follows:

Fall: August, September, October, November

Winter: December, January, February, March

Spring/Summer: April, May, June, July

This means that if a student takes the exam in August, they will not be able to take it again until December. It is important to know each school’s deadlines for official score reports so that you can plan and register for the appropriate test dates.

While some schools request that students in early grades not prepare for entrance exams, such as Hunter, schools that accept the ISEE expect that students will prepare for this exam.

In fact, the ERB (Educational Records Bureau, who administers the test) encourages students to prepare for their exam over a period of time instead of cramming the night or week before.

How to Prepare for the ISEE

The best way to prepare for the ISEE, no matter the age of the student, is by carefully working through practice materials with a tutor who can fill in knowledge and skill gaps. The second best way to prepare for the ISEE is by using workbooks and practice tests to familiarize the student with the material on the test. Aristotle Circle offers a suite of practice materials at the Primary, Lower, and Middle levels. Aristotle Circle’s team includes a variety of tutors that can help prepare students at all levels for this exam. We also offer admissions counseling for families seeking entrance to private, independent, and boarding schools across the USA. For more information, visit us at aristotlecircle.com.