ISEE Exam – Middle Level

ISEE Exam Introduction

The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE Exam) is a school entrance exam taken by students in grades 4 through 12 seeking admission into private schools and non-Catholic religious schools throughout the United States. The Lower Level ISEE Exam is for students currently in grades 4 and 5 who are candidates for admission to grades 5 and 6. The ISEE is an admission test that has three levels: A Lower Level, Middle Level, and Upper Level. The Lower Level is for students currently in grades 4 and 5 who are candidates for admission to grades 5 and 6. The Middle Level is for students in grades 6 and 7 who are candidates for grades 7 and 8. The Upper Level is for students in grades 8 through 11 who are candidates for grades 9 through 12.

ISEE Tests Summary

Who can take the test?	Students from grades 4 to 12
When is the test conducted?	Students may register to take the ISEE one time in any or all of three testing seasons. The ISEE testing seasons are defined as Fall (August–November), Winter (December–March), and Spring/Summer (April–July)
What is the Format of the test?	All questions are multiple choice
What is the medium of the test?	Paper based
What are the Topics covered in the test?	Test Section Questions Time Details Verbal Reasoning 40 – 34 20 minutes Tests vocabulary and reasoning abilities Synonym section focuses on word recognition Sentence Completion section measures students’ knowledge of words and their function Use context clues to decide which word best fits the sentence Quantitative Reasoning 38 – 37 35 minutes Tests mathematical synthesis, skill, comprehension, and logical reasoning Quantitative Reasoning problems are higher-order thinking problems Interpreting data Solving application problems Estimating Recognizing patterns Solving non-routine problems Reading Comprehension 36 – 25 35 – 25 minutes Tests reading ability through six to eight passages, depending on the ISEE test level. Each passage is followed by at least 4 text-related questions. Mathematics Achievement 47 – 30 40 – 30 minutes Correlates with common mathematics curriculum taught in schools. Students may NOT use calculators on the ISEE. Essay 1 30 minutes Students’ essays must be in response to a provided prompt Students’ essays are sent to each school that receives the ISEE score report Essays are NOT SCORED, but are instead evaluated individually by each school The ISEE essay section is intended for students to demonstrate their writing abilities
How long is the test?	Depending on the level, the actual testing time is between 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Click here to get more information about the ISEE Exam.