ISEE Test
ISEE Test Scores: What Is a Good Score On the ISEE?
If your child will be taking the ISEE test in the near future, you are probably wondering what constitutes a good score on the Independent School Entrance Exam. Private schools, military academies, boarding schools, and other selective institutions use the test as part of the application process to determine which students should be admitted to their selective schools and which ones will not make the cut. The ISEE exam is a very important part of admissions criteria. There are several factors that will determine if a child is admitted to one of these elite schools, but only a few of them will offset a poor score on the ISEE test.
Exactly what constitutes a good or passing score on the ISEE is highly subjective and is determined by schools individually. Exclusive private schools in larger cities or popular boarding schools and military academies typically have far more applicants than they can admit, so the cutoff for ISEE scores will be much higher than that of schools which do not have as large a pool of applicants to choose from. Unfortunately, most schools do not make their range of acceptable ISEE scores public knowledge. Some schools do publish this information, but even then they generally bury it deep in a catalog or on a seldom-accessed page on their website.
It is possible with a little research to find out some information about minimum ISEE test scores at a school you are considering. If you cannot find it in their catalog or on their website, sometimes a phone call to the institution will result in some helpful information if you catch the right person. If that does not work, the best bet is to talk with as many parents of currently enrolled students as you can. Many of them will be happy to let you know about their own child's score. Speaking to several parents should give you a general idea of acceptable ISEE scores at the school your child wants to attend. Your best bet is to play it safe. Fill out applications for your child at several schools, which will provide backup options in case he does not score high enough on the ISEE to gain admittance to his target school. In addition, you should help your child prepare for the exam with a good ISEE test study guide so that he can achieve his very best score; this is the best way to maximize your child's chances of getting into the desired school.
ISEE Preparation: Tips for Making a High Score on the ISEE
ISEE preparation is vitally important for anyone who will be taking the Independent School Entrance Examination. This test will determine whether or not your child will get into one of the elite private schools of your choice. The value of an education from one of these schools reaches far beyond the private school itself, as graduating from such an institution can be a huge advantage in your child being accepted at a top-tier college or university. This, in turn, will improve a student's chances of landing a job with an elite firm, or getting into one of the nation's best graduate or professional schools.
Obviously, helping your child to get the best score possible on the ISEE will be one of the best things you can ever do for him or her. The best way to help your child prepare is to start well before the day of the test and have him or her spend an hour or two every day reviewing the subject matter that will be covered on the test. Cramming at the last minute is ineffective and is often counterproductive as well, leaving the student both burned out on academic matters and stressed out over the test. This often results in a lower score than he or she otherwise would have achieved.
ISEE preparation, like the test itself, will have to be both comprehensive and in depth. Your child may have a natural aptitude for one or more of the subjects on the ISEE, and if that is the case, you can help him or her concentrate on going over those areas that need extra review. There are a few websites that offer ISEE practice questions, but these are not recommended. In many cases, the website has not been updated in years and will not reflect the latest changes in the exam. In addition, very few of them offer anything but a cursory number of practice questions. The best resource for ISEE preparation is an excellent study guide that has been specially developed to help kids pass the ISEE. These are inexpensive and can be the foundation of your child's ISEE preparation.
ISEE Exam: What to Expect
The ISEE exam is given by private schools to young people who are hoping to be admitted. The score a child makes on this test will be a major factor in whether or not they are granted admission. The ISEE is a standardized test given on certain dates every year, and there is a fee to take the test. The fee varies, depending on both the method used to register and how far in advance one registers; as of this writing, the cost is in the neighborhood of a hundred dollars. There are several sections on the exam, and it is designed to test how much a student already knows, as well as his or her aptitude for learning in general. Scores on the ISEE exam are expressed in percentiles compared to the scores of others taking the exam.
One section of the test requires writing. The student will be given half an hour to write an essay on an assigned topic. The essay is not scored; instead, a copy of it is sent to the schools the student designates to receive his or her scores. (Students may designate up to six schools, and it is usually a good idea to have the scores sent to several different schools as a backup.) Another section, Verbal Reasoning, contains 40 questions with 20 minutes allotted for completion. Most of the questions will be of the sentence completion and synonym recognition type. As are all of the sections except for the essay, Verbal Reasoning is in a multiple-choice format.
One section of the ISEE exam, Reading Comprehension, contains 40 questions with 40 minutes allotted for completion. Test takers are given a brief passage to read and then asked several questions about it. Many of the questions do not have obvious answers and require the student to use reasoning skills to determine the correct answer. Quantitative Comparison is a math section that consists of 35 questions to be completed in 35 minutes. These questions cover concepts of general math, geometry, and algebra. The remaining section is Mathematics, in which students actually solve problems in math, geometry, and algebra without using calculators. They will have 40 minutes to answer 45 questions. Overall, the test is quite challenging, and many students are surprised at how difficult the questions are. There are some good ISEE exam study guides available, and it is strongly recommended that students use one to review before taking the test.
Independent School Entrance Exam: Strategies for a High Score
The Independent School Entrance Exam is a very difficult and wide-ranging test that many private schools (grades 5 to 12) use to assess the skills and aptitudes of students who have applied for admission. There are four multiple-choice sections: Quantitative Comparison, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. These are timed tests, ranging from 20 to 45 minutes. In addition, the student will have 30 minutes to write an essay on a given topic. Unlike the other sections, the essay is not scored; a copy is sent directly to the school so that the school can conduct its own evaluation of the student's writing. Failing to achieve a high score on the Independent School Entrance Exam can cause a student to be denied admission to elite private schools, so the stakes are very high.
Thankfully, there are strategies for improving a child's score that do not involve spending thousands of dollars on expensive seminars or cram courses, methods that many educators say are not very effective at increasing test scores. One important tactic is to take advantage of the unique nature of standardized multiple-choice exams. On a difficult test like the ISEE, there will assuredly be some questions that leave the student completely baffled. Because the test is timed, it is important not to spend too much time trying to puzzle these questions out because it is easy to run out of time. It is better to move on to easier questions and return to the harder questions later on. If the test taker is still not sure, it is best to guess, as a wrong answer does not lower a score any more than a blank, and there is a possibility that he or she will guess the correct answer.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when guessing, answers B or C are correct about 60 percent of the time on standardized tests, while A or D are correct around 40 percent of the time. It is best for students to work their way through the test, answer the easier questions, and then go back to the harder ones. Test takers should then try to figure out the more difficult questions, while keeping an eye on the clock. If, after further reasoning, they are still stumped, they should guess, most often choosing answer B or C. These basic tips can help most students improve their scores, and there are also excellent study guides available for the Independent School Entrance Exam with many more tips like these, as well as extensive review of the material covered on the various tests.