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Many students applying to private schools need to submit ISEE scores. The ISEE is known for being a tough exam, and preparing for it can help you reach the score you're aiming for. But where can you find the best ISEE practice tests? And how can you make the most of them? We've collected the absolutely best ISEE test prep resources, both free and paid, in this guide to help you with your ISEE studying.

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What Subjects Does the ISEE Test You On?

Before you begin studying, it's important to know what the ISEE will test you on. Below are the main subjects tested for each section of the test. The difficulty level of the content tested will increase as you move from lower to middle to upper levels.

Where to Find Official ISEE Practice Tests

ERB, the company that creates and administers the ISEE, has made some official ISEE online practice materials available for free. Official ISEE resources are the best to use because you can be sure they're an accurate representation of what the actual ISEE will be like. On this site , you can enter information about what grade the test-taker will be entering and receive practice questions for the appropriate level of the ISEE.

However, the resource that we really recommend is the PDF "What to Expect on the ISEE." There's one for each of the three levels of the ISEE:

ISEE Lower Level Practice Test ISEE Middle Level Practice Test ISEE Upper Level Practice Test

Midway through the PDF are some sample questions, and after them is a complete practice test. There are unfortunately no answer explanations, just an answer key and information on how to score the test, but this is the only full-length official ISEE practice test available, and it will be the closest experience you can have to taking the real ISEE on test day. You should definitely make use of it, and we explain how in the next section.

How to Use Official ISEE Practice Tests

Unfortunately, there is a limited amount of official ISEE practice materials, so you want to make the most of what you have. Make sure you understand how to solve each of the sample questions included in the PDF and what skills they're testing.

The official practice test is the best ISEE sample test you can get, so you want to use it wisely. Take it about a quarter to midway through your ISEE prep so you have a general idea already of what the exam tests but still have time to make adjustments to your studying. Print out the test as you'll be taking the actual ISEE with pencil and paper. It's also very important to take the test timed (the same timing you'll have on the ISEE) and in one sitting. Doing this gives you the most accurate idea of how well you'll do on the actual ISEE.

If you give yourself an unlimited amount of time to take the practice test and lots of breaks, you may not be prepared for the time crunch and impact of testing for hours on the real ISEE. Both of these issues can cause students to see significant drops in their scores. The practice test includes timing rules, so follow those strictly when you take it.

Once you're done with the practice test, look over every question you got wrong or were unsure of. If there are areas you particularly struggled in, you know to focus on those for your future ISEE test prep.

The scoring information on this test is also very useful because it's the only test where you can be confident that the score you received is accurate. Many unofficial ISEE practice tests either don't give steps to convert your score to the 1-9 stanine scale used, or they may give score estimates that aren't accurate. The ERB is pretty opaque about how ISEE scores are converted to the stanine scale, so it can be difficult for unofficial ISEE test creators to accurately score their tests.

How to Use Unofficial ISEE Practice Tests

Unofficial ISEE practice materials range from pretty good to pretty bad, and it can be difficult to separate the two, especially if it's early in your ISEE prep. Below are the best unofficial ISEE study resources, separated into free and paid resources. They aren't as good as the official study materials, but they're still pretty close to the actual ISEE in terms of difficulty and content tested. For each we describe what is included and how best to use the resource.

Free Unofficial ISEE Test Prep Resources

This site has a free full-length ISEE online practice test for each of the lower, middle, and upper levels of the ISEE. The tests are good quality and similar to the actual ISEE, but the main drawback is that there are no answer explanations, only an answer key. If you don't understand why you got a question wrong, you might find it difficult to understand why without an explanation. We recommend using this resource later on in your prep, when you're more familiar with ISEE questions and likely won't need to rely on answer explanations as much.

Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors has dozens of ISEE quizzes for all levels and sections of the test. The quizzes range from a few questions to full-length sections. The site has a lot of ads and pop-ups, but the quizzes are generally high-quality, and the answer explanations are in-depth and helpful. It's a good resource to use early on, when you aren't taking as many full-length ISEE sample tests yet.

Kaplan has a few dozen practice questions for each section of the test. The questions are high-quality, but there aren't that many of them, and there they aren't organized into lower, middle, or upper levels of the exam. Additionally, you find out immediately after answering a question if you got it right or wrong, which makes it difficult to time yourself. This resource is best for when you want to do a bit of quick studying earlier on in your ISEE prep.

Paid Unofficial ISEE Practice Tests

Test Innovators

Cost: $80-$330, depending on the plan

If you want to do some in-depth prep for the ISEE, you may want to look at Test Innovators' plans. They have plans offering between one and six full-length practice tests, along with interactive lessons and tutor consultation. You can also take a mini quiz for free to see if you like their practice questions before you decide to purchase a plan. This is quite an expensive resource, but if you want an all-in-one ISEE test prep resource, it may be what you're looking for.

Tutorverse Prep Books

Cost: About $34 per book

Tutorverse has a prep book for each level of the ISEE, each highly rated on Amazon. Each book contains over 1,000 practice questions, and people who have bought the book generally feel it prepares them well for the ISEE. Most of these practice questions are scattered throughout the book in the form of exercises and quizzes, and each book only contains two full-length practice tests. Taking a full-length test is important because it gives you a sense of how well you can handle a long test in one sitting, so if you're looking for a lot of full-length tests, you should use additional resources.

Tips for Your ISEE Prep

Now that you know where to get the best ISEE practice tests, it's time to get the most out of them. Follow these three tips when studying for the ISEE.

#1: Know What Score to Aim For

A student's ISEE scores may be lower than they and their parents expect. There are two reasons for this. First, the ISEE is often one of the hardest tests the student has taken, and some of the information will simply be beyond their current knowledge. Second, the group that takes the ISEE tends to be academically stronger than the average student body, and that skews the averages. It's not uncommon for a student who is used to scoring in, say, the 80th percentile on statewide exams to get closer to a 50th percentile score on the ISEE.

Schools know this too, and they don't expect perfect scores. The stanine scores, ranging from 1-9 are the most important scores they look at. Many schools accept scores of 4 or 5, and only the most competitive schools in the country expect scores of 7 or higher. So don't think you need to aim for the top to get into the school of your choice.

#2: Review Every Question You Got Wrong

Your work isn't done after you take an ISEE practice test. You'll want to go over every single question you got wrong or had to guess on. Look to see what the correct answer is, then see if you can solve it without reading the answer explanation (if the practice test includes answer explanations). If you are, then you'll remember what you learned much better because you actively worked it out for yourself.

Doing this for every question is time consuming, no doubt about it, but it's the absolute best way to actually see major improvements in your score because you're learning from your mistakes.

#3: Target Your Weak Areas

Some students are tempted to simply read straight through prep books or guides they get, but this often isn't the most effective use of your time. If you typically do well on, say, reading questions but struggle with math questions, then you should spend more time reviewing topics and practice questions. Look through all the topics the ISEE tests, located in the first section of this guide, and note any sections you struggle to do well on. Now you know to target them during your ISEE prep.

What's Next?

What's a good ISEE score? Learn what score you should be aiming for on the ISEE exam by reading our guide .

Want to learn more about the ISEE? We have a complete guide on everything you need to know about the ISEE in order to be prepared for this important test .

When can you take the ISEE? Check out our guide containing every upcoming ISEE test date and where you can take the test .

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Admissions Assist is a series of three activity-based courses to help prepare you for key parts of the admissions process: the interview, application essays, and the parents’ role.

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Choose one, two, or all three!

Interview with confidence.

During the course, you will: 

• Understand what to expect during the interview.
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• Practice common interview questions.

Write excellent application essays.

• Learn how the essay is used in admissions decisions. 
• Get organized and plan your essays.
• Write your own compelling essays!

Support your child through the admissions process.

During the course, you will:

• Understand how candidates and their families are evaluated.
• Learn how to determine if a school is a good fit for your family. 
• Prepare for common parent interview questions.

Write excellent application essays.

Course Creators

Admissions Assist was developed by a team of educators with over 60 years of combined experience in independent school admissions and placement.

Laurie Geromini

Laurie Geromini is Director of Placement and Lead Admissions Coach at Test Innovators. She has 30 years of experience working in independent school admissions and placement at both day and boarding schools.

Greg Jones is Director of Enrollment Management and Admission at Epiphany School in Seattle. He has been a teacher and administrator for 37 years.

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TestInnovators Self-Paced SSAT Prep

With cutting edge adaptive learning technology, powerful diagnostic tools and premium packages containing content created by the test creators, TestInnovators is a effective SSAT prep solution that will take your child’s test prep into the modern day and beyond.

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Who are TestInnovators?

Founded in 2013, TestInnovators is a company that tries to help students boost their standardized test scores by creating a personalized online test prep experience with their adaptive learning technology.

The company offers online test prep, tutoring services and live online classes for the SSAT, as well as for other tests such as ISEE, ACT, SAT and the PSAT.

How does Testing Innovators work?

TestInnovators provides the student with online SSAT testing and then produces a report of test results, as well as an estimated percentile score (based on reports from previous test takers). The software then produces a report that breaks down the student’s performance in each subject, including how well they did on questions of various difficulties, to help you better understand where the student needs improvement the most.

TestInnovators personalizes the prep experience by using adaptive learning technology to track your child’s practice test results and show where they need to focus their attention.

The general idea is to make more effective use of prep time by helping you create a plan to really focus on and practice the areas your student is weak in, rather than going over material in which the student is already strong.

Practice Testing

One of the best ways to study for the SSAT, or most standardized tests really, is to take practice tests. Practice tests are a great way to get students used to the format of the test and types of questions.

Depending on the level and subscription you buy, TestInnovators offers either 1, 3 or 6 full SSAT practice tests.

Tests can be done offline or printed as PDF, but it’s really the online version that unlocks the full potential of these prep tools. Using the online portal, enter their test information and target school and then can take an SSAT test. Online, their system has real time tracking of timing, that is how long a student takes to answer a question, and subject proficiency, honing in on strengths and weaknesses.

If you choose to use a printed PDF, you can also input the results into the system and receive results.

Upon completion, the results are analyzed in real time and give a full breakdown of your students performance. The system produces a detailed report that includes how your child did compared to students admitted to target schools (based on data they’ve collected from previous students), how they managed their time, how they performed on each subject/question/difficulty level, and more.

The software then produces recommendations for areas of improvement and a personalized prep plan, which are regenerated if the student has a package with multiple tests. This lets you get the most up to date data on student performance on the SSAT and their areas of strength/weakness.

Interestingly, Test Innovators are certified content partners with EMA (the people who created the SSAT). Their more expensive package,the Valedictorian, actually contains official SSAT practice tests, as well as practice material co-developed by both companies.

The Valedictorian plan also gives students access to extra materials to help them get better scores. These include a question bank codesigned by the EMA, which allows a student to work more intensively on problem areas with questions that are closely related to the actual SSAT.

This plan also offers over 60 instructive videos to help students with specific concepts and skills, such as test taking strategies, problematic questions and even simulated test proctoring for a more realistic test taking experience.

Past students have found the practice tests offered by Test Innovators to be very consistent with the actual SSAT test, with some saying that the materials and tests were even a little harder than the actual test, making them good preparation tools in our opinion, especially when you consider the official involvement of the company that actually makes the SSAT test itself.

All paid plans also offer a free short consultation (about 20 mins) with experienced SSAT tutors, another service the company offers. These tutors can go over test results and the personalized prep plan and can answer questions and offer advice on how the student can best move forward with their prep.

Online access to their materials is good for 9 months, which is something to consider as you set up your prep schedule.

In addition to their testing, the company also offers live three-hour SSAT “crash courses” that go over each test section, offering test strategies and tips and are run by experienced SSAT tutors. These classes are limited to between 4 and 12 students and are recorded so students can go over the material covered.

Unfortunately, the live crash courses are only offered at the moment for middle and upper level testing.

Test Innovators also offers one on one online tutoring with SSAT specialist tutors that is conducted over recorded video chat.

What levels of SSAT Prep do they offer

Unlike many other prep companies, Test innovators offers prep material that covers all levels of the SSAT: Elementary (going into 4&5), Middle (going into 6-8) and Upper (going into 9-12), making it an option for all students looking to take the test.

How much does TestInnovators SSAT prep cost

Note: Prices correct as of writing

Self paced SSAT Courses

Test Innovators offers a number of packages for each test level. Elementary ranges from $79.99 to $149.99, and Middle and Upper Level Prep ranges from $79.99 to $399.99.

The company does offer a limited free trial for Middle and and Upper, although not Elementary at the moment.

However, if you’re considering purchasing a subscription, there are a number of packages with different options to consider.

Elementary Level SSAT Test Prep Packages

Pricing differences aren’t wide between Elementary packages, the main difference is in how many full length tests you get for your money.

Lower, Middle and Upper Level SSAT Test Prep Packages are similarly set up:

You can check the latest info and prices below:

Live Classes and Tutoring

Their live online class costs $249.00, and their price for one on one tutoring depends on the tutor and amount of hours booked (you can get a price reduction the more hours you book), but generally runs between $150-200 per hour.

Although these methods of instruction are of very high quality, we think they can be expensive compared to some alternatives. The live online class can cost as much as many full courses and students can often find an online SSAT tutor for less than $100 per hour.

TestInnovators is an excellent and adaptive self study system, with interesting and useful diagnostics that can help set and assess target school goals as well as identify weaknesses

While students with a number of weaknesses or who have a hard time self-studying might be better served with other alternatives, but we feel it’s an excellent prep tool independent students who are comfortable with self study will be best served by a thorough and realistic practice and analysis of their performance.

Jennifer Keenes is a writer and a new mom living in Florida. She studied education and, prior to becoming a freelance writer, worked as a substitute teacher at the elementary and middle school level. She is a big fan of the beach, working out and homeschooling her two daughters.

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ISEE Prep Guide

Ready to get started with your isee prep, everything you need to know about the isee.

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