ISEE Independent School Entrance Exam
Grades 2–12

What is the ISEE?

Advanced admission assessment
 

For over 20 years, the ISEE has provided independent schools and select public schools with a rigorous admission tool for evaluating applicants.

The 2011-2012 season marked the debut of an online version of the ISEE, as well as the introduction of ISEE Primary, for entrance to Grades 2-4. Please click here for more information on the ISEE Online.

Highlights of the ISEE

The ISEE is used by consortia throughout the U.S., internationally, and for the City of Boston’s Exam Schools. It is the most advanced admission test available for independent schools.

The ISEE:

• Provides individual school test sites the ability to choose their own test dates.
• Is a standard assessment of skills for each applicant, ranking their abilities and achievement among peers
• Enables a student to take a single, fair and reliable test for entrance into top-performing independent schools
• Does not penalize for incorrect answers
• Is available in multiple modalities (online and paper/pencil),  giving schools flexible administration options
• Provides innumerable test location and date options for families through an exclusive partnership with Prometric, a subsidiary of ETS, with over 400 test centers in the US and abroad.
• Provides free, online preparation materials available with ERB's approved guide,  "What to Expect on the ISEE"
• Offers reasonable testing fees for families ($98*)
• Delivers electronic score reports within 48 hours
• Offers testing accommodations that have been approved by an applicant's school
• Provides fee waivers for families in need
• Aligns with standards from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
• Provides hands-on customer service for schools and families at every turn
• Makes payments directly and promptly to ISEE supervisors, administrators, and proctors

*for large group paper/pencil or online tests

To learn more about how to become an ISEE test site, click here.

ISEE Test Standards

ISEE test questions are aligned to the standards of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

Each item was written by grade level content specialists and ERB member school faculty members under the guidance of the test development company, Measurement Incorporated. Upon approval, the item was subjected to a Universal Design review to make sure that there were no barriers to students of varying backgrounds (e.g., gender, ethnicity, handicapping conditions). This was done in order to make sure that the items measured the constructs intended, rather than irrelevant group differences. The items were assessed to guarantee they measured the skills intended. They were also reviewed and assessed for bias. Approved items were then field tested and, after the completion of all steps, included in the final test forms.
 

ISEE Norm Process

The ISEE is normed using a 3-year rolling norm pool of applicants to the same grade regardless of gender. The test is scored based on the total number of correct answers and there is no penalty for an incorrect answer. From the raw score, the scaled score is derived. The scaled score is then compared to the previously mentioned 3-year rolling norm pool of applicants to determine the student’s percentile ranking. Stanines are reported as another way of looking at the percentile scores.

Test Sections and Timing

Please click here for a list of ISEE test sections and associated timing.