ALL About ISEE Exam

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The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is an admission test developed by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) for its member schools as part of their admission process. The ISEE is accepted by more than 1,200 institutions around the world.

Why Is the ISEE Required?


The school you are applying to has requested ISEE scores as part of the overall admissions process. By requiring admission tests for all students entering the same grade, so the school can view one common component among all applicants. In addition to your ISEE scores, the school may also look at your application, your school records, and possibly an interview.

The ISEE is administered on three levels, depending on the student’s current grade:

  • Lower Level (for students currently in grades 4-5 and are candidates for admission to grades 5 and 6)
  • Middle Level (for students currently in grades 6-7 and are candidates for admission to grades 7 and 8)
  • Upper Level (for students currently in grades 8-11 and are candidates for admission to grades 9 and 12)

How is the ISEE structured?

Each level and each form of the ISEE has five sections. The sections are administered in the
following order:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Reading Comprehension
• Mathematics Achievement
• Essay

The following is a breakdown of the ISEE for each level:

LOWER LEVEL – 2 hours and 20 minutes

SectionQuestionTiming
Verbal Reasoning34 questions20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning38 questions35 minutes
Reading Comprehension25 questions25 minutes
Mathematics30 questions30 minutes
Essayone essay30 minutes

MIDDLE LEVEL – 2 hours and 40 minutes

SectionQuestionTiming
Verbal Reasoning40 questions20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning37 questions35 minutes
Reading Comprehension36 questions35 minutes
Mathematics47 questions40 minutes
Essayone essay30 minutes

UPPER LEVEL – 2 hours and 40 minutes

SectionQuestionTiming
Verbal Reasoning40 questions20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning37 questions35 minutes
Reading Comprehension36 questions35 minutes
Mathematics47 questions40 minutes
Essayone essay30 minutes

How is the ISEE scored?

In addition to an Individual Student Report, students will receive a brochure containing information about their ISEE results. There are two sections in the report: Test Profile (which relates to overall performance) and analysis (which breaks down scores by section in more detail). Results are reported in terms of “scaled scores”, “percentiles” and “stanines”.

For further information download, the e-book, and you can get the Diagnostic Report.

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