What Is the ISEE ? isee score
ISEE or The Independent School Entrance Exam
Is an admission test developed by the Educational
Records Bureau (ERB) for its member schools as part of their admission process. The ISEE was created
by Measurement Incorporated, Durham, NC, and ERB, with assistance from faculty of ERB member
schools.
The current edition has been updated to include educational assessment best practices and to align with
national standards in English and mathematics as articulated in standards adopted by the National
Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
Nearly two-thirds of the questions on the ISEE were developed by ERB-member faculty and
administrators from a cross section of independent schools across the United States under the direction
of test development specialists at Measurement Incorporated.
The ISEE is the admission test of choice for many independent schools throughout the country and
abroad. Test sites are available in numerous cities during the admission testing season. The ISEE
consists of five sections at three levels designed to measure the verbal and quantitative reasoning and
achievement of students in grades 4–11 seeking admission to grades 5–12 in independent schools.
Students seeking admission to grades 5 or 6 take the Lower Level; students seeking admission to
grades 7 or 8 take the Middle Level; and students seeking admission to grades 9–12 take the
Upper Level.
It is important to note that the ISEE may not be taken for practice; it may be taken only for the purpose
of providing scores to participating schools as part of the admission process. An applicant may take the
ISEE only once per admission season or six month window.
The five sections that make up the ISEE are (in order of testing): Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative
Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and an Essay which is written by
the student in response to a given writing prompt. Each section is designed to tap into a unique aspect of
a student’s preparation for academic work.