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What this practice test covers
This test mirrors the Upper Level ISEE: same section order, four answer choices, the same question types, and the same time per question. It's about half the length of the real thing, so you can finish it in one sitting of about an hour and a half.
| Section | Real ISEE | This practice test |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 40 Q, 20 min | 20 Q (10 synonyms, 10 sentence completions), 10 min |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 37 Q, 35 min | 19 Q (10 word problems, 9 quantitative comparisons), 18 min |
| Reading Comprehension | 36 Q, 35 min | 18 Q (3 passages), 17½ min |
| Mathematics Achievement | 47 Q, 40 min | 24 Q, 20 min |
| Essay | 1 prompt, 30 min | 1 prompt, 30 min, self-scored |
Sentence completions include one-word and two-word items, and verbal answer choices are in alphabetical order, just like the real test. Reading passages cover science, history, and fiction. All questions are original.
Exam mode vs. practice mode
Exam mode times each section separately and holds the answers until the end. Take it this way first to see where your student stands.
Practice mode shows whether each answer is right, with an explanation, as soon as you check it. Use it to review, or to rework a weak section without the clock.
How your score compares to the real ISEE
The real ISEE converts each section's raw score into a scaled score, a percentile rank, and a stanine from 1 to 9, comparing your student with applicants to the same grade from the past three years. That conversion isn't published and depends on the test form, so this practice test shows percent correct by section and by skill instead. It doesn't predict a stanine; treat any site that does with suspicion.
The essay isn't scored on the real test either. Check your response against the sample and rubric in the review.
What to do after you finish
- Filter the review to Incorrect and label each miss: didn't know it, misread it, or ran out of time.
- Run Drill my misses in practice mode until you can explain every answer.
- Spend a week on your weakest skill, then retake that section under time.
- Read the full ISEE guide for levels, testing seasons, fees, and a study plan.
Official ISEE practice resources
Before test day, use the official material too: free online sample tests for each level and the free What to Expect guides with a paper practice test, both linked from the official ISEE preparation page. The official interactive practice runs through Test Innovators. Weighing the other test? Try the SSAT practice test.
Sample questions
4 questions from this practice test, with answers and explanations. Take the full test above for timing, scoring and your weakest domains.
Although the hiking trail looked ______ on the map, it turned out to be so ______ that the group needed twice as long as planned to finish it.
- A. brief ... pleasant
- B. easy ... grueling
- C. long ... exhausting
- D. steep ... difficult
Show answerHide answer
Although means the two blanks must contrast, and the second blank must explain why the hike took twice as long. Easy ... grueling does both. "Steep ... difficult" and "long ... exhausting" explain the delay but don't contrast, so they clash with although.
x > 0
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| x² | x |
- A. The quantity in Column A is greater.
- B. The quantity in Column B is greater.
- C. The two quantities are equal.
- D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Show answerHide answer
Test more than one value. If x = 2, then x² = 4 is greater. If x = 1/2, then x² = 1/4 is smaller. If x = 1, they're equal. Different results mean the relationship can't be determined. Assuming squaring always makes a number bigger is the trap.
In triangle PQR, the measure of angle P is 50° and the measure of angle Q is 65°.
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| The length of side PR | The length of side PQ |
- A. The quantity in Column A is greater.
- B. The quantity in Column B is greater.
- C. The two quantities are equal.
- D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Show answerHide answer
Angle R = 180° − 50° − 65° = 65°, so angles Q and R are equal. In a triangle, sides opposite equal angles are equal. Side PR is opposite angle Q, and side PQ is opposite angle R, so the two sides are equal. Choosing "cannot be determined" assumes you need actual side lengths; the angles are enough.
A class of 25 students had an average test score of 80. A second class of 15 students had an average score of 88 on the same test. What was the average score of all 40 students combined?
- A. 83
- B. 84
- C. 85
- D. 86
Show answerHide answer
Find total points: 25 × 80 = 2,000 and 15 × 88 = 1,320. Combined: 3,320 ÷ 40 = 83. The 84 trap averages the two averages, which only works when the groups are the same size. The larger class pulls the combined average toward 80.
More ISEE guides
Frequently asked questions
Is this ISEE practice test the same as the real test?
It uses the real section order, question types, four answer choices, and pacing, but it's about half the length and the questions are original.
Will this practice test tell me my stanine?
No. The official conversion from raw scores to scaled scores and stanines isn't public, so you get percent correct by section and skill instead of a guess.
Can a Middle Level student use this test?
Yes, for format practice: the Middle and Upper Levels have the same sections and timing. Upper Level questions are harder, so expect a lower percent correct.
Sources & official links
- Admission.org — About the ISEEadmission.org
- ERB — What to Expect on the ISEE, Upper Level (PDF)cdn.erblearn.org
- Admission.org — ISEE Preparationadmission.org