Which ISEE level?
It follows the grade applied to.

The rule

The ISEE has three levels used for grades 5 through 12. The level is set by the grade your child is applying to, not the grade they are currently in.

A child in grade 7 applying for grade 8 sits the Middle Level. The same child applying for grade 9 sits the Upper Level. Same child, same autumn, different exam.

Why the mistake is costly

The levels are not the same paper with easier numbers. They differ in question count, in timing, and in what is tested.

A student who prepares at the Lower Level and sits the Middle Level meets thirty-three more questions in twenty more minutes, on harder content. A student who over-prepares at the Upper Level wastes months on material that will not appear.

Middle and Upper look identical and are not

The Middle and Upper Levels have the same shape — same counts, same clock, same four sections. The difficulty is completely different. An Upper Level question is written for a student applying to high school; a Middle Level question is not.

This is why our ISEE practice exams are written separately for each level, with no question shared between them, rather than one bank served three ways.

The writing sample

Every level includes an unscored essay. It is not marked, but it is sent to the schools, who read it. Practicing it is worth an afternoon, not a month.

Next

Once you know the level, read what is actually on the ISEE for the four sections and their timings. ten free questions include ISEE questions at each level.