WHAT TO EXPECT

ON THE ISEE

470 Park Avenue South UPPER LEVEL: CANDIDATES FOR GRADES 9–12
Second Floor, South Tower
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 672-9800 Fax: (212) 370-4096
www.iseetest.org

REV 10/12 The only authorized guide produced by ERB

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ISEE

A PREPARATION BOOK FOR STUDENTS

AND THEIR PARENTS

Upper Level
Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.
Dear Student,

You are probably going to be taking the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) sometime soon, and
we hope that this book will help you in preparing for this experience.

This book is intended to help you become familiar with the ISEE. The questions that you will see in the
“Sample Questions” and the “Practice Test” sections are not the same questions that you will find on the
real test, but they are similar to those questions and have been written by the same people who wrote the
actual ISEE. You will also have a chance to become familiar with the exact directions on the test. Even
the answer sheets we have included are the same!

Please be sure to read the test directions on page 39 and the explanation of your score report on
pages 86–92, since the ISEE may be different from other tests you have taken in the past.

We hope that after spending some time with this book, you will know more about what to expect on
your test day and feel comfortable with the types of questions, the directions, and the answer sheet on
the ISEE. We wish you and your family the best of luck as you embark on this exciting educational
adventure.

With warm regards,

The ISEE Staff

What to Expect on the ISEE Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction to the ISEE 9

Background Information ........................................................................................................................10
What Is the ISEE? ..............................................................................................................................10
How Does a Student Arrange To Take the ISEE? .............................................................................10
What Types of Questions Are on the ISEE? ......................................................................................11
Information for Students ........................................................................................................................13
Why Is the ISEE Required? ...............................................................................................................13
What Happens to My Scores? ............................................................................................................13
How Will This Book Help Me? .........................................................................................................13
Information for Adults ...........................................................................................................................14
How This Book Can Help Your Student Prepare for the ISEE .........................................................14
How You Can Help Your Student Prepare for the ISEE ...................................................................14
Reminders for Your Student ..............................................................................................................14
Frequently Asked Questions ..............................................................................................................15
Section Strategies and Essay 21
Verbal Reasoning ...................................................................................................................................22
Quantitative Reasoning ..........................................................................................................................23
Reading Comprehension ........................................................................................................................25
Mathematics Achievement ....................................................................................................................26
Writing the Essay ...................................................................................................................................28
Tips for Writing the Essay .................................................................................................................29
Sample Essay Topics .........................................................................................................................30
Practice Test 36
Using the Practice Test ..........................................................................................................................37
Test Directions .......................................................................................................................................39
Verbal Reasoning Practice Test .............................................................................................................40
Quantitative Reasoning Practice Test ....................................................................................................47
Reading Comprehension Practice Test ..................................................................................................58
Mathematics Achievement Practice Test ...............................................................................................70
Essay Practice Test ................................................................................................................................81
Scoring the Practice Test 85
Step-by-Step Directions ........................................................................................................................85

5
What to Expect on the ISEE Table of Contents

Understanding the Individual Student Report (ISR) 86

Sample Individual Student Report (ISR) ..............................................................................................87
Test Profile ............................................................................................................................................88
Scaled Scores ....................................................................................................................................89
Percentile Rank .................................................................................................................................89
Stanine...............................................................................................................................................89
Stanine Analysis................................................................................................................................90
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................90
Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................................................91
Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................................................91
Reading Comprehension ...................................................................................................................92
Mathematics Achievement................................................................................................................92
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................92
Appendices 93
Appendix A: ISEE Content and Specifications ....................................................................................94
Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................................................94
Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................................................95
Reading Comprehension ...................................................................................................................96
Mathematics Achievement................................................................................................................97
Essay .................................................................................................................................................98
Appendix B: Answer Sheet...................................................................................................................99

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7
8
 I NTRODUCTION
TO THE

U PPER L EVEL

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

9
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Background Information
What Is the ISEE?

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 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.

Students may register to take the ISEE up to three times in a 12-month admission cycle, once in any or
all of the three testing seasons. The seasons are Fall (August–November), Winter (December–March),
and Spring/Summer (April–July). ISEE does not encourage multiple testing, but we do offer students
and families that option.

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 his or her own handwriting 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.

The first four sections consist entirely of multiple-choice questions. Results are reported in percentile
ranks; that is, each student’s performance is measured against a norm group made up of students
applying to independent schools in the same grade who have tested over the past three years. The essay
is not scored but sent directly to the school(s) to which the student has applied, along with the score
report. More will be said about how the test is scored on pages 18–20.

How Does a Student Arrange To Take the ISEE?

Students may take the ISEE in one of the following ways:

1. The ISEE is given by consortia of schools in cities throughout the United States where schools
have joined together and have chosen to use a common entrance test program.

10
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE
2. The ISEE is given at individual school test sites, either open or closed, at a wide variety of
schools throughout the country and abroad and on a number of test dates.

3. The ISEE offers a variety of testing options. We are pleased to offer the ISEE in both a paper-
pencil and an online format at ISEE test site schools, ISEE testing offices, and Prometric Test
Centers.

Complete registration information may be found in the ISEE Student Guide, which is updated each year
and is available from the independent schools who administer the test. For online registration
information, visit www.iseetest.org.

What Types of Questions Are on the ISEE?

The first four sections are composed of multiple-choice questions. The fifth section, the essay, is not
scored but requires the student to respond in his or her own handwriting to a preselected writing prompt.

The first two sections, Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning, measure the applicant’s
reasoning ability.

 The Upper Level Verbal Reasoning section consists of two types of items: vocabulary and
sentence completion. Each vocabulary item consists of an abstract, grade-level appropriate word
followed by four possible answer choices. Each sentence completion item consists of a sentence
with one missing word or pair of words followed by four potential answer choices. A student
must select the word or pair of words that most appropriately completes the context of the
sentence.

 At the Upper Level, the Quantitative Reasoning section consists of word problems and
quantitative comparisons. The word problems differ somewhat from traditional mathematics
achievement items in that some of them require either no calculation or simple calculation. The
quantitative comparison items present two quantities, (A) and (B), and ask the student to select
one of four answer choices:

(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.

The next two sections, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement, measure the
applicant’s ability to correctly answer curriculum-based concepts that are appropriate at that grade level
according to curriculum standards adopted by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

 In order to determine a student’s reading comprehension skills, in the Reading Comprehension

section, the student is asked to read a passage and then answer items specific to that passage.

The six passages in this section are age-appropriate and length-appropriate. Each passage is
especially written to contain contemporary information and to be of high interest to students
testing for grades 9 through 12. The passages cover a variety of subject areas including arts,
contemporary life, history, and science.

11
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

 Mathematics Achievement items conform to national mathematics standards and ask the
student to identify the problem and find a solution to a problem. The items require one or more
steps in calculating the answer.

The Essay is written by the student in response to a writing “prompt” or topic that is grade-level
appropriate. The prompts rotate throughout the testing season. They are designed to prompt a student to
write an informed essay on a particular topic. As is true of the passages in the Reading Comprehension
section, these prompts have been written for a contemporary feel and a high level of interest to current
students. Each prompt is free of bias, global in scope, and representative of a wide variety of subjects.
Each prompt is one or two sentences long and asks students to respond to the situation described.
Prompts may relate to the student, to the student’s community, or to the world in general.

ERB does not score the written essay. They send a copy of the essay to the school(s) designated in the
ISEE registration along with the scores for the rest of the test. They do not send a copy of the essay to
the parents.

12
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Information for Students

Why Is the ISEE Required?

The school you are applying to has requested ISEE scores as part of the overall admissions process. By
requiring an admission test for all students entering the same grade, the school can view one common
item of all applicants. The school looks at many items in conjunction with the ISEE scores, including
your application, your current school records, and possibly an interview. All components of the
admission process, including the ISEE scores, help the school, you, and your family determine the best
school match for you.

What Happens to My Scores?

After you take the ISEE, the test site will send your answers to the ISEE Operations Office for scoring
of the four multiple-choice sections and production of the Individual Student Report (ISR). The ISR is
posted to your family’s account right after scoring and an email is then sent to notify your family that
this has taken place. The essay, which is not scored and not released to the family, is released online
(with the ISR) to ERB member schools. School reports do not list any recipients other than the
individual school receiving the report.

How Will This Book Help Me?

Unlike other ISEE test preparation materials, this book was written by the same people who developed
the ISEE. The sample questions and practice test questions in this book include actual questions from
previous versions of the ISEE. Use this book to

 see what the ISEE looks like and how it is structured;

 read sample questions and answers with an explanation of each correct answer choice;
 read the exact directions that you will be given when you take the ISEE;
 take a practice test that has questions like those on the real ISEE; and
 use an answer sheet like the one you will use when you take the ISEE.

We hope that working through this book will make you feel even more confident and prepared when
you take the ISEE because you will know what to expect.

13
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Information for Adults

How This Book Can Help Your Student Prepare for the ISEE

The information in this book offers your student an opportunity to become familiar with all aspects of
the ISEE. It is particularly helpful because the sample questions and practice test questions were either
chosen from previous editions of the ISEE or were written by ERB-member school faculty and
administrators and by experts in test development. Using this book will allow your student to

 read and answer sample questions, check for the correct answers, and then read the explanations
for why the answers are correct;
 take a practice test that contains questions similar to those on the actual ISEE, see a sample
answer sheet that is like the answer sheet on the real test, and read the actual directions he or she
will receive on the day of the test; and
 score the practice test and compare that score with those of other students who took the actual
ISEE.
How You Can Help Your Student Prepare for the ISEE

There are specific ways you may help prepare your student, not only for the ISEE, but for other
standardized tests as well.

 Show confidence in your student’s ability to do well on the ISEE.

 Remind your student that the ISEE is just one piece of information a school will use in its
admission process.
 Mark the test date on your calendar so that both you and your student are aware of the date.
 Make sure that your student gets a good night’s sleep before the test.
 Make sure that your student eats a healthy breakfast before the test.
 Encourage your student to read as part of his or her daily routine. By reading new materials, your
student will be exposed to new concepts and vocabulary.

Reminders for Your Student

Remind your student to employ the following helpful strategies when answering multiple-choice
questions.

 Read the entire question before attempting to answer it.

 Try to answer the question without looking at the choices. Then, look at the choices to see if your
answer is the same as, or close to, one of the choices. Wherever possible, answer choices on this
test are arranged alphabetically, numerically, or by length of the answer to help the student locate
the correct answer more quickly.
 Next, eliminate answers you know are not correct.
 Finally, choose the correct answer. If necessary, make an educated guess from the remaining
choices, since there is no penalty for incorrect responses.

14
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which level of the ISEE does my student take?

A: There are three levels of the ISEE.

 Students currently in grades 4 and 5 (applicants to grades 5 or 6) take the Lower Level.
 Students currently in grades 6 and 7 (applicants to grades 7 or 8) take the Middle Level.
 Students currently in grades 8 and above (applicants to grades 9–12) take the
Upper Level.

Q: Are there multiple versions of the ISEE?

A: At each of the three levels, there are several different, but equivalent, forms. The specific
forms to be used each year will be determined in advance by ERB. These forms are randomly
assigned to the students and are statistically equivalent, regardless of which form was
actually taken by the student.

Q: How is the ISEE structured?

A: 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 sections and the essay are explained more fully in the next part of this book.

Q: What can my student expect at the test site on the day of the test?

A: Students will present their verification letter or identification to be checked in upon arrival.
So that your child may concentrate on doing his or her best on the ISEE, schools do not
conduct admission activities or highlight their schools on the day of testing. We know that
testing may be stressful for some students; therefore, the test administrators are teachers or
other school personnel who teach or interact with children on a daily basis. Although test
administrators may not discuss test questions during the test, they give clear test directions,
and your child is encouraged to ask for clarification, if necessary, before beginning each
section of the test.

15
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Q: What types of questions are on the ISEE?

A: The Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Mathematics

Achievement sections contain only multiple-choice questions. Each question has four
choices. Only one answer is the correct or “best” answer. The Essay section requires the
student to write an essay in response to a prompt. There are over one hundred writing
prompts (topics) that have been developed for each level of the ISEE. A different topic is
selected by ERB for each test administration throughout the year.

Q: How much time will be allotted for each section on the actual Upper Level ISEE?

A:
TIME ALLOTTED FOR EACH SECTION
ON THE ACTUAL UPPER LEVEL ISEE
Time
Number of
Section Allotted
Questions
(in minutes)
Verbal Reasoning 40 20
Quantitative Reasoning 37 35
Reading Comprehension 36 35
Mathematics Achievement 47 40
Essay 1 prompt 30
Total Time 160

Each section of the ISEE (excluding the essay) contains several questions that will not be
scored but may be used on future editions of the ISEE.

Q: Are there any scheduled breaks during the test?

A: There are two breaks—one following the Quantitative Reasoning section and another
following the Mathematics Achievement section. Each break is five to ten minutes long.

Q: I am confused by these acronyms: ERB, ISEE, CTP. Didn’t my student take one of
these already this year?

A: The Educational Records Bureau (ERB) oversees both the Independent School Entrance
Exam (ISEE) and the Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP). The ISEE is a test designed to
help admission directors at selected public and independent schools decide who will be
accepted for admission to their schools, while the CTP is a battery of tests designed to collect
information about student achievement for students currently enrolled in grades 1–10.

16
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Both the ISEE and the CTP test student abilities in Verbal Reasoning, Reading
Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Mathematics. They also contain similar types
of items. Therefore, it is quite possible that your student may be somewhat familiar with the
types of questions on the ISEE if he or she has previously taken the CTP. However, it is
important to note that there is no repeat of specific items between the two tests. The ISEE is
unique in that it is used for admission purposes only and its norms are based only on
applicants to independent schools.

Q: Are there other books or programs that might help my student improve on the ISEE?

A: This book and the Test Innovators platform are the only practice materials approved by ERB.
This book was written in conjunction with the test developer, Measurement Incorporated,
and contains current and accurate information.

Since this book was written by the developer of the actual test, the practice test questions
were chosen to accurately reflect the format and the kinds of content your student will see on
the actual ISEE. You may see programs or materials advertised that claim to help; however,
only Test Innovators has been approved by ERB.

Q: What materials does my student need to bring to the actual ISEE?

A: For paper testing only, students should bring four #2 pencils and two pens with either blue or
black ink. Students may choose to use erasable ink.

Q: Are there materials that my student is prohibited from using during the ISEE?

A: Most materials other than writing implements are prohibited. Specifically, scratch paper,
calculators, calculator watches, rulers, protractors, compasses, dictionaries, and
thesauruses are NOT permitted during the actual test.

Cell phones and other electronic devices (iPods, MP3s, beepers, etc.) are not permitted
at the test site and must not be brought into the testing room. If a student uses any of these
items during the exam, his or her exam will be invalidated. Since students are not permitted
to use these devices on the actual test, it is recommended that they avoid using them when
they answer the sample test questions or take the practice test. A certain number of these
restrictions may be waived for students who receive testing accommodations due to
documented disabilities.

Q: Are testing accommodations made if my student requires them?

A: Accommodations may be made for students with documented learning differences or

physical challenges. Accommodation use in school and supporting documentation of the
disability are required. For more information, please go to www.iseetest.org and click on
“Accommodations.”

17
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Q: Will my student be penalized for a wrong answer? Is it appropriate to guess?

A: Scores are based on the number of correct answers. If the student can eliminate at least one of
the choices, he or she should make an educated guess from the choices that remain. A wrong
answer and an omitted answer count the same. However, it is better to move ahead to the
next item and return to the puzzling one later. No student is expected to answer all questions
correctly.

Q: How is my student compared to other students taking the ISEE?

A: Your student is compared only to other independent school applicants who tested for the
same grade during the past three years. Your student is not compared to students applying to
a different grade who are taking the same level of the test. The percentile ranking on the
score report shows how your student scored in comparison to the other students applying to
the same grade. The group of students who take the ISEE—the ISEE norming population—is
a very select group of students who are applying to competitive schools. Therefore, ISEE
percentile ranks are generally lower—anywhere from 10 to 40 percentile points lower—than
those on other tests that use national norms. The schools that use the ISEE are familiar with
ISEE scores and the group of students taking the ISEE. You may wish to check with the
school(s) to which you are applying to learn the range of ISEE scores expected for applicants
to their school(s).

Q: How soon will I receive my student’s scores?

A: After paper testing, schools send the ISEE answer sheets and essays to the ISEE Operations
Office for production of an Individual Student Report (ISR). Scoring takes place on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday. The ISR is posted to a family’s online account right after scoring
and an email is then sent to notify the family that this has taken place. Copies of the ISR are
also posted for ERB schools and consultants, only if the family has listed them as recipients.
The essay, which is not scored and is released only to ERB schools, accompanies the ISR.
Score reports to schools do not list any other school recipients.
For online ISEE testing at a school or Prometric site, score reports will post online 3–5 days
after the exam. A notification will be emailed to let you know the report is ready. A hard
copy will not be sent to the home address.

Q: What is the raw score?

A: A raw score represents the number correct. If a student got 23 items correct—say on a test of
40 questions—then the raw score is simply 23.

Q: What does the scaled score mean?

A: A scaled score is a raw score that has been converted to a different numerical scale, for
example, 200–800. The raw score scale ranges from 0–maximum score, while the scaled
score range consists of higher numbers with a somewhat arbitrary minimum and maximum
score. The range of scaled scores on the ISEE is 760–940.

18
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Q: To whom is my student being compared on his or her score report?

A: As stated previously, your student is compared only to other independent school applicants
who have applied to the same grade during the past three years. There is no comparison
specifically to other students who took the test at the same test site or to other applicants who
tested on the same day.

Q: What is a “good” percentile score?

A: The notion of “good” is relative and may only be defined by the specific school. Please check
with them for more information on how each plans to use the scores from the ISEE in their
admission process.

Q: What is a stanine?

A: A stanine score is simply another scale and is based on percentile ranks. Percentile ranks
range from 1–99, while stanines range from 1–9. In general, a stanine score of 1–3 is below
average, 4–6 is average, and 7–9 is above average.

Percentile
Stanine
Rank
1–3 1
4–10 2
11–22 3
23–39 4
40–59 5
60–76 6
77–88 7
89–95 8
96–99 9

Q: Are my student’s scores good?

A: Each school uses the scores on the ISEE as part of the total application process and according
to its own criteria. Thus, there is no way to determine a “good” or “bad” score. Each school
will use several pieces of information about your student as it evaluates his or her
application. These may include the student’s academic record (report card, transcript, etc.),
teacher recommendation(s), notes from a personal interview, and extracurricular activities
and interests.

Q: How will I know if my student passed or failed?

A: Students do not pass or fail the ISEE. There is no cutoff point that determines pass/fail
status or divides students into these two groups. There is no cutoff (or pass/fail) score
recommended by ERB.

19
What to Expect on the ISEE Introduction to the ISEE

Q What are the schools looking for?

A: Each independent school determines who is admitted based on a variety of criteria. Each
school usually has a range of scores that, from experience, indicates if an applicant is likely
to be a good fit at the school. Check with the schools to which your student is applying for
more information. Remember, there are many pieces of information used in selecting
applicants, and your student’s score on the ISEE is only one of these.

Q: How does the ISEE compare with other tests?

A: Each standardized test has its own characteristics. There is no available formal comparison
between the ISEE and other national tests such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the
Stanford 9, or other similar testing instruments.

Q: How is the essay scored?

A: The essay, which is not scored and not released to the parent, is released online (with the
ISR) to ERB members. Evaluation is based on each individual school’s criteria.

20
 S ECTION S TRATEGIES
AND E SSAY

U PPER L EVEL

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.
21
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning
(Section 1)

The ISEE has a Verbal Reasoning section that is composed of two different kinds of questions:
synonyms and sentence completions. Both kinds of questions test your vocabulary and reasoning ability.

Synonym questions focus on word recognition, since the correct answer choices are those that have the
same meaning, or are closest in meaning, to the word in the question. Synonyms also test your ability to
reason, because you must choose the word that is most nearly the same in meaning to the word in the
question from among four answer choices.

Strategy: Since the answer choices are listed in alphabetical order, think of a word that first comes to
mind when you read the synonym and then look for it (or a word like it) in the list.

Sentence completion questions measure your ability to understand words and their function. Correct
answers are based on clues that appear in the context of the sentence. In the Upper Level forms of the
ISEE, the sentence completion answer choices are words or pairs of words that logically complete the
meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Strategies:

 Read each sentence to get the overall meaning.

 Focus on key words or clue words in the question to help you determine the correct answer.
 Mentally fill in the blank with your own answer and then find the answer choice that is
closest in meaning to your own answer. If there are two blanks, the correct answer must be
the best answer for both blanks.
 Remember that there is almost always a word or pair of words that obviously points to the
correct answer.
 Use word clues such as although, because, if, since, or therefore to help you figure out the
relationships in the sentence.
 After you choose your answer, go back and reread the whole sentence to be sure that it
makes sense.

22
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Quantitative Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning
(Section 2)
=

Quantitative Reasoning is one of two math sections on the ISEE. This section is designed to show how
your reasoning skills have developed. It tests your ability to use your understanding of mathematics to
develop your own opinions about how to solve math problems. It does not test the amount of math you
have learned, but how well you think mathematically. Quantitative Reasoning questions require little or
no calculations; the emphasis is on your ability to reason mathematically. You may be asked to

 estimate numerical values;

 employ logic to determine what a particular problem is about;
 compare and contrast quantities;
 analyze and interpret data;
 analyze, compare, predict, draw conclusions, and summarize graphs;
 use reason to calculate the probability of events;
 understand concepts and applications of measurements; and
 know how to arrive at statistical solutions to problems that are given.

All questions found in the two math sections of the ISEE are linked to the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards. The ISEE uses the following NCTM strands as a basis for the
Quantitative Reasoning section:

 Numbers and Operations

 Algebra
 Geometry
 Measurement
 Data Analysis and Probability
 Problem Solving

In the Quantitative Reasoning section of the Individual Student Report (ISR), these strands are NOT
identified. However, to help you best prepare for this section of the ISEE, the answers to the practice test
questions are identified by the NCTM standards. For more information on these strands, visit the NCTM
Web site at www.nctm.org.

This section has two types of questions: word problems and quantitative comparison questions.

Strategies for Word Problems:

 Read the question and determine exactly what you are being asked to find.
 Determine what information is relevant and what is irrelevant.
 Cross out the irrelevant information in your test booklet.
 Next, ask yourself, “What steps do I need to use to find the answer?” and “Can I do this by
estimating and not by actual calculations?”

23
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Quantitative Reasoning

 Make a best guess at the correct answer, then look to see if that answer is given.
(Note: On the ISEE, all answer choices are listed in sequential order from greatest to least,
or least to greatest.)
 Next, eliminate all answer choices that are not reasonable.
 Since there is no penalty for guessing, choose the answer that seems most reasonable.

Remember, there is only one correct answer for each question. The answer choices often represent
common mistakes or misconceptions, but they are not intended to trick you. You may write in the test
booklet.

Strategies for Quantitative Comparison Questions:

 The quantitative comparison questions are not in the standard question format found in other
sections of this test, but rather two quantities are to be compared. The quantities are shown in
two columns: Column A and Column B.
 All comparison questions have the same four answer choices. To save you time in reading
the questions, the answer choices in this subsection are not given after each question, but are
shown at the top of each page. The answer choices for all questions in this subsection are:

(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.

 Before doing any mental math or calculations to compare the quantities, first determine if
you have enough information to compare the quantities. If not, choose answer D: “The
relationship cannot be determined from the information given.”
 If you need to do calculations to compare the quantities, when possible, make estimates of
the quantities and write your estimate in its corresponding column.
 Since there is limited reading required in this section, many questions show only the two
quantities you are to compare. However, some questions give additional information before
or after the quantities you are to compare; therefore, be sure you read all the information
given very carefully before answering the question.

24
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension
(Section 3)

The actual Upper Level Reading Comprehension section of the ISEE contains six reading passages;
the practice test in this book contains five passages. The passages include topics related to history,
science, literature, and contemporary life. Some questions ask you to find a phrase or word in the
passage, so all passages show line numbers in the left margin. Each passage is followed by six questions
about the passage.

Strategy: Read the passage first to get an overall view. As you read the passage, ask yourself, “What
is the main idea? What facts and details are given?” As you answer the questions following the
passage, use the line numbers to help you find the section or lines you may need to look at again.

A sample passage and some questions may be found on the next two pages. The types of questions you
may be asked focus on six categories:

 The Main Idea items assess the student’s ability to look for an overall message, theme, or central
idea in the passage or section of the passage.
 The Supporting Ideas items assess the student’s ability to identify explicit ideas that support the
main idea or another important concept found in the text.
 Inference items ask the student to draw a conclusion from content not explicitly stated in the text.
Inference items may ask the student to compare and contrast ideas, interpret or analyze text,
and/or predict subsequent events or outcomes.
 Vocabulary items deal with word definitions within the context of the passage, usually in the
form of “most nearly means.”
 Organization/Logic items ask students to identify the sequence, pattern, relationship, structure,
or summary of the passage and to identify the major features of different literary genres,
including narrative, informational, and instructional.
 Tone/Style/Figurative Language items assess the student’s understanding of mood, tone, point of
view, and figurative language such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, images, irony, and
personification.

25
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Mathematics Achievement

Mathematics Achievement
(Section 4)
=

Mathematics Achievement tests mathematical skills you have learned from the very beginning of your
school career. All questions in this section are aligned to the standards articulated by the NCTM. As
with the questions in the Quantitative Reasoning section, this section will include questions from these
NCTM standards:
 Number and Operations
 Algebra
 Geometry
 Measurement
 Data Analysis and Probability, and
 Problem Solving

For more information on these mathematical standards, visit www.nctm.org.

The Mathematics Achievement section will test your ability to identify and solve problems related to the
NCTM standards in the six areas listed above. Specifically, the Mathematic Achievement questions have
these characteristics:
 Unlike the Quantitative Reasoning section, you may need to do calculations to determine the
correct answer for some questions.
 Answer choices may represent misconceptions or procedural errors (such as incorrect order of
mathematical operations in a multi-step problem) but there are no trick questions or trick
answers.
 Unlike the Quantitative Reasoning section, some items may require knowledge of mathematical
terminology as indicated in the grade appropriate NCTM standards.
 Although conversions between units of measurement may be required to correctly answer the
problem, students do not have to memorize conversions in the U.S. standard system (such as
twelve inches equals one foot). If conversions within the U.S. standard system are required to
find the correct answer to the question, they are given in the question.
 Common metric units will be found in some questions in this section, but conversions within the
same unit for volume, length, mass or temperature in the metric system are not provided. (i.e.,
conversions between centimeters and meters).

You may not use a calculator or scratch paper. You may write in this book, since you may write in the
test booklet when you take the ISEE.

26
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Mathematics Achievement

Strategies:
 Read the entire question and study any related graphic images for each question before looking
at the answer choices.
 Remember all four answer choices are logical answers—there are no answer choices such as “all
of the above” or “none of the above.”
 Next determine your answer and look for it in the answer choices provided.
o To save you time, all answers are listed in sequential order from greatest to least, or least
to greatest, unless the answer could be determined by using the ordered answers. (For
example, a question which asks which number is the largest number would not have its
answer choices ordered by value.)
 Remember to check your work, since often the answer choices represent common mathematical
mistakes or procedural misconceptions.
 Some questions may be unfamiliar to you because you may not have yet covered that particular
math concept at your current school. If you do not know the answer to the question, or if the
answer you have determined is not listed as an answer choice, you may choose to make a mark
in your test booklet (not your answer document), skip that question for now, and move on to the
next question. Remember all questions on the ISEE have equal value. If you have time before the
end of this test section, you may be able to come back to it later.

27
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Essay

Writing the Essay

(Section 5)

On the last section of the ISEE test, you will be asked to write a short essay in response to an assigned
writing prompt. A writing prompt is randomly selected for use on each test date. The writing prompts
include topics of interest to students at your level and are created to give you an opportunity to tell more
about yourself.

This part of the test also gives you a chance to show the schools to which you have applied how well
you organize your thoughts and express them in a written format. For the actual ISEE test, you are given
a sheet of paper on which to make notes. You must write the essay in ink on two pre-lined pages
(erasable ink is allowed), and you also must rewrite the prompt at the top of the first page. The actual
instructions you will receive when you take the essay portion of the ISEE are shown on pages 82–83 in
the “Practice Test” section.

You are given 30 minutes to complete the essay. During those 30 minutes you should
 organize your thoughts;
 prepare your notes or make a short outline; and
 write your final copy.

Writing must be done either in cursive or print using a ballpoint pen. The writing should be done
directly on the lines preprinted in the answer document, using blue or black ink.

On the following pages, you will find some tips for writing an essay, some sample essay prompts,
and lined pages for writing a sample essay. Two sample essay topics and two sets of lined pages have
been provided to give you an opportunity to practice on more than one prompt. Remember to add
descriptions and details in your response. If possible, you should ask a parent or teacher to read your
essay(s) and give you feedback on what you have written.

28
What to Expect on the ISEE Section Strategies – Essay

Tips for Writing the Essay

Here is a brief writing checklist designed to help you organize and write in response to the essay topic
provided. This checklist is for your use now, but note that there is NO checklist for you to use when you
take the actual ISEE, and you may NOT take a checklist into the test with you. We believe, however,
that if you use this checklist as you write your sample essay, you will remember to ask yourself these
questions when you write your essay on the actual ISEE.

__ Did I put the topic in the box at the top of the first page, as instructed?

__ Did I plan my essay before putting it on the lined sheets?

__ Did I allow enough time to write my final copy on the lined sheets?

__ Did I write about the topic that was given?

__ Did I include details to add interest?

__ Did I follow rules for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization?

__ Can others read my handwriting?

__ Did I review my writing upon finishing?

29
What to Expect on the ISEE Sample Test Questions – Essay

Sample Essay Topics

Directions: Select a topic from the list of sample topics below and write an essay on the pre-lined pages
on pages 32 and 33. You may plan your essay on a separate sheet of paper. Remember to rewrite the
topic at the top of page 32.

If you would like additional practice writing an essay, pages 34– 35 contain pre-lined pages for writing
an essay on the remaining topic.

Topic 1: Your school requires you to perform forty hours of community service in order to graduate.
Describe which type of community service you would choose and explain your choice.

Topic 2: Describe what you would consider a “really successful person.” Explain why you consider this
person and this person’s qualities to be successful.

30
This page is intentionally left blank.

31
What to Expect on the ISEE Sample Test Questions – Essay

Sample Essay #1

32
What to Expect on the ISEE Sample Test Questions – Essay

33
What to Expect on the ISEE Sample Test Questions – Essay

Sample Essay #2

34
What to Expect on the ISEE Sample Test Questions – Essay

35
 P RACTICE T EST

U PPER L EVEL

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

36
What to Expect on the ISEE Practice Test

Using the Practice Test

The Practice Test is the same format as the actual ISEE. In each section, the number of questions and the
number of minutes that you have to answer the questions are listed under the name of the section. On the
actual ISEE, however, there are additional questions which will not be included on your score report, but
which may be used on future tests. Thus, the timings for the Practice Test are slightly shorter than on the
actual ISEE, since you are answering only questions that will be used to determine your sample score.
The chart below shows the number of questions on each section of the Practice Test and the actual ISEE,
and how many minutes you should allow for each section of both tests.

PRACTICE TEST AND ACTUAL TEST — UPPER LEVEL

Sections Practice Test Actual ISEE
Verbal Reasoning 35 Questions — 17.5 Minutes 40 Questions — 20 Minutes
Quantitative Reasoning 32 Questions — 30 Minutes 37 Questions — 35 Minutes
Reading Comprehension 30 Questions — 30 Minutes 36 Questions — 35 Minutes
Mathematics Achievement 42 Questions — 36 Minutes 47 Questions — 40 Minutes
Essay 2-Page Limit — 30 Minutes 2-Page Limit — 30 Minutes

Although the timings are not the same on the Practice Test and the actual ISEE, since each section on
the actual test is carefully timed, it is important to follow the timing instructions on the Practice Test so
you can learn how to pace yourself for the actual test.

Remember that the time it takes to read the brief directions at the beginning of each section is NOT
included in the testing time. When you take the actual test, you will be allowed a five- to ten-minute
break before the Reading Comprehension section and another five- to ten-minute break following the
Mathematics Achievement section. On the actual ISEE, you will take each section in the same order in
which it appears in this Practice Test. Each section must be taken without stopping; therefore, we
strongly encourage you to take the Practice Test exactly the same way so that the experience will be
realistic and meaningful. Also, the score you calculate when you check your answers will be
more accurate.

Because we think it will help you to know exactly how the test administrator will instruct you on the day
of the test, we have included the general directions that will be read to you before the test starts. (These
directions are on the next page.) Reading these directions carefully will help you know what to expect.

When you are ready to begin, try to create the following realistic test conditions.
 Find a quiet, well-lighted space with an appropriate writing surface.
 Ask an older person (parent, sibling, friend) to act as test administrator to
o read the general directions;
o monitor your time;
o write down the starting time for each section;
o tell you when 5 minutes remain in each section; and
o tell you when to stop.
You will use a copy of the actual answer sheet to mark your answers for the Practice Test. The answer
sheet is in Appendix B. You will also use the pre-lined pages in Appendix B for your essay. Use the
appropriate parts of the answer sheet and leave the remaining parts blank. For example, leave “Test
Administrator” and “ID Number” blank. It may be more convenient for you to photocopy the answer
sheet so that you don’t have to turn back and forth between the Practice Test and Appendix B.
37
 Interested in timing feedback?

Use our online bubble sheet as you take your paper test!

On a fast-paced test like the ISEE, time management is one of the most critical
skills to master. To receive timing feedback, just follow these instructions:

1. Create a Free Trial account at ISEEpracticetest.com (or log in to your

existing account).

2. Click View Dashboard on your Welcome page.

3. From your Dashboard, click the banner for the What to Expect test.

4. Select Score Paper for the first section you’ll be working on.

5. Read the instructions and click Begin Section when you’re ready!
What to Expect on the ISEE Practice Test

Test Directions
After you are seated in the test room and the test administrator announces that you are ready to begin, he
or she will give you your test booklet and an answer sheet. (Please refer to the answer sheet on
pages 100–101). Some of the information on this answer sheet may already be filled in for you, but if
not, the test administrator will help you. After you complete the test booklet itself, the administrator will
give you your essay topic to write on the last two pages of the answer sheet. There will be two five- to
ten-minute breaks during the test.

The general directions the test administrator will read to you before you begin the separate sections of
the actual ISEE are below. The administrator will not begin timing you until after he or she has finished
reading them and answering any appropriate questions. These are the same directions you should use on
the Practice Test. It is important to look at them now because they contain important information.

Directions
The ISEE measures skills and abilities commonly used by students in school. Your test booklet
contains four sections: Verbal Reasoning; Quantitative Reasoning; Reading Comprehension; and
Mathematics Achievement. There are several different versions for each test, so the questions in your
test booklet will probably be different from the questions that others in this room are answering.
Because these tests are given to students in more than one grade, don’t be surprised if you notice that
some of the questions are very easy for you, or that others are very difficult.

Read the directions and samples printed at the beginning of each test carefully. Work as quickly as
you can without becoming careless. Do not spend too much time on any question that is difficult for
you to answer since all questions are scored equally. Instead, skip it and answer all of the questions
that you can. Then, if you have time, return to any questions you may have skipped.

Please select the best choice for each question. On this test, there is no penalty for an incorrect
answer.

Be sure to record all your answers on the answer sheet. Mark only one answer for each question, and
make every mark heavy and dark, as in these examples.

Sample Answers

If you decide to change one of your answers, be sure to erase the first mark completely. Don’t worry
if you find that there are more answer spaces on the answer sheet than there are questions in this
booklet. As you work, make sure that the number of the question that you are answering matches the
number on the answer sheet section that you are marking.

Please do not open the booklet until you are told to do so.

39
 Verbal Reasoning

UPPER LEVEL

Practice Test

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

40
VR 1
Section 1
Verbal Reasoning
35 Questions Time: 17.5 minutes

This section is divided into two parts that contain two different types of questions. As soon as you have
completed Part One, answer the questions in Part Two. You may write in your test booklet. For each
answer you select, fill in the corresponding circle on your answer document.
Part One — Synonyms
Each question in Part One consists of a word in capital letters followed by four answer choices. Select
the one word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

SAMPLE QUESTION: Sample Answer

DISPERSE:
(A) conceal
(B) excuse
(C) scatter
(D) translate

Part Two — Sentence Completion

Each question in Part Two is made up of a sentence with one or two blanks. One blank indicates that one
word is missing. Two blanks indicate that two words are missing. Each sentence is followed by four
answer choices. Select the one word or pair of words that best completes the meaning of the sentence as
a whole.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS: Sample Answers

Never -------, the dishes Martha prepared were
always highly seasoned.
(A) bland
(B) durable
(C) plentiful
(D) spicy

When the young politician took office, she was -------,

but she felt ------- by the time her first term ended.
(A) disappointed . . . confused
(B) energetic . . . excited
(C) indifferent . . . idealistic
(D) inexperienced . . . knowledgeable

STOP. Do not go on
41 until told to do so.
 1 VR
Part One — Synonyms
Directions: Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV07AW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV02AW

1. INITIAL: 6. EQUITY:

(A) first (A) fairness

(B) mutual (B) harshness
(C) orderly (C) humor
(D) proper (D) knowledge
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV06DW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV01BW

2. MANNEQUIN: 7. ANTHOLOGY:

(A) actor (A) agreement

(B) aide (B) collection
(C) leader (C) disease
(D) model (D) extension
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV04DW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV11BW

3. AGENDA: 8. OPAQUE:

(A) accident (A) antique

(B) composition (B) clouded
(C) duty (C) exhausted
(D) program (D) pretentious
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV09CW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV16DW

4. ADVERSARY: 9. PALPABLE:

(A) agent (A) docile

(B) coward (B) political
(C) opponent (C) sluggish
(D) rascal (D) tangible
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV05DW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV17AW

5. PERSONIFY: 10. FATHOM:

(A) argue (A) comprehend

(B) fulfill (B) hasten
(C) replace (C) question
(D) represent (D) trick

42 Go on to the next page.

VR 1
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV08DW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV13AW

11. DIMINISH: 15. EPITOME:

(A) eliminate (A) embodiment

(B) evade (B) equilibrium
(C) examine (C) resilience
(D) reduce (D) viewpoint
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV12AW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV19CW

12. PERPETUATE: 16. TRANSITORY:

(A) continue (A) active

(B) convince (B) essential
(C) enclose (C) fleeting
(D) introduce (D) immediate
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV14DW I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV20CW

13. ADMONISH: 17. INCITE:

(A) delay (A) explain

(B) organize (B) investigate
(C) suffer (C) provoke
(D) warn (D) request
I2EUSXXXCX03AN00000-CV15AW

14. DEPICT:

(A) describe
(B) discard
(C) include
(D) reverse

43 Go on to the next page.

 1 VR
Part Two — Sentence Completion
Directions: Select the word or word pair that best completes the sentence.

I2EUBXXXC403BN00000-CV27DW I2EUBXXXC103BN00000-CV21AW

18. Poet-novelist Rita Dove, former United 21. In the second half of the nineteenth
States Poet Laureate, was the ------- of the century, the number of American bison,
1966 Heinz Award in the category of arts which were once -------, began to decline
and humanities. as the bison became a source of food for
westward-moving pioneers and railroad
(A) contractor workers.
(B) hero
(C) mentor (A) abundant
(D) recipient (B) limited
(C) unpopular
I2EUBXXXC203BN00000-CV22AW (D) vibrant
19. Alfred Jarry’s first play, Ubu Roi, is
considered the first work of the theater of I2EUBXXXC103BN00000-CV26DW

the absurd; although it caused a scandal 22. Unlike other great apes, which are social,
when it opened in 1896, today it is ------- orangutans are ------- creatures except for
for its innovative plot. playful juveniles and mothers with babies.

(A) acclaimed (A) contented

(B) inspected (B) friendly
(C) rejected (C) mysterious
(D) suspected (D) solitary

I2EUBXXXC203BN00000-CV28CW I2EUBXXXC403BN00000-CV30BW

20. Many people raise their voices in an 23. The article on gene splicing was so -------
argument, as though higher volume ------- that only a handful of the students were
a greater ability to persuade. able to understand it.

(A) balances (A) contrite

(B) necessitates (B) esoteric
(C) provides (C) functional
(D) recognizes (D) genuine

44 Go on to the next page.

VR 1
I2EUBXXXC403BN00000-CV24DW I2EUBXXXA503BN00000-AV36BW

24. The first African American actor to attain 28. The art of Frida Kahlo was strongly -------
international ------- was Ira Aldridge, one by her lifelong interest in and ------- with
of the leading Shakespearean performers Mexican folklore and culture.
of the 1800s.
(A) absorbed . . . irritation
(A) permanence (B) influenced . . . fascination
(B) provocation (C) repelled . . . agreement
(C) rejection (D) undermined . . . unhappiness
(D) renown
I2EUBXXXC603BN00000-CV35AW

I2EUBXXXC203BN00000-CV23DW 29. Like most other ------- medical conditions,

25. Ancient cave paintings of the sun, the arthritis is not curable; physicians do their
moon, and wild animals ------- to the best, however, to ------- its symptoms.
inherent human desire and ability to
portray the environment. (A) chronic . . . ameliorate
(B) complicated . . . mimic
(A) cater (C) imaginary . . . minimize
(B) graduate (D) temporary . . . extend
(C) react
(D) testify I2EUBXXXC303BN00000-CV40BW

30. Although much of the worst pollution has

I2EUBXXXC203BN00000-CV33AW been ------- in the United States, traces of
26. Each afternoon the shepherd would drive many toxic chemicals still -------.
his flock along the narrow road,
effectively ------- the way for an hour. (A) discussed . . . escape
(B) eliminated . . . persist
(A) obstructing (C) exaggerated . . . remain
(B) plundering (D) foreseen . . . arise
(C) renouncing
(D) transplanting I2EUBXXXC303BN00000-CV36CW

31. Queen Victoria had mixed opinions on the

I2EUBXXXC403BN00000-CV25CW emancipation of women: while she -------
27. The city council looked at the proposal for education for women, she ------- their right
a new library with an indifference that to vote.
bordered on -------.
(A) condemned . . . hindered
(A) contemplation (B) encouraged . . . recognized
(B) hilarity (C) fostered . . . opposed
(C) scornfulness (D) founded . . . emphasized
(D) veneration

45 Go on to the next page.

 1 VR
I2EUBXXXC603BN00000-CV38AW I2EUBXXXC503BN00000-CV39AW

32. The ------- observer of a lichen growing on 34. Despite the ------- I felt at the thought of
a rock would never suspect that it was a meeting Luisa, our business was
------- of life-forms interacting with one transacted in an atmosphere that was
another. clearly -------.

(A) casual . . . composite (A) apprehension . . . congenial

(B) expert . . . laboratory (B) excitement . . . jubilant
(C) inquiring . . . barrier (C) optimism . . . exhilarating
(D) knowledgeable . . . relative (D) reservations . . . antagonistic
I2EUBXXXC303BN00000-CV37DW I2EUBXXXA603BN00000-AV40AW

33. If the authors had written with more ------- 35. Because the caretaker had led a -------
and avoided such ------- language, their lifestyle for most of his life, his million
articles would have had more power. dollar ------- to the settlement house
amazed the trustees.
(A) brilliance . . . intelligent
(B) deliberation . . . careful (A) frugal . . . bequest
(C) excess . . . emotional (B) generous . . . legacy
(D) restraint . . . sentimental (C) lavish . . . generosity
(D) unique . . . entreaty

STOP. If there is time, you

may check your work in this
46 section only.
 Quantitative Reasoning

UPPER LEVEL

Practice Test

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.
47
 2 QR
Section 2
Quantitative Reasoning
32 Questions Time: 30 minutes

This section is divided into two parts that contain two different types of questions. As soon as you have
completed Part One, answer the questions in Part Two. You may write in your test booklet. For each
answer you select, remember to fill in the corresponding circle on your answer document.

Any figures that accompany the questions in this section may be assumed to be drawn as accurately as
possible EXCEPT when it is stated that a particular figure is not drawn to scale. Letters such as x, y,
and n stand for real numbers.

Part One — Word Problems

Each question in Part One consists of a word problem followed by four answer choices. You may write
in your test booklet; however, you may be able to solve many of these problems in your head. Next, look
at the four answer choices given and select the best answer.

EXAMPLE 1: Sample Answer

What is the value of the expression 2 × (3 + 4)  (2 + 5)?
(A) 0
(B) 2
(C) 7
(D) 14
The correct answer is 2, so circle B is darkened.

48 Go on to the next page.

QR 2
Part Two — Quantitative Comparisons
All questions in Part Two are quantitative comparisons between the quantities shown in Column A and
Column B. Using the information given in each question, compare the quantity in Column A to the
quantity in Column B, and choose one of these four answer choices:

(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.

EXAMPLE 2: Column A Column B Sample Answer

50% of 80 40% of 100
The quantity in Column A (40) is the same as the quantity
in Column B (40), so circle C is darkened.

EXAMPLE 3: x is any real number

Column A Column B Sample Answer
x –x
Since x can be any real number (including 0 or negative
numbers), there is not enough information given to
determine the relationship, so circle D is darkened.

STOP. Do not go on
49 until told to do so.
 2 QR
Part One — Word Problems
Directions: Choose the best answer from the four choices given.

I2MUQXXXCA02DN00000-CA04AW I3MUQ3000A02AN00000-5042BW

1. If n* = 4n + 3, what is the value of 8*? 5. If m is a positive integer and

(x + 7)2 = x2 + mx + 49, what is the
(A) 35 value of m?
(B) 40
(C) 44 (A) 7
(D) 46 (B) 14
(C) 28
I2MUQXXXCA02AN00000-CQ01BW
(D) 49
2. If x – y = 3, then which expression is equal
to y? I3MUQ3000D01EN00000-5020CW

6. Joshua was trying to calculate the mean of

(A) x + 3 his test scores. He did not know what he
(B) x – 3 had scored on each of the first 4 tests but
(C) –x + 3 knew that the sum of his scores was 370.
If Joshua scored an 85 on his fifth test,
(D) –x – 3
then what was the mean of all 5 scores?
I2MUQXXXCN02DN00000-CA36DW

3. If the sum of all integers from 1 to 1,000, (A) 85.00

inclusive, is x, then which expression (B) 88.75
represents the sum of all integers from (C) 91.00
1 to 998, inclusive? (D) 92.50
(A) x – 1,999 I3MUQ3000M06BN00000-5033CW

(B) x – 999 7. A rectangle has an area of 110 inches2. If

(C) x + 999 the length and the width of the rectangle
are measured in whole inches, what is the
(D) x + 1,999
least possible perimeter of the rectangle?
2MUQXXXCM06BN00000-CA45DW

4. If the length of the base of a triangle is (A) 21 inches

increased by 10 percent and the height is (B) 27 inches
decreased by 20 percent, what is the (C) 42 inches
percent decrease in the area of the (D) 54 inches
triangle?

(A) 6%
(B) 8%
(C) 10%
(D) 12%

50 Go on to the next page.

QR 2
I2MUQXXXCA01CGCA204-CA20AW

8. A cool potato is placed in a hot (350°F) oven to cook for one hour. Which graph best represents
what happens to the temperature of the potato as it cooks during the hour?

I3MUQ3000G01BG50181-5018BW

9. Triangle QRS is similar to triangle TUV.

What is the length of side TV?

(A) 4 cm
(B) 6 cm
(C) 4x cm
(D) 6x cm

51 Go on to the next page.

 2 QR
I3MUQ3000N03AN00000-5051BW I3MUQ3000D01EN00000-5019DW

10. What is the value of the expression 12. Mrs. Garrett graded the tests of her
3  32  33  20 students. She then calculated the mean,
? median, mode, and range for the test
9 3  9 scores. The table gives the value of each of
these statistical measures.
(A) 0
(B) 1 STATISTICAL MEASURES
(C) 3 Measure Value
(D) 9 Mean 75
Median 80
I3MUQ3000A01BG50411-5041AW Mode 80
11. The graph shows the distance Jane was Range 64
from home as a function of time during a
walk. Mrs. Garrett decided to add 6 points to
each of her student’s test scores, and then
she recalculated the values of each
statistical measure. Which of the measures
changed the least?

(A) mean
(B) median
(C) mode
(D) range
I3MUQ3000D04EN00000-5030BW

13. Jim and Maud are playing a game using

number cubes. Each player rolls two
number cubes, numbered 1 through 6, and
the sum of the numbers is recorded.
 Jim receives a point if his sum is a 6.
 Maud receives a point if her sum is
either 6 or 4.
At one point in the walk, Jane stopped for
several minutes and waited for her friend. Who has a greater probability of receiving
How far was Jane from her home when a point?
she stopped and waited for her friend?
(A) Jim
(A) 0.25 miles (B) Maud
(B) 0.50 miles (C) Jim and Maud have the same
(C) 0.75 miles probability of receiving a point.
(D) 1.00 mile (D) There is not enough information
given to determine the answer.

52 Go on to the next page.

QR 2
I3MUQ3000D02AG50211-5021DW

14. A scientist collects data. He determines both the mean of the data and the median of the data are
equal to 7 and the data are symmetric about this value. He starts to create the bar graph shown but
does not finish the graph.

If the range of the data is 8 and the maximum value of the data is 11, then how many data points
fall above the value 7?
(A) 3
(B) 10
(C) 11
(D) 14

I3MUQ3000N02AN00000-5050CW I3MUQ3000M06DN00000-5034DW

15. What is the maximum value for y, 17. John and Erin were both jogging on the
if y = 2x2 + 1 for –2  x  1? same path, each at a constant speed, and
Erin at a faster speed than John. When
(A) 1 Erin started jogging, John had jogged
(B) 3 500 meters. Which one piece of additional
(C) 9 information, in meters per minute, would
be needed to determine how long, in
(D) 17
minutes, Erin had been jogging when she
I3MUQ1107N02AN00000-4397BW caught up with John?
16. If f ( x)  x and g ( x)  x 2 , which
inequality is true? (A) John’s speed
(B) Erin’s speed
(A) f (0.9)  f (1.1)  g (0.9)  g (1.1) (C) the sum of John’s and Erin’s speeds
(B) g (0.9)  f (0.9)  f (1.1)  g (1.1) (D) the difference in John’s and Erin’s
(C) f (0.9)  g (0.9)  f (1.1)  g (1.1) speeds
(D) g (0.9)  f (1.1)  f (0.9)  g (1.1)

53 Go on to the next page.

 2 QR
I3MUQ3000G04AG50175-5017AW

18. A cube is shown.

Which figure is a possible net for the cube?

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

54 Go on to the next page.

QR 2
Part Two — Quantitative Comparisons
Directions: Using the information given in each question, compare the quantity in Column A to the
quantity in Column B. All questions in Part Two have these answer choices:

(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.

I2MUCXXXCN03AN00000-CQ22CW I2MUCXXXCA03CN00000-CQ29BW

A parking meter filled with $4.50 in dimes

Column A Column B and quarters contains twice as many dimes
as quarters.
19. 5 + 2 × (4 + 3) 19 (Note: 1 dime = $.10; 1 quarter = $.25)

Column A Column B
I2MUCXXXCM06BGCQ341-CQ34BW
22. The total value $3.00
of the quarters

I2MUCXXXCG02AGCQ231-CQ23AW

Note: Figures not drawn to scale.

The area of Rectangle Q is 18 cm2. The

perimeter of Rectangle R is 30 cm.

Column A Column B

20. x y

I3MUC3000A02N00000-5026CW

Column A Column B Line j is the graph of y = 3x + 4. Line j is

parallel to line k.
21. (x – y)( x2 + xy + y2 ) x3 – y 3
Column A Column B

23. The slope of –3

line k

55 Go on to the next page.

 2 QR
Answer choices for all questions on this page:
(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.

I2MUC3000M06BN00000-5032DW I2MUC3000A02AN00000-5040AW

The perimeter of a rectangle is 50 inches. Column A Column B

Column A Column B 27. 25n – 1 25(n – 1)

24. The area of 144 inches2

the rectangle
I3MUC3000A02AG50251-5025DW

I3MUC3000A02AG50221-5022AW

Note: Figures not drawn to scale.

Coumn A Column B

x > 0 and y > 0 28. The perimeter of The perimeter of

Square A Rectangle B
Note: Figure not drawn to scale.

Column A Column B
I3MUC3000D04DN00000-5028CW

25. Area of the x2 – xy – y 2 A 6-sided number cube, numbered 1 to 6,

shaded region inches2 is rolled and a coin is tossed.

Column A Column B
I3MUC3000N01DN00000-5052BW

The product of 3 consecutive integers 29. If a number less If an odd number

is 210. than 3 is rolled on is rolled on the
the cube, the cube, the
Column A Column B probability of the probability of the
coin landing coin landing
26. The greatest of 10 tails up heads up
the 3 consecutive
integers

56 Go on to the next page.

QR 2
Answer choices for all questions on this page:
(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.

I3MUC3000D02AG50271-5027AW I3MUC3000D04EN00000-5024BW

A jar contains 5 candies: 2 orange candies

and 3 green candies. One candy is selected
at random and replaced. Then a second
candy is selected.

Column A Column B

31. The probability The probability that

that both candies the first candy
selected are green selected is green

I3MUC3000N02AN0000-5053BW

In February, apples were selling for $1.50

The histogram shows exam scores of a pound. In March, the price of apples was
students in a mathematics class. 10% higher than the February price. In
April, the price of apples was 10% lower
Column A Column B than the March price.

30. The median score The range of Column A Column B

the scores
32. The price of apples $1.50
in April

STOP. If there is time, you

may check your work in this
57 section only.
 Reading Comprehension

UPPER LEVEL

Practice Test

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

58
RC 3
Section 3
Reading Comprehension
30 Questions Time: 30 minutes

This section contains five short reading passages. Each passage is followed by six questions based on its
content. Answer the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that
passage. You may write in your test booklet.

STOP. Do not go on
until told to do so.
59
 3 RC
Questions 1– 6
Passage UA02

1 When I was younger, I was extremely 19 them in a jar of clean water and lined the
2 interested in freshwater biology and spent most 20 bottom with tiny seashells. Later, to my
3 of my time dredging about in ponds and 21 astonishment, the larvae had intricately
4 streams, catching minute creatures and keeping 22 decorated the new cocoons with seashells.
5 them in large jars. Among other things, I had 23 I discovered that by moving the larvae to a
6 one jar full of caddis larvae, which camouflage 24 different jar with a new substance, they would
7 themselves by decorating their cocoons. The 25 produce new multicolored cocoons. My
8 caddis I had collected looked rather dull, for I 26 greatest triumph lay in forcing them to decorate
9 had collected them from a stagnant pool. They 27 their cocoons with fragments of blue glass, then
10 had merely decorated the outside of their 28 red brick, and white seashells. Moreover, the
11 cocoons with little bits of dead water plants. 29 materials were put on in stripes.
12 I had been told by my friend, however, that 30 I never remember feeling quite the same
13 if you remove a caddis larva from its cocoon 31 sort of satisfaction as I did when I showed off
14 and place it in a jar of clean water, it would 32 my red, white, and blue caddis larvae to my
15 spin itself a new cocoon and decorate the 33 friends. I think the poor creatures were really
16 outside with whatever materials you supplied. 34 rather relieved when they hatched and flew
17 Deciding to experiment, I removed four of my 35 away and could forget about the problems of
18 caddis larvae from their cocoons. Then I placed 36 cocoon building.

60 Go on to the next page.

RC 3
I2EUCXXXAM01APUA020-AR06BW I2EUCXXXAS01BPUA020-AR07CW

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to 4. In line 8, the author describes the caddis
larvae as “rather dull” because they
(A) explain the author’s childhood
interest in biology. (A) were still in the caterpillar stage.
(B) describe a discovery that excited the (B) were crowded together in one jar.
author’s interest. (C) had been living in a stagnant pool.
(C) compare caddis larvae to other (D) were removed from the pool before
cocoon-building insects. they finished their cocoons.
(D) provide information about the life
cycle of caddis larvae. I2EUCXXXAI01IPUA020-AR09BW

5. In the final sentence (lines 33–36), the

I3EUC3000V03BPUA020-2891CW author suggests that the caddis larvae were
2. In line 4, “minute” most nearly means
(A) energized by all of their hard work.
(A) timely. (B) annoyed by the author’s
(B) timorous. experiments.
(C) tiny. (C) pleased by the attention they
(D) tireless. received.
(D) perplexed by the author’s interest in
I2EUCXXXAS01BPUA020-AR08CW
them.
3. The author caused the larvae to decorate
their cocoons with stripes by I2EUCXXXAI01IPUA020-AR10BW

6. What most probably led the author to

(A) mixing several different materials experiment with caddis larvae?
together in the same jar.
(B) adding a new material to the jar (A) a passage in a book about pond life
during the cocoon-building process. (B) a conversation with the author’s
(C) changing their environment at friend
various stages of cocoon (C) a chance meeting with a famous
development. naturalist
(D) changing the water in the jar (D) the author’s pastime of collecting
frequently while they built their creatures from ponds and streams
cocoons.

61 Go on to the next page.

 3 RC
Questions 7–12
Passage UB02

1 Totem poles, the tallest wood carvings in the 17 on the tradition of the area. In the 1800s, the
2 world, are a trademark of the Northwest Coast 18 tallest poles were about sixty feet high, and
3 Indians. There are seven Indian nations up and 19 sometimes hundreds of people hauled on ropes
4 down the Northwest Coast, including Alaska, 20 to raise a pole to its upright position.
5 and they each have their own style of carving. 21 The art of the totem pole carving almost
6 Each pole is different, and each pole tells its 22 died out, with totem poles being felled, sold, or
7 own story. 23 even cut up for firewood. In the 1950s, the few
8 An elder taught the carver about ancestors, 24 remaining carvers were hired by the University
9 crests, and symbols of the family before the 25 of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology
10 carver began to work. Design was left to the 26 to reproduce old and decaying Kwakiutl poles.
11 carver. After splitting away the wood to give 27 This project was largely responsible for bringing
12 form to the figures, the carver finished the final 28 the Northwest Coast Indian art back from the
13 details and shaping with curved knives. The 29 brink of extinction.
14 carver was also responsible for painting the
15 pole, although not all poles were painted. The
16 parts painted and the choice of colors depended

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RC 3
I2EUCXXXCM01APUB020-BR09DW I2EUCXXXCS01BPUB020-BR06DW

7. Which best expresses the main idea of the 10. According to the passage, which is true of
passage? totem poles?

(A) Totem poles are making a comeback. (A) They are nonexistent today.
(B) Totem poles are no longer an artistic (B) They were once created only by the
achievement. Kwakiutl.
(C) The art of totem pole carving almost (C) They varied predictably from carver
died out. to carver.
(D) Northwest Coast Indians are famous (D) They were carved by Northwest
for large, beautiful totem poles. Coast Indian tribes.
I2EUCXXXCI01IPUB020-BR07AW I2EUCXXXCI01IPUB020-BR10DW

8. The author implies that totem pole carving 11. The author of the passage appears to care
was most deeply about the fact that

(A) abandoned for a long period. (A) each pole tells a different story.
(B) not a good way for a carver to make (B) some poles took over a year to make.
a living. (C) carvers painted some totem poles
(C) not a respected occupation among and not others.
the Indians. (D) the artistic heritage of Northwest
(D) stopped because there were very few Coast Indians was saved.
tall red cedars left.
I3EUC3007S01BPUB020-2890BW

I2EUC3007O01CPUB020-2892BW 12. According to the passage, a museum

9. Which best describes the organization of helped preserve the art of totem pole
lines 8–17? carving by

(A) Different designs for totem poles are (A) preserving totem poles so that they
contrasted. would not decay.
(B) A process is described in (B) commissioning carvers to duplicate
chronological order. existing totem poles.
(C) An opinion is presented and then (C) selling the museum’s collection of
supported with facts. Indian art to the public.
(D) The history of totem poles is traced (D) encouraging carvers to create new
from past to present. and innovative designs.

63 Go on to the next page.

 3 RC
Questions 13–18
UC08

The following passage was published in 1991.

1 The news media seem to be filled with 29 Slightly more than 50 percent of students get
2 alarming editorials about how schools in the 30 their high school diploma and enter a program
3 United States may not be up to the challenge of 31 of postsecondary education but drop out prior
4 educating the workers needed in tomorrow’s 32 to obtaining a bachelor’s degree.) A more
5 world. In the world of tomorrow, according to 33 recent study by the National Center on
6 these self-styled pundits, laser technology, 34 Education and the Economy finds a more even
7 robotics, and computer-controlled equipment 35 distribution, with 34 percent of new jobs
8 will be ubiquitous parts of our lives. Of 36 projected as requiring less than a high school
9 necessity, therefore, more students than ever 37 diploma, 36 percent requiring a high school
10 before will need advanced training or even 38 diploma and up to three years of college, and
11 college degrees. 39 30 percent requiring a college degree.
12 Some researchers, however, would argue 40 These studies, obviously, seem to portray a
13 that these commentators overstate the case. 41 future that is directly opposed to the visions
14 Two studies in particular have reached some 42 that more typically are found in the news
15 not-very-alarming conclusions about the 43 media. One possible explanation for the
16 amount of education it will take to do the jobs 44 discrepant conclusions coming from the two
17 of the future. In the mid-1980s, a study by the 45 camps lies in the possibility that the media have
18 Hudson Institute concluded that, by the 46 confused rates of growth with actual numbers
19 beginning of the twenty-first century, 47 of jobs. It is certainly the case that the
20 19 percent of newly created jobs could be 48 occupations that are projected to exhibit the
21 performed by high school dropouts and only 49 fastest growth over the next few decades are
22 26 percent of newly created jobs would require 50 frequently occupations that require advanced
23 a college degree. (To put these projections into 51 educational degrees. However, what often goes
24 perspective, approximately 17 percent of 52 unstated and unrecognized is the reality that
25 today’s high school students drop out— 53 such jobs are likely to represent no more than
26 although not necessarily permanently—while 54 5 percent of the jobs in the workforce as a
27 some 26 percent go on to institutions of higher 55 whole.
28 education and obtain bachelor’s degrees.

64 Go on to the next page.

RC 3
I2EUCXXXCM01APUC080-CR40AW I2EUCXXXCS01BPUC080-CR38BW

13. The primary purpose of the passage is to 16. Which conclusion can best be drawn from
the two studies summarized in the second
(A) suggest that reports expressing paragraph (lines 12–39)?
concern over the state of educational
preparedness in the United States (A) By the beginning of the twenty-first
may be unnecessarily alarming. century, a college degree will be
(B) demonstrate ways in which the virtually required if one hopes for a
workers of tomorrow will need far high-paying job.
more sophisticated knowledge in the (B) The workforce being prepared by
area of technology if they are to be our schools today matches fairly
successful. closely the workforce likely to be
(C) illustrate several ways in which needed by our society in the near
technology has altered the current future.
job market and to describe the (C) Our students face an uncertain
implications that such changes have economic future unless educators
for education in this country. and the public band together to
(D) lament the growing percentage of reduce the rate at which high school
high school students in the United students drop out.
States who drop out prior to (D) The majority of jobs at the beginning
graduation and are therefore unable of the twenty-first century will
to secure high-paying careers. require a knowledge of robotics,
laser technology, or computer-
I2EUCXXXCV03BPUC080-CR37BW
assisted equipment.
14. In line 6, “pundits” most nearly means
I3EUC3007F02APUC080-2893BW

(A) educators. 17. The author’s tone when discussing the

(B) experts. news media is best described as
(C) naysayers. (A) admiring.
(D) workers. (B) critical.
I2EUCXXXCO01CPUC080-CR36CW
(C) humorous.
15. The author of the passage does all of the (D) worried.
following EXCEPT
I2EUCXXXCO01CPUC080-CR39AW

18. The purpose of the last paragraph

(A) give data.
(lines 40–55) is to
(B) describe research.
(C) compare trends in different (A) provide an explanation for the
countries. differing points of view.
(D) cite commentators from the news (B) express concern for the future
media. welfare of the economy.
(C) propose additional research needed
to clarify the issues.
(D) criticize the shortcomings of the
arguments made by both sides.

65 Go on to the next page.

 3 RC
Questions 19–24
UA03

1 Any discussion about domestic life during 29 room only for the infants—the older children
2 the medieval period in Europe must exclude an 30 were separated from the parents and sent to
3 important group: it cannot refer to most of the 31 work as apprentices or servants. The result of
4 population, who were poor. Writing about the 32 these deprivations was that concepts such as
5 decline of the Middle Ages, a prominent 33 “home” and “family” did not exist for these
6 historian described a world of sharp contrasts, 34 souls.
7 where health, wealth, and good fortune were 35 By way of contrast, many town dwellers
8 enjoyed as much for their rarity as for their 36 partook of medieval prosperity. The free town,
9 advantages. “We, at the present day, can hardly 37 which stood apart from the predominantly
10 understand the keenness with which a warm 38 feudal countryside, was uniquely European. Its
11 coat, a good fire on the hearth, a soft bed . . . 39 inhabitants—the francs bourgeois in France,
12 were formerly enjoyed.” He also made the 40 the burghers in Germany, the borghese in Italy,
13 point that medieval popular art, which we 41 and the burgesses in England—would create a
14 appreciate for its simple beauty, was prized by 42 new urban civilization. The word “bourgeois”
15 its makers even more for its splendor and 43 first occurred in France in the early eleventh
16 pomp. Its overdecorated sumptuousness was 44 century. It described the merchants and
17 needed to make an impression on a public who 45 tradespeople who lived in walled towns and
18 sought escape from the wretched conditions 46 governed themselves through elected councils
19 under which they lived. The extravagant 47 and in most cases owed allegiance directly to
20 pageants and religious festivals that 48 the king instead of a lord. What places the
21 characterized that time can be understood not 49 bourgeois in the center of any discussion of
22 only as celebrations, but also as antidotes to the 50 domestic comfort is that unlike the aristocrat,
23 miseries of everyday life. 51 who lived in a fortified castle, or the cleric,
24 The poor were extremely badly housed, 52 who lived in a monastery, or the serf, who lived
25 were without water, and had few possessions. 53 in a hovel, the bourgeois lived in a house. Our
26 Their dwellings were so small that family life 54 examination of the concept of the home begins
27 was compromised; these tiny hovels were little 55 here.
28 more than shelters for sleeping. There was
1

66 Go on to the next page.

RC 3
I2EUCXXXAM01APUA030-AR11CW I2EUCXXXAS01BPUA030-AR14DW

19. The passage is primarily concerned with 22. In the second paragraph (lines 24–34), the
author states that the concept of “family”
(A) praising the lives of the rich and the did not exist because
middle class during the Middle
Ages. (A) families had to move fairly
(B) explaining the importance that frequently.
medieval art had for the bourgeois (B) several families had to share one
and the rich. house.
(C) providing background information (C) everyone had to work hard in order
for a discussion of the medieval to survive.
home and its comforts. (D) children were sent away as soon as
(D) describing the differences between they were old enough to work.
political views in towns and in the
country during the Middle Ages. I2EUCXXXAO01CPUA030-AR15BW

23. The author most likely uses similar terms

I2EUCXXXAI01IPUA030-AR13DW from different languages (lines 38– 42) in
20. According to the passage, medieval order to
pageants and festivals for the poor were
appealing because they (A) inform the reader about the breadth
of his research.
(A) were free. (B) emphasize the widespread nature of
(B) had religious importance. a similar concept.
(C) provided an excuse for celebration. (C) illustrate the subtle differences
(D) provided relief from a hard, bleak within a common idea.
existence. (D) suggest the common origin of many
medieval languages.
I2EUCXXXAI01IPUA030-AR12DW

21. The author suggests that we do not I2EUCXXXAO01CPUA030-AR16BW

understand the “keenness” (line 10) of 24. The passage suggests that loyalty to a king
certain pleasures enjoyed by medieval rather than to a lord had which advantage?
people because we
(A) lower taxes
(A) seldom share our pleasures with (B) less threat of death in battle
others. (C) more potential for self-government
(B) lack sufficient knowledge of the (D) more mobility among social classes
period.
(C) lead lives that are too cluttered and
busy.
(D) enjoy the pleasures mentioned fairly
frequently.

67 Go on to the next page.

 3 RC
Questions 25–30
UA04

In the passage below, architect Frank Lloyd Wright describes an incident from his youth that was to
lead to a business partnership in later life.

1 September, long awaited, finally came. 21 “What happened?” I asked.

2 Over the summer, I learned a lot on my uncle’s 22 “Some boys decided to bury Robie Lamp in
3 farm. My fingers were quick, and I could work 23 leaves,” another boy explained.
4 almost as hard as a man. I wasn’t afraid of 24 I so admired Robie’s courage and
5 anything—well, maybe a little afraid of storms 25 resourcefulness that we became friends of the
6 and of people. Buoyantly, I bounded up the 26 heart. Together we invented an ice boat, a
7 steps at home and flung my arms around 27 bobsled with double runners, and fantastic
8 Mother. Turning to Jane and Maginel (my 28 kites. On a small printing press in the
9 sister and brother), I exclaimed, “How you’ve 29 basement, we set type. When a neighbor,
10 grown.” 30 Charlie Doyon, wanted to join us, we assented
11 On the day I approached the forbidding 31 only after he agreed to inveigle two hundred
12 Second Ward School, I was less sure of myself. 32 dollars from his father for purchasing a larger
13 Because I’d spent the summer on my uncle’s 33 press and more type. With the new press, we
14 farm, I had no companions with whom to share 34 set up a firm called Wright, Doyon, and Lamp,
15 my foray into the unknown. 35 Publishers and Printers. That was the beginning
16 On the playground a ruckus had erupted. In 36 of a relationship that continued into our
17 the center of a circle of taunting boys was a pile 37 adulthood.
18 of leaves from which emerged the brawny
19 shoulders of a red-haired boy who spluttered
20 angrily. He was not at all intimidated.
1

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RC 3
I2EUCXXXAM01APUA040-AR17BW I2EUCXXXAF02CPUA040-AR19AW

25. The primary purpose of the passage is to 28. The phrase “my foray into the unknown”
(line 15) refers to Wright’s
(A) show how much courage Wright
had. (A) entrance into a new school.
(B) show how Wright met his business (B) first encounter with Robie Lamp.
partner. (C) summer experiences on his uncle’s
(C) criticize those who are reluctant to farm.
help others. (D) unfamiliarity with the business
(D) reveal that bullies will back down world.
when challenged.
I2EUCXXXAO01CPUA040-AR20CW

I2EUCXXXAV03APUA040-AR18CW 29. The sentence “I so admired Robie’s

26. The mood of the first paragraph courage and resourcefulness that we
(lines 1–10) can best be described as became friends of the heart” (lines 24–26)
one of is included in order to

(A) overbearing pride. (A) explain why Wright did not torment
(B) adolescent shyness. Lamp.
(C) youthful enthusiasm. (B) show that Lamp was lucky to win
(D) sentimental yearning. Wright’s friendship.
(C) explain why Wright and Lamp’s
I2EUCXXXAI01IPUA040-AR21DW friendship was a lasting one.
27. It can be inferred that Wright and Lamp (D) show that Wright was willing to
required Charlie Doyon to give them overlook the fact that Lamp was
money before joining their business older than Wright.
because they
I3EUC3007V03BPUA040-2894AW

(A) wanted to realize a profit before the 30. In line 31, “inveigle” most nearly means
actual business began.
(B) wanted to be sure that Charlie would (A) acquire.
not become a business rival. (B) dismiss.
(C) wanted to test Charlie’s commitment (C) purchase.
to joining the business. (D) return.
(D) thought that the business would
benefit from a larger model press.

STOP. If there is time, you

may check your work in this
69 section only.
 Mathematics Achievement

UPPER LEVEL

Practice Test

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

70
MA 4
Section 4
Mathematics Achievement
42 Questions Time: 36 minutes

Each question is followed by four suggested answers. Read each question and then decide which one of
the four suggested answers is best.

Find the row of spaces on your answer document that has the same number as the question. In this row,
mark the space having the same letter as the answer you have chosen. You may write in your test
booklet.

SAMPLE QUESTION: Sample Answer

What is the area of a rectangle that has a length of 8 cm
and a width of 6 cm?
(A) 28 cm2
(B) 36 cm2
(C) 48 cm2
(D) 64 cm2
The correct answer is 48 cm2, so circle C is darkened.

STOP. Do not go on
71 until told to do so.
 4 MA
I2MUAXXXCM06BGCQ041-CQ04AW I2MUAXXXCN03AN00000-CA05AW

1. The area of each grid square shown is 2

5 cm2. 4. Which value is NOT equal to ?
3
(A) 0.6666667
(B) 0.6
1
(C)
1.5
2.4
(D)
What is the area of the shaded region? 3.6

40 cm2
I2MUAXXXCA02AN00000-CQ02DW
(A)
5. If (8.05 + 1.95)t = t, then what is the value
(B) 50 cm2 of t?
(C) 60 cm2
(D) 70 cm2 (A) 10
(B) 1
I2MUAXXXCD04AN00000-CA02DW

2. A jar contains 5 red balls, 6 blue balls, and 1

(C)
8 white balls. If one ball is chosen at 10
random and then returned to the jar, and a (D) 0
second ball is chosen at random, what is
the probability that both balls will be red? I2MUA3000A01CN00000-5044DW

6. For what value of x is the equation

1 x3
(A) = 0 true?
5 3 x
5
(B) (A) –3
19
1 1 (B) 0
(C)  (C) all real numbers
5 5
(D) There are no values for x that would
5 5
(D)  make the equation true.
19 19
I3MUA30000N02AN00000-5003BW
I3MUA30000N01AN00000-5000CW 7. What is the value of the numerical
3. What is the value of the numerical
expression 25144 ?
expression 3.2 × 107 + 4.1 × 105?
(A) 7
(A) 4.132  105
(B) 13
(B) 3.61  106
(C) 17
(C) 3.241  107
(D) 60
(D) 7.3  1012

72 Go on to the next page.

MA 4
I2MUAXXXCD01EGCQ061-CQ06CW

8. The bar graph shown represents the scores of 10 different dogs at an obedience trial.

What is the median score?

(A) 175
(B) 182
(C) 185
(D) 195

I3MUA3000A02AN00000-5045AW I3MUA3000D01EN00000-5031BW

9. Two machines are used to make the same 10. Lisa has taken three tests so far in her
kind of electronic parts. Machine A makes Biology class. Her scores on these tests are
2 times the number of defective parts as 93, 89, and 95. The score on her final
Machine B. There was a total of exam will be counted twice in her mean.
6 defective parts made yesterday by both What is the lowest score she can get on her
machines. How many defective parts did final exam and have a mean score of no
Machine B make yesterday? less than 93?

(A) 2 (A) 93
(B) 4 (B) 94
(C) 6 (C) 95
(D) 12 (D) 96

73 Go on to the next page.

 4 MA
I3MUA3000D01EN00000-5014AW

11. Jane recorded the number of pets owned by each student in her class in the table shown.

PETS OWNED
Numbers of Students
Number of Pets
Owning That Number of Pets
0 5
1 6
2 5
3 2
4 2

What is the mode of the data?

(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 5
(D) 6

I3MUA3000N01DN00000-5056DW I3MUA3000A02AN00000-5046CW

12. If n and m are prime numbers, what is the 14. Which expression is equivalent to the
least common multiple of 8n, 6nm, and expression 2x2y4 + 3x4y2 – (4x4y2 – 3x2y4)?
4n2?
(A) 5x2y4
(A) 6nm (B) –2x2y4
(B) 6n2m (C) 5x2y4 – x4y2
(C) 24nm (D) –2x2y4 + 6x4y2
(D) 24n2m
I3MUA3000A02BN00000-5048CW
I3MUA3000A02BN00000-5047DW 15. For what value(s) of x does
13. If 3x – 3 = xy – y and x  1, what is the x 2  25
value of y? = 0?
( x  2)( x  3)
(A) –3
(A) x = 5 only
(B) –1
(B) x = –2 and x = 3
(C) 1
(C) x = –5 and x = 5
(D) 3
(D) x = –2, x = 3, x = –5, and x = 5

74 Go on to the next page.

MA 4
I2MUAXXXCA02AN00000-CA41DW I3MUA3000D01BN00000-5010BW

16. Which expression is equivalent to the 19. Terri is planning a survey to try to
expression (x – 2)(x + 3)? determine the average number of hours
students at her school spend watching TV.
(A) x2 – 6 Which sample of students will give her the
(B) x2 + 1 most reliable information about the
(C) x2 – x – 6 students in her school?
(D) x2 + x – 6
(A) her friends
I3MUA3000A01CG50431-5043BW (B) a random sample of all the students
17. The graph of a line is shown. in the school
(C) all of the people that show up to
watch a football game
(D) a random sample of the students in
the library before school
I3MUA3000G01AG50371-5037AW

20. The measures of three of the angles of a

quadrilateral are shown in the diagram.

What is the measure of the fourth angle?

What is the slope of the line?
(A) 45
(A) –5 (B) 50
(B) –2 (C) 70
(C) 2 (D) 75
(D) 5 I3MUA3000AN02CN00000-5004BW

21. The 6-member debate team plans to send

I3MUA3000G02AN00000-5039CW

18. Point (1, 8) is on a circle with center 3 of its members to a conference. How
(–2, 4). What is the radius of the circle? many combinations of 3 members are
possible from the 6-member team?
(A) 3 grid units
(A) 15
(B) 4 grid units
(B) 20
(C) 5 grid units
(C) 120
(D) 6 grid units
(D) 216

75 Go on to the next page.

 4 MA
I3MUA3000G01AG50061-5006DW

22. The grid shows three vertices of a parallelogram.

Which could be the coordinates of the fourth vertex of the parallelogram?

(A) (–3, 5)
(B) (–2, 0)
(C) (0, 1)
(D) (7, 2)

I2MUAXXXCA02BN00000-CQ17DW I3MUA3000N01BN00000-5001CW

23. Which describes all values of x for which 24. What type of number could NOT result
4 x  7  9? from the difference of two irrational
numbers?
(A) x  4
(A) integer
1
(B) x  (B) rational number
2
(C) complex number
1 (D) irrational number
(C) x  or x  – 4
2
1
(D) x  – or x  4
2

76 Go on to the next page.

MA 4
I3MUA3000D01DG50111-5011BW I3MUA3000D04CN000000-5015BW

25. The graph shows the number of books 27. A coin is tossed three times. The table
read by the students in Mrs. Schill’s class shows the possible outcomes and the
last summer. The numbers on the probability of each outcome.
horizontal axis represent the number of
books read during the summer, and the COIN TOSS
height of the bar represents the number of Number of Heads Probability
students who read this number of books.
1
3
8
3
2
8
3
1
8
1
0
8

What is the expected number of heads?

(A) 1
3
(B)
What is the mean number of books read 2
over the summer? (C) 2
5
(D)
(A) 3.00 2
(B) 3.25
I3MUA3000M06DN00000-5008AW
(C) 3.50 28. There are 0.305 meters in one foot. There
(D) 4.00 are 5,280 feet in 1 mile. A horse is
traveling at a speed of 400 meters per
I2MUAXXXCA02BGCA421-CA42DW
minute. Which expression has a value
26. A solution set is graphed on the number
equal to the horse’s speed, in miles per
line shown.
hour?

40060
(A)
0.3055, 280
The solution set of which inequality is
shown? 400600.305
(B)
5, 280
(A) x4 < 3
60
(B) x +4 < 3 (C)
4000.3055, 280
(C) x3 < 4
4000.3055, 280
(D)
(D) x+3 <4 60

77 Go on to the next page.

 4 MA
I3MUA3000G01BG50381-5038BW I3MUA3000M06BG50351-5035CW

29. Allen measures the height of a pole to be 32. A circle is inscribed in a square with side
3 feet and the length of the shadow of the length 10 cm, as shown.
pole to be 5 feet, as shown in the diagram.

What is the area of the shaded region?

At the same time, the shadow of a tree is
20 feet in length. What is the height of (A) (40 – 10π) cm2
the tree? (B) (40 – 20π) cm2
(C) (100 – 25π) cm2
(A) 8 feet (D) (100 – 100π) cm2
(B) 12 feet
I2MUAXXXCM06BGCA351-CA35BW
(C) 15 feet 33. The height of the cylinder shown is
(D) 18 feet 2 times its diameter. The formula used to
find the volume of a cylinder is V = r2hπ,
I3MUA3000M05AN00000-5009AW
where r is the radius of the cylinder and h
30. Which is the most reasonable unit to use
is the height of the cylinder.
when measuring the length of a leaf?

(A) centimeters
(B) grams
(C) kilograms
(D) meters
I3MUA3000N01BN00000-5054CW

31. Which numerical expression does NOT

represent an integer?

(A) 4 – 25
(B) 4  25 If the diameter of the cylinder is 6 in.,
what is its volume, in inches3?
(C) 254
(A) 432π
(D) 425
(B) 108π
(C) 72π
(D) 54π

78 Go on to the next page.

MA 4
I3UMA3000D01DG50121-5012BW

34. The box-and-whisker plot below represents the high temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, at a
certain location on the same day in May for the last 50 years.

What is the range of the data?

(A) 80
(B) 55
(C) 50
(D) 25

I3MUA3000D04DN00000-5016AW I3MUA3000G02AG50071-5007AW
35. A bag contains 4 green marbles, 5 blue 37. Triangle XYZ is shown. The length of XZ
marbles, 2 yellow marbles, and 4 orange
is 2 cm. The measure of angle XYZ is 20.
marbles. Kate randomly removes 1 marble
from the bag and keeps it. Joanne then
randomly removes a marble from the bag.
If the marble Kate removed from the bag
was yellow, what is the probability that the
marble Joanne removed was green?
4
(A)
14
The value of which expression is equal to
4
(B) the length of side XY ?
15
2 4 2
(C)  (A)
15 15 sin 20
2 4
(D)  sin 20
15 14 (B)
2
I2MUAXXXCA02AN00000-CQ05BW

36. Which expression is equivalent to the 2

(C)
tan 20
expression 16 x16 ?
tan 20
(A) 4x4 (D)
2
(B) 4x8
(C) 8x4
(D) 8x8

79 Go on to the next page.

 4 MA
I2MUAXXXCA02BGCA324-CA32AW

38. Which graph represents the solution set of the inequality 41  2x  1 51 ?

I3UMA3000D01EN00000-5013CW I3MUA3000N02BN00000-5002AW

39. The stem-and-leaf-plot shown represents 41. What is the result of the expression
the scores on a math test.  2 3   5 3
 0 4  +  2 1 ?
TEST SCORES    
Stem Leaf
5 5 7 8 7 6
(A) 2 5
6 2 2 2 4 6 7 8  
7 4 6 6 6 7 8 8 9 9
8 3 3 3 4 4 5 7 6 
(B) 0 4
9 1 2 2 3 7 8 9  
10 0
7 3
(C) 2 4
What is the median score on the test?  

(A) 70  7 3
(D)  0 5
(B) 75  
(C) 78
IM3UA3000M06BN0000-5036AW
(D) 80
42. The formula for the surface area of a
I3MUA3000N01BN00000-5005DW
sphere is SA = 4πr2, where r is the radius
40. What is the solution set for x2 + 49 = 0? of the sphere. A sphere has a surface area
of 16π cm2. What is the radius of this
(A) 7 sphere?
(B) 7i
(A) 2 cm
(C) 7
(B) 4 cm
(D) 7 i
(C) 8 cm
(D) 16 cm

STOP. If there is time, you

may check your work in this
80 section only.
 Essay

UPPER LEVEL

Practice Test

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

81
What to Expect on the ISEE Practice Test – Essay

Essay Topic Sheet

The directions for the Essay portion of the ISEE are printed in the box below. Use the pre-lined pages
in Appendix B (pages 102–103) for this part of the Practice Test.

Note: The page references in the directions below refer to the page numbers at the bottom of the answer
sheet, not to the page numbers of the What to Expect on the ISEE book.

You will have 30 minutes to plan and write an essay on the topic printed on the
other side of this page. Do not write on another topic. An essay on another
topic is not acceptable.

The essay is designed to give you an opportunity to show how well you can
write. You should try to express your thoughts clearly. How well you write is
much more important than how much you write, but you need to say enough
for a reader to understand what you mean.

You will probably want to write more than a short paragraph. You should also
be aware that a copy of your essay will be sent to each school that will be
receiving your test results. You are to write only in the appropriate section of
the answer sheet. Please write or print so that your writing may be read by
someone who is not familiar with your handwriting.

You may make notes and plan your essay on the reverse side of the page.
Allow enough time to copy the final form onto your answer sheet. You must
copy the essay topic onto your answer sheet, on page 3, in the box provided.

Please remember to write only the final draft of the essay on pages 3 and 4 of
your answer sheet and to write it in blue or black pen. Again, you may use
cursive writing or you may print. Only pages 3 and 4 will be sent to the schools.

Directions continue on the next page.

82
What to Expect on the ISEE Practice Test – Essay

REMINDER: Please write this essay topic on the first few lines of page 3 of your answer
sheet.

Essay Topic
Who is someone to whom you look up? Explain why you feel this way.

 Only write on this essay question

 Only pages 3 and 4 will be sent to the schools
 Only write in blue or black pen

Notes

83
This page is intentionally left blank.

84
 How to
Score Your Test
1. Create a new Free Trial account at ISEEpracticetest.com (or log in to
your existing account).-

2. Click "View Dashboard" on your Welcome! page. -

3. Click on the banner for the What to Expect test.

4. Click "Score
Paper" for the first
section you would
like to score.

5. On the Section Instructions page, click the

"Score your test" link.

6. Enter the answers from your bubble sheet, then

click "End Section".

7. When all sections are complete, click "View Analysis" to see results!

85 ©Test Innovators
 U NDERSTANDING THE
I NDIVIDUAL S TUDENT
R EPORT (ISR)

U PPER L EVEL

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, manual,
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

86
What to Expect on the ISEE Understanding the Individual Student Report

Sample Individual Student Report (ISR)

Figure 1. Sample Score Report – Upper Level

87
What to Expect on the ISEE Understanding the Individual Student Report

The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) consists of verbal and quantitative reasoning sections,
mathematics and reading comprehension achievement sections, and an essay that demonstrates a
student’s writing skills. The reasoning sections (Verbal and Quantitative) measure what a student is
capable of achieving or learning; the Mathematics Achievement and Reading Comprehension
sections show how well the student understands concepts already studied.

The purpose of this section of this book is to help students and their parents understand the information
presented in the Individual Student Report (ISR). The ISR is a concise and useful summary of the
student’s performance on the ISEE. Different parts of the report provide information that may be used in
the admission process to understand, compare, and evaluate student performance. A complete, actual
sample ISR is shown on the previous page (Figure 1). Two parts of the report—the Test Profile and
Analysis—are explained on the following pages.

Test Profile
The Test Profile near the top of the report provides information about the student’s overall performance
on each section of the ISEE, except the essay; an unscored copy of the essay is sent to each school for
which the student requests score reports.

Figure 2 shows the Test Profile from the sample ISR in Figure 1.

Figure 2. Sample Test Profile

The ISEE scores are reported in four ways in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the student’s
performance:
 Scaled Scores
 Percentile Rank
 Stanine
 Stanine Analysis

The Test Profile reports ISEE scores both as scaled scores and as percentile ranks with reference to
ISEE norms. These norms are based on independent school applicants in the same grade who have taken
the ISEE during the past three years. The Test Profile also shows stanines and a stanine analysis. These
terms are discussed on the following pages.

88
What to Expect on the ISEE Understanding the Individual Student Report

The norm group for this test is a very competitive group of students who are applying to independent
schools. Therefore, a student is compared only to other students in the same grade who have applied to
independent schools in the last three years. Given that this is a competitive group of students, a student’s
performance may be less than what it has been on other tests where the comparison group is less
selective. Admission offices are aware of this difference in the norming populations and do not expect
all applicants to be “above” the norm.

Scaled Scores

ISEE scaled scores for each section range from 760 to 940. The scaled score is derived from the raw
score—the number of questions the student answered correctly—but is more useful than the raw score
because the scaled score has the same meaning regardless of which version of the test was used. ERB
administers many different versions of the test each year. The scaled score takes these slight differences
into account and allows ERB to report a score on a common scale that has the same meaning for all
students, regardless of the version taken.

Percentile Rank

The percentile rank shows the student’s standing when compared to other students in the norm group for
this examination. The rank is based on scores obtained from all students in a given grade who have
taken the test over the past three years. Percentile rank scores range from 1 to 99. A percentile rank of 61
on Mathematics Achievement, for example, as depicted in Figure 2, indicates that the student scored as
well as or better than 61 percent of all students in the norm group and less well than 38 percent (out of a
total of 99 percentile points).

Small differences in percentile ranks on different tests may or may not represent significant differences
in performance on those subtests. For this reason, ISEE scores are also reported as stanines.

Stanine

A stanine is a score from 1 to 9, with 5 as the midpoint. Stanines are derived by dividing the entire range
of students’ scores into 9 segments, as follows:

Percentile
Stanine
Rank
1–3 1
4 –10 2
11–22 3
23–39 4
40–59 5
60–76 6
77–88 7
89–95 8
96–99 9

89
What to Expect on the ISEE Understanding the Individual Student Report

Stanine Analysis

The stanine analysis permits comparisons between a student’s performance on both the ability tests and
the related achievement tests. Specifically, these comparisons are made between Verbal Reasoning (V)
and Reading Comprehension (R), and between Quantitative Reasoning (Q) and Mathematics
Achievement (M). Each letter in the stanine analysis box in the Test Profile is the midpoint of a band
that extends to either side of the stanine score. The percentile score is an estimate of a student’s ability
or knowledge. We can be reasonably certain that a student’s “true score” falls within the band reflected
by a particular stanine. If the stanine is 5, for example, the percentile rank range is 40–59.

In the example shown in Figure 2, the band for Reading Comprehension (R) is a bit higher than, but still
overlaps, the band for Verbal Reasoning (V). This indicates that the student’s performance in reading is
mostly consistent with the estimate of his verbal reasoning ability. To a degree, because the band for
Reading Comprehension is slightly to the right of the band for Verbal Reasoning, we can infer that the
student was performing better than expected. Conversely, if the Reading Comprehension band were to
the left of the Verbal Reasoning band, we could be reasonably certain that the student was working
below his potential. The same kinds of comparisons can be made between the Mathematics
Achievement and the Quantitative Reasoning bands.

Analysis
In the Analysis portion of the ISR, each section score indicates the number of questions answered
correctly, the number of questions answered incorrectly, and the number of questions omitted or not
reached. Each section score is broken down by type of question, providing more specific information
about a student’s relative strengths and weaknesses.

Figure 3 shows the Analysis part of the sample ISR in Figure 1.

Figure 3. Sample Analysis

90
What to Expect on the ISEE Understanding the Individual Student Report

In the first column, each section is broken down into curricular areas and/or skills. The next two
columns show the number of questions and the number the student answered correctly for each
subsection. The symbols in the fourth and final column indicate whether the student answered each
individual question in the subsection correctly (+), answered the question incorrectly (–), skipped the
question (S), or did not reach the question (N). Questions coded S are those that appear to have been
deliberately skipped by the student, since subsequent questions in the subsection were answered.
Questions coded N are at the end of the section (not necessarily at the end of the subsection) and were
not answered, perhaps because the student ran out of time.

For all levels, the left-to-right sequence of symbols in the fourth column reflects the order of the
questions in the section. In general, questions on each section are ordered by difficulty, with the easier
questions at the beginning and the harder questions at the end. This is not the case for Reading
Comprehension, however, as questions in this section are placed in logical order as they relate to the
associated reading passage.

Verbal Reasoning

The Verbal Reasoning section includes 17 synonyms and 18 sentence completions —10 single word
response and 8 paired word response—for a total of 35 questions. In Figure 3, the student did answer all
35 Verbal Reasoning questions; he only answered 22 of these correctly, and some of his errors were
made on relatively easier questions.

The synonyms assess a student’s vocabulary as well as his or her ability to understand relationships
among words and subtle differences in meaning. In Figure 3, we can see that this student attempted to
answer all 17 synonym items, though he answered seven of these incorrectly. Although these seven are
scattered throughout the subsection, most are clustered toward the middle or end, as these are the more
difficult items.

Sentence completion requires the student to integrate successfully information beyond the immediate
context of the phrase/sentence and incorporate subsuming concepts and ideas presented in the text using
syntactic and semantic cues. Again, the student profiled in Figure 3 attempted to answer all 18 sentence
completion questions; he answered 12 of these correctly. His errors on the single word response items
tended toward the mid-range to more difficult items, while his errors on the paired word response items
tended to be toward the easier end.

Quantitative Reasoning

This section requires the student to show an understanding of concepts by using logical reasoning,
synthesis, skill, and comprehension. There are 18 word problems and 14 quantitative comparison
problems in the Quantitative Reasoning section, for a total of 32 items.

To solve a word problem, the student must invoke a rule and then apply it. In the fourth column of
Figure 3, we can see by the absence of Ss and Ns that the student attempted every word problem. Of the
18 items, however, he missed eight, and these were scattered throughout the subsection.

91
What to Expect on the ISEE Understanding the Individual Student Report

The quantitative comparison items present two quantities and require the student to determine which is
greater, whether they are equal, or whether the information given is insufficient to make a determination.
While this student attempted all but three of the quantitative comparison questions, these three being
items he evidently did not reach, he got a substantial portion of the easier items wrong.

Reading Comprehension

The Reading Comprehension section has 30 questions relating to five passages. These include questions
on main idea, supporting ideas, inference, vocabulary, organization/logic, and tone/style/figurative
language. Unlike questions on other test sections, which are ordered by difficulty, the Reading
Comprehension questions are listed in the order they appear on the test within each of the reading
passage sections. Figure 3 indicates that this student attempted to answer all 30 items; the pattern of
correct and incorrect answers suggests that his strengths may lie in a grasp of implicit information
(e.g., main idea and supporting ideas), while he may be somewhat weaker in discerning more concrete
information (e.g., vocabulary).

Mathematics Achievement

There are 42 items on the Mathematics Achievement section, covering five skill areas. In line with a
traditional notion of mathematics achievement, these items call for the identification of and solutions to
problems requiring one or more steps in calculation. The student whose performance is depicted in
Figure 3 seems to have an inconsistent mastery of the mathematical concepts, although given the relative
location of the Quantitative Reasoning (Q) and Mathematics Achievement (M) bands in the stanine
analysis (the M band being to the right of the Q band), he performed better than might have been
expected.

Conclusion
Putting the ISEE in Perspective

It is helpful to remember that students in more than one grade are taking a particular level of the ISEE.
Therefore it is possible that some of the questions may seem particularly difficult to you because you
may not have learned some of the concepts in school yet. Your score on the ISEE is compared to only
students in your grade, and those students are probably learning about the same things that you are. In
that case, good preparation for the test includes being attentive in school and keeping up with your class
work and homework. There are no benefits to frantically reviewing materials at the last minute, and in
fact, you will probably make yourself very anxious if you do this. It is more important to get a good
night’s sleep the night before and to have a proper breakfast. Remember that your ISEE scores are only
part of the admission process. Schools also want to know about you as a person and what you can
contribute to their school community.

We wish you the best of luck in your school search and hope that this book has been helpful in showing
you what to expect on the ISEE. For more information, please visit ERB’s Web site at
www.erblearn.org.

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U PPER L EVEL

Copyright © 2018 by Educational Records Bureau. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
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photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written
permission of the Educational Records Bureau.

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What to Expect on the ISEE Appendix A

Appendix A
ISEE Content and Specifications
The sample questions and practice tests represent actual questions from previous tests, as well as newly
developed questions similar to the ones students will find on the current ISEE. As a result, students get
the best examples of the kinds of questions and the approximate level of difficulty that they will find
when they take the ISEE. The purpose of this appendix is to provide students and their parents with
additional information about the ISEE.

Verbal Reasoning

Over the past century, academic and behavioral research have identified specific abilities that are
relevant to academic performance and, therefore, can be used as predictors of academic success. Verbal
reasoning and quantitative reasoning are among those abilities and are an integral part of the ISEE.

Verbal reasoning is the ability to reason, infer, and interpret words, sentences, and discourse in order to
extract meaning and solve problems. The student must recognize relationships, make contrasts and
comparisons, follow logic, analyze problems, and think critically about what is being asked or
expressed. Item types that are often used for verbal reasoning include the following: extracting explicit
information, following directions, inferring word or phrase meaning, determining main idea of text,
analyzing similar and dissimilar concepts and situations, and evaluating strength and logic of arguments.

The Verbal Reasoning section of the ISEE is comprised of two kinds of questions: synonyms and
sentence completions. Both of these kinds of questions test the depth and breadth of the student’s
vocabulary, and both test reasoning ability in different ways. Synonyms focus more on word recognition
and the ability to understand the relationships of other words and to discriminate among subtle
differences in meaning. The reasoning function of synonyms takes place when the student must choose
the word that is closest in meaning to the prompt word from among two or more related answer choices.

Sentence completion questions not only test vocabulary, but also measure a student’s knowledge of
words and their functions. The student must use both syntactic and semantic information within the text
and identify cues within the given sentence and across sentences. The student will be required to
successfully integrate information beyond the immediate context of the phrase/sentence and incorporate
subsuming concepts and ideas presented in the text. In the Upper Level forms of the ISEE, the sentence
completion answer choices are words or pairs of words that provide a logical completion to the sentence
fragment in the test item.

The following table shows the total number of test items in the actual Upper Level Verbal Reasoning
section.

VERBAL REASONING SECTION

Item Type Number of Items
Synonyms 19
Sentence Completion (Single Word Response) 12
Sentence Completion (Paired Word Response) 9
Total Items for Verbal Reasoning Section 40

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Of the 40 total items, 35 are scorable items reported on the Individual Student Report (ISR), and 5 are
unscored items that may be used on future versions of the ISEE.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning section has the student show that he or she can do more than recall and
recognize facts, definitions, and symbols; read a graph and compute using standard algorithms; or
estimate answers to computation problems. The reasoning section requires the student to show an
understanding of concepts by using logical reasoning, synthesis, skill, and comprehension. These
questions ask the student to relate and integrate his or her knowledge of mathematics. They allow the
student to show that he or she can apply that knowledge by interpreting data, solving application
problems, estimating, recognizing patterns, and solving non-routine problems. The kinds of questions
that are in the Quantitative Reasoning section are often called higher-order thinking problems.

Quantitative reasoning entails the ability to use numbers and numerical concepts in order to solve
problems. Questions may ask the student to recognize and apply a required numerical operation;
estimate numerical values; employ logic to determine what a particular problem entails; compare and
contrast quantities; analyze and interpret data; analyze, compare, predict, draw conclusions, and
summarize graphs; use reason to calculate the probability of events; understand concepts and
applications of measurement; and know how to arrive at statistical solutions to given problems.
Questions require the student to synthesize information, determine what is relevant (and irrelevant),
select appropriate analysis techniques, and apply them. The emphasis is on the ability to reason and
solve problems in a quantitative context. Actual calculations may or may not be required.

The Quantitative Reasoning section on the Upper Level ISEE consists of two types of test items:
word problems and quantitative comparisons.

1. The word problems differ somewhat from traditional mathematics achievement items in that
some of them require no calculation. To solve a quantitative reasoning word problem, the
student must invoke a rule and then apply it. The emphasis is on rule generation, hence the
absence of calculation in some items and the simplicity of calculation in others.

2. The quantitative comparison items present two quantities and require the student to
determine if one quantity is greater, if the quantities are equal, or if the information given is
insufficient to make a determination.

The table below shows the total number of items on the actual Upper Level Quantitative Reasoning
section.

QUANTITATIVE REASONING SECTION

Item Type Number of Items
Word Problems 18–21
Quantitative Comparisons 14–17
Total Items for Quantitative Reasoning Section 37

Of the 37 total items, 32 are scorable items reported on the ISR, and 5 are unscored items that may be
used on future versions of the ISEE.

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A key aspect of all quantitative reasoning word problems is that all incorrect responses are based on
logical errors, not miscalculations or other errors in form. Another feature of these problems is that they
may contain irrelevant information. The rationale is twofold. First, in a reasoning item, part of the
problem is to sort the relevant from the irrelevant, just as a mathematician or scientist would do. Second,
as students take additional tests in the future, such as college admission tests and other tests that include
quantitative reasoning items, they will see more and more problems with irrelevant information. In one
sense, the ISEE begins to prepare students for this experience.

Reading Comprehension

Texts of various genres are used to assess reading comprehension, e.g., narrative, expository, persuasive,
or descriptive texts. Each genre presents features particular to it and may require different reading skills
to be engaged to understand and interpret the text’s meaning. For example, a persuasive passage will
likely require the reader to follow the logic of a set of arguments, contrast counterpoints, and evaluate
the opposing points of view. A narrative, on the other hand, may demand attention to detail and the
sequencing of events.

Reading comprehension may be affected not only by text type, but also by question type. Questions may
ask for straightforward comprehension of what is explicitly stated in the passage, or may demand that
the reader be aware of implicit ideas. The reader may need to infer, interpret, analyze, and/or synthesize
information in order to arrive at a correct answer to a given question.

All ISEE Reading Comprehension test items are based on passages of varying lengths. For the Upper
Level section, passage length varies from 300 to 600 words. The test items that follow each reading
passage measure a student’s ability relative to Main Idea, Supporting Ideas, Inference, Vocabulary,
Organization/Logic, and Tone/Style/Figurative Language, as described in the NCTE strands.

Explanation of Strands in Reading Comprehension Section

 The Main Idea items assess the student’s ability to look for an overall message, theme, or central
idea in the passage or section of the passage.
 The Supporting Ideas items assess the student’s ability to identify explicit ideas that support the
main idea or another important concept found in the text.
 Inference items ask the student to draw a conclusion from content not explicitly stated in the text.
Inference items may ask the student to compare and contrast ideas, interpret or analyze text,
and/or predict subsequent events or outcomes.
 Vocabulary items deal with word definitions within the context of the passage, usually in the
form of “most nearly means.”
 Organization/Logic items ask students to identify the sequence, pattern, relationship, structure,
or summary of the passage and to identify the major features of different literary genres,
including narrative, informational, and instructional.
 Tone/Style/Figurative Language items assess the student’s understanding of mood, tone, point of
view, and figurative language such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, images, irony, and
personification.

At the Upper Level, there are six passages in the Reading Comprehension section, each followed by six
questions that relate to the passage.

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The following table shows the total number of items in the actual Upper Level Reading Comprehension
section.

READING COMPREHENSION SECTION

ISEE Strand Number of Items Per Strand
Main Idea 3–7
Supporting Ideas 5–11
Inference 6 –14
Vocabulary 5–9
Organization/Logic 3–5
Tone/Style/Figurative Language 1– 4
Total Items on Reading Comprehension Section 36

Of the 36 total items, 30 are scorable items reported on the ISR, and 6 are unscored items that may be
used on future versions of the ISEE.

Mathematics Achievement

Mathematics Achievement items conform to the traditional mathematics achievement items that call for
the identification and solution of a problem requiring one or more steps in calculation. Based on the
strands of the NCTM, the items require calculations ranging from simple addition and subtraction
(Lower Level) to second-year algebra (Upper Level). Item formats and rules for generating items are
summarized below. The standards used for the Upper Level ISEE are NCTM’s standards for grades
8–11 and may be found at www.nctm.org.

 Items measure knowledge of content area and academic skills.

 Items assess what mathematics the student has been taught and how much the student is able
to do.
 Incorrect answer choices are based on process errors (e.g., miscalculations, using wrong
operations, wrong formulas).
 Items have the following characteristics:
o They are more concrete than abstract. They require application of standard mathematical
rules in standard situations.
o They require knowledge of terminology.
o They require knowledge of procedures, as well as concepts.

The following table shows the skill areas and approximate number of questions testing those skill areas
for the actual Upper Level Mathematics Achievement section.

MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT SECTION

Skill Areas Number of Items
Number Sense 5–11
Algebraic Concepts 13–17
Geometry 5–8
Measurement 5–8
Data Analysis and Probability 8–13
Total Items on Mathematics Achievement Section 47
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Of the 47 total items, 42 are scorable items reported on the ISR, and 5 are unscored items that may be
used on future versions of the ISEE.

The Mathematics Achievement section on the Upper Level ISEE has a direct connection to what the
student is learning or has learned in mathematics in school. As stated previously, since each level is
given to students in more than one grade, it is possible that some of the questions may seem difficult
because the student has not yet learned some of the concepts. This is particularly true of the
Mathematics Achievement section. But the student’s ISEE score is compared only to students in the
same grade who are also applying to independent schools, students who are probably learning about the
same things in school.

Essay

The essay prompts on the ISEE were created to be consistent with the prompts on previous editions of
the ISEE. All prompts are free of bias, global in scope, and representative of a wide variety of topics.
The prompts for the Upper Level ask students to write an essay that is of interest and relevant to the
experiences of students at this age. The essay will give further insight into what is important to the
applicant.

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Appendix B
Answer Sheet
Use the answer sheet and pre-lined pages in this appendix for the Practice Test. You may want to
photocopy the answer sheet to make it more convenient to use during the Practice Test.

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 WHAT TO EXPECT
ON THE ISEE

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REV 9/18 The only authorized guide produced by ERB