The ISEE is an important part of the secondary school admissions process, and achieving a high score can significantly enhance your chances of securing a place at the school of your choice. However, it’s not an easy test! Using a few simple ISEE test strategies can significantly help you improve your scores though.
Overall ISEE Test Strategies
While some strategies are specific to certain sections, there are a few habits you should develop and make use of throughout the exam.
- Answer every question: The ISEE does not penalize for wrong answers, so it’s crucial to answer every question, even if you have to guess. Leaving questions blank reduces your chances of scoring higher, but guessing gives you a shot at earning points.
- Elimination: If you’re unsure of the correct answer, use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices. By eliminating obviously incorrect options, you increase your chances of selecting the right answer from the remaining choices.
- Use the two-pass approach: On your first pass through the exam, answer the questions you find easiest and quickest. Then take a second pass, returning to the more challenging questions. This way you make sure you earn points on the easy questions before you spend time on tougher problems.
- Take regular practice tests: Regularly taking full-length practice tests under timed conditions helps you build stamina, improve time management, and identify areas where you need more practice. This simulates the actual test experience and boosts your confidence.
- Keep showing up: Consistency is key in test preparation. By regularly studying, practicing, and reviewing material, you steadily improve your skills and knowledge. Staying committed and showing up for your preparation will lead to better results on test day.
Verbal Reasoning Strategies
The Verbal Reasoning section of the ISEE heavily tests your vocabulary. However, in addition to learning new words—which is undoubtedly vital— there are techniques you can use to ensure that you’re getting questions that contain familiar words correct and guessing effectively on those that don’t.
- Build Your Vocabulary: The verbal reasoning section heavily relies on a strong vocabulary. Make a habit of learning new words daily. Use flashcards, apps, or vocabulary lists specific to these tests. Understanding word roots, prefixes, and suffixes can also help you deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words.
- For Synonyms:
- Anticipate the answer: cover the answer choices and see if you can think of a synonym for the word. Then find the word in the answer choices that most closely matches your synonym. That way, you’ll be less likely to fall for the trap answers the ISEE throws at you.
- Use context: If you can’t come up with a synonym for the capitalized word, can you come up with a feeling or phrase to describe it? Are any of its roots familiar to you? Can you think of a context in which you have heard the word? Do you know any other words that sound similar or have similar parts? Use anything you come up with to help you pick the best answer choice.
- For Sentence Completions
- Plug in your own words: Before looking at the answer choices, try to fill in the blank with a word or phrase that makes sense in the context of the sentence. This helps you focus on the meaning of the sentence as a whole and reduces the influence of distractor options. Once you have your own word in mind, compare it to the answer choices, eliminate answers that do not relate and select the one that best matches your prediction.
- Identify direction words: In your read of the question, look for direction words. Direction words either keep the sentence going in the same direction (“so,” “therefore,” “and,” commas, semicolons, etc.) or change the direction of a sentence (“however,” “although,” “while,” “but,” etc.). In addition to direction words
- Circle context clues: Every sentence will have descriptive context clues. Use these clues to help point to what should go in each blank.
Math Strategies
On the ISEE there are no points awarded for work that is partially correct, so careless mistakes can seriously impact your score. The following ISEE test strategies can help you stay focused as you work and help you avoid errors.
- Circle the goal: Before diving into a problem, identify and circle what the question is asking you to find. This keeps your focus on the end goal and prevents you from getting sidetracked by unnecessary information.
- Identify the givens: Carefully read the problem and highlight or note down the key information provided. Identifying the givens helps you understand what resources you have at your disposal and how they relate to solving the problem.
- Show your work: Remember calculators are not allowed. Thus, writing out calculations is incredibly important! Writing out your calculations and steps not only helps you stay organized but also minimizes errors by allowing you to track your thought process. It also makes it easier to review your work if you need to find and correct mistakes.
- Estimation: Before calculating, make a quick estimate of the answer. This strategy helps you gauge whether your final answer is reasonable and can save time by allowing you to skip unnecessary steps when the answer is obvious.
Reading Comprehension Strategies
Succeeding on the ISEE Reading Comprehension section requires more than just reading the passages and then going to the answers to see which one sounds right. Before you even look at the answers, you’ll want to do some up-front work.
- Write notes as you read: As you read, jot down brief notes in the margins or underline key points when taking a paper based exam. If you’re taking an online exam, write down notes on your scrap paper and use the highlighter tool to highlight key points. The aim is to summarize the main idea of each paragraph .
- Identify the main idea for yourself: After reading the passage, pause to identify the main idea of the passage as a whole in your own words. Understanding the core message of the passage will guide you in answering questions accurately and help you avoid getting distracted by minor details.
- Find evidence: Always look for specific evidence in the passage to support your answers. This ensures that your responses are based on the text rather than assumptions, helping you choose the most accurate answer.
- Predict the answer.: Before looking at the multiple-choice options, try to predict the answer to each question. This helps you stay focused on the text and prevents you from being influenced by trap answer choices.
- Eliminate wrong answers: Many Reading Comprehension questions include answer choices designed to mislead or confuse you. By discarding these incorrect options first, you increase your chances of selecting the correct answer from the remaining choices.
With the right preparation and ISEE test strategies, you can excel on the exam. Start early, stay consistent, and remain confident in your abilities. Remember, these tests are just one part of your application, and doing your best is what truly matters.
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