If your student's preparing to take one of the six versions of the ISEE, you ought to consider enrolling them in a New York City ISEE prep course provided by Varsity Tutors. These classes take place live online, and your student can interact with their instructor and classmates during class while they review the material that will be tested on the ISEE, along with the test structure and other details.
The ISEE, or Independent School Entrance Exam, delivers an advanced awareness of your child's abilities and personality, which helps admissions officials at private or independent schools throughout the admission process. Many other factors are considered, but the ISEE is considered a reliable tool and is taken into consideration with each student's application packet.
What subjects are covered in a New York City ISEE course?
Basic academic topics including reading, English, math, and writing are tested on the ISEE. Each subject is evaluated at an age-appropriate level on the different versions of the ISEE. The Primary Level has three discrete versions called Primary 2 for students entering 2nd grade, Primary 3 for students entering 3rd grade, and Primary 4 for students entering 4th grade. The Lower Level is for students entering grades 5 or 6; the Middle Level is for students entering grades 7 or 8; and the Upper Level is for students entering grades 9 through 12. Following is a quick description of each subject at each level.
There's a unique auditory comprehension section on the Primary 2 ISEE. Students listen to both fiction and nonfiction passages and answer a few questions about them. The rest of the Primary Level exams have the same content. Primary Levels 2, 3, and 4 have age-appropriate multiple-choice questions in the Reading and Math sections. Students are also given a visual prompt and required to write an unscored story about the picture. Although this Writing Sample isn't scored, schools do review it to get an idea of each student's creativity, writing ability, and personality.
The Lower, Middle, and Upper Level ISEE all include sections on Quantitative Reasoning, Math Achievement, Verbal Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and an Essay.
Students are appraised on their proficiency with mathematical thinking in the Quantitative Reasoning section and their mathematical operations skills on the Math Achievement section. Both sections require students to demonstrate their knowledge of age-appropriate math skills, and only the approach they take is different. Questions involve algebra, data analysis, numbers and operations, problem-solving, and data analysis and probability, among other math skills.
The Verbal Reasoning sections use sentence-completion synonym questions in order to gauge each student's English skills. The expectation is for them to know age-appropriate vocabulary, parts of speech, context and word clues for understanding. Other English skills tested are the use of prefixes, suffixes, and root words from Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Greek to determine the meaning of words they may not know.
For the Reading Comprehension section, students are evaluated on their abilities to understand main and supporting ideas, grade-appropriate vocabulary, cause and effect relationships, author's intent or purpose, and drawing conclusions or making inferences based on what's stated in the passages. Students will need to discriminate between literal and figurative language, compare and contrast information, and use the material learned in a passage to answer related questions. Again, similar content is tested at varying age levels.
Finally, students respond to a prompt about a subject believed to have relevance to students in each grade level with an essay. Students are responsible for planning and writing a written piece that is well organized and uses grade-appropriate writing skills including grammar, spelling, and various other English writing conventions. Schools review these written pieces because they want to know more about each student and their abilities, and reading their responses to these topics is a good way to do so. This essay isn't the same as college entrance exam essays, as adding in their thoughts and opinions is highly encouraged.
Your student will receive much more in-depth coverage of this material throughout their New York City ISEE course. Studies have shown that collaborating with their classmates and instructor can help your student learn and retain information. If they hit a block on a concept or topic and find it more difficult than it is for the other students, you can sign your student up for individual tutoring sessions. With focused one-on-one attention, they're likely to very quickly get caught up.
What advantages will my student have from taking a New York City ISEE class to prepare for the test?
There are a variety of ways having your student attend New York City ISEE classes can help them prepare. Some have been mentioned already, but one important aspect of learning with a professional instructor is the opportunity to learn test-taking strategies specifically useful for the ISEE and which can be useful for them on test day.
Standardized exams have their own rules and conventions. What should your child do if they're running out of time? Should they answer quickly to make sure no questions are left blank, or should they do their best and leave some blank? The answer depends on the test they're taking and how unanswered questions are treated. A professional New York City ISEE class instructor can discuss this with your student along with other test-specific strategies.
How can I enroll my student in a New York City ISEE course?
Making the entire ISEE test preparation process as convenient as possible for both students and their parents is important to Varsity Tutors. We offer ISEE courses that run for either two or four weeks, and e also offer a variety of sections that meet at different times and days of the week. You should be able to find a course section that matches your family's schedule. New classes start every week, so whenever you want your student to begin, you can get them started. All you have to do is simply contact Varsity Tutors and let us know your student's needs, goals, and schedule, and we can enroll them in a New York City ISEE course that can meet their needs. We look forward to helping your student as they work towards their goals.
Margarita: New York ISEE course instructor
...always find teaching math to students to be gratifying, and I hope to share some of my love for math with my students. I also enjoy tutoring test prep, especially since I know how stressful the process of applying to colleges (and later graduate schools) is! With every student, I aim to find an individualized...
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT Subject Tests
- PSAT
- SSAT
- +55 subjects
Alana: New York ISEE course instructor
...English. In college, I was accepted into the Mentoring and Student Teaching Program for underserved children in Philadelphia. I served as a science and english tutor for three years, while tutoring my peers in Spanish and Biology as well. Having taken the MCAT and excelled on the SAT, ACT, as well as multiple SAT subject...
Education & Certification
- Haverford College - Bachelor of Science, Cellular and Molecular Biology
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT Subject Tests
- SSAT
- SAT
- +56 subjects
Katherine: New York ISEE course instructor
...College. Tutoring for now nearly a decade, Katherine is passionate about empowering her students to learn through hands-on challenges. She takes particular pride in the confidence and self-reliance her students develop in their work and works hard to create individualized environments where her students, regardless of age, learning style, or subject, flourish. She has a...
Education & Certification
- Columbia University in the City of New York - Bachelor in Arts, Psychology Linguistics
- CUNY Graduate School and University Center - Masters, Linguistics
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- REGENTS
- SAT
- ACT
- +55 subjects
Jacob: New York ISEE course instructor
...99th percentile on all three sections of the SAT, as well as attaining a score of 5 on the AP Statistics, US Government, US History, and English Literature and Composition exams. I completed my BA in Government in December after having served as a Research Apprentice with the Quantitative Analysis Center, and my thesis utilizing...
Education & Certification
- Wesleyan University - Bachelors, Government
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- ASVAB
- PSAT
- ACT
- +69 subjects
Alex: New York ISEE course instructor
...the needs and prior knowledge my students and tailor my tutoring method and style individually. I tutor students in a wide range of subjects. In subjects related to reading and writing, I focus first on the students comprehension of the material at hand and then help the student construct an analytical argument. In subjects related...
Education & Certification
- Stanford University - Bachelor in Arts, Applied Mathematics
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- UK A Level
- PSAT
- CLEP
- +100 subjects
Zoe: New York ISEE course instructor
...and thoughts some of those children came up with were simultaneously moving, insightful, wacky, and hilarious in a way that the best adult writers could only hope for. The best part of it all was that it was the writers themselves, not me, who insisted we get up on stage and act out their words...
Education & Certification
- Northwestern University - Bachelors, Theatre
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT Subject Tests
- SAT
- PSAT
- +32 subjects
Jordy: New York ISEE course instructor
...them as an exciting way to measure progress and hone in on, not only academic skills, but also time management, organization, and maintaining a sense of personal calm. In fact, I love the entire college application process because I think of it not as an opaque, mysterious world of judgment behind closed doors, but as...
Education & Certification
- Columbia University in the City of New York - Bachelor in Arts, English Literature, Art History
- Harvard University - Master of Fine Arts, Acting
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SHSAT
- PSAT
- ACT
- +28 subjects
Joanna: New York ISEE course instructor
...and easy. And when something is fun, students want to do more. It no longer is a fight to do assignments or practice. Practice is also key in my tutoring. The more practice there is, the more comfortable a student will feel. No one wants to do something discomforting, so comfort and, once again, understanding,...
Education & Certification
- Columbia University in the City of New York - Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT
- SHSAT
- SSAT
- +32 subjects
Diptesh: New York ISEE course instructor
...of subjects since! I specialize in mathematics and science tutoring as well as standardized exam preparation. In the past, I have helped students achieve significant improvements and success on the SAT, SHSAT, Regents and other exams! I truly believe education is a mutual learning and teaching opportunity and enjoy helping my students achieve a thorough...
Education & Certification
- New York University - Bachelor of Science, Global Public Health & Chemistry
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT
- SAT Subject Tests
- SHSAT
- +88 subjects
Chloe: New York ISEE course instructor
...Film. I also traveled to Europe and the Middle East as part of my studies. In addition, I am a freelance writer, and my work has appeared in the Huffington Post, The Atlantic, and USA Today. I've also been a finalist for several national playwriting awards. Most importantly, I love working with my students. Their...
Education & Certification
- Williams College - Bachelor in Arts, Arabic Studies, Religion
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- PSAT
- HSPT
- SSAT
- +44 subjects
Owen: New York ISEE course instructor
...science and standardized testing. After college, I spent two years working as a biology teacher at a top charter school in NYC where my classes ranked #1 by test results. I left teaching to pursue a role as a financial analyst, but I have maintained a full roster of 1-1 private students since. I truly...
Education & Certification
- CUNY Brooklyn College - Bachelor of Science, Biology, General
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SHSAT
- ACT
- REGENTS
- +42 subjects
Daniel: New York ISEE course instructor
...and college, I've always viewed education as one of our most valuable resources and am passionate about expanding the educational prospects of others. I have worked as a TA and recently spent a summer creating content for educational programs for disadvantaged populations. My priority as a tutor is truly meeting every student where they are...
Education & Certification
- Northwestern University - Bachelors, Sociology and Theatre
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SSAT
- SAT Subject Tests
- PSAT
- +48 subjects
Saad: New York ISEE course instructor
I am a Finance major at Mercy College in New York, having transferred this Fall from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. My goal to simply help my students achieve the results they desire and to help them set up the habits which will let them reproduce these results in the future.
Education & Certification
- Mercy College - Bachelor of Science, Finance
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- ACT
- SAT
- SAT Subject Tests
- +34 subjects
Elias: New York ISEE course instructor
...I have extensive experience with test prep (primarily SAT and LSAT), but have tutored all ages in a variety of subjects including chemistry, physics, trig, history, English, Spanish, and many others. Looking forward to meeting new students and helping as much as I can! In the rest of my life, I love to hike, I...
Education & Certification
- Washington University in St Louis - Bachelors, Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, Anthropology
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT
- GED
- REGENTS
- +60 subjects
Jeff: New York ISEE course instructor
...Institute. Outside of academia, I enjoy reading philosophy, attending musical performances and art galleries throughout the city, taking long walks, and wandering through random parts of New York and finding interesting cafes. My literary and musical interests lately have been heavily influenced by late-Russian romanticism and Russian modernism. I have been a pianist for 14...
Education & Certification
- Columbia University in the City of New York - Current Undergrad, Neuroscience/Philosophy
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT
- SSAT
- ACT
- +37 subjects
John Raffles: New York ISEE course instructor
...remember ideas when they make sense at a core level. Then these ideas are applied to the problem, in order to unlock the solution. Generally, when students are having trouble with a problem (or type of problem) there is a non-sequitur somewhere in that process. My job, which is quite fun in this way, is...
Education & Certification
- University of Arizona - Bachelors, Biomedical Engineering and Dance
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- SAT
- SAT Subject Tests
- Pre-Calculus
- +70 subjects
Liz: New York ISEE course instructor
...Shakespeare and the classics and appeared in several productions while in London, all of which have contributed to my love of words. My passion for the arts extends to working with children and young adults. I have been a choreographer for middle school musicals for several years. I love working with kids, and have experience...
Education & Certification
- University of Southern California - Bachelor in Arts, Theatre
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- TACHS
- SAT Subject Tests
- ACT
- +40 subjects
Zachary: New York ISEE course instructor
...Theater. I am pursuing a career as an actor, but am thrilled to continue to flex my intellectual side and share my passion for learning with the next generation. In college, I studied Cognitive Science, not so much as a fallback career, but because I am fascinated by the subject. I succeeded in getting into...
Education & Certification
- Northwestern University - Bachelors, Theatre, Cognitive Science
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- PSAT
- SSAT
- SAT Subject Tests
- +60 subjects
Sarah: New York ISEE course instructor
...working with students to confront the challenges of a subject and then watching as the challenges begin to slip away and what was previously frustrating and incomprehensible to the students becomes a subject that they now enjoy learning about and studying. I believe I am a good tutor and teacher because I am patient, encouraging,...
Education & Certification
- Harvard University - Bachelors, Classics
- Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London - Masters, Advanced Theatre Practice
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- GED
- Advanced Placement
- SAT Subject Tests
- +56 subjects
Jason: New York ISEE course instructor
...the National Latin Exam when I was in high school, so I am eager to help students who are struggling with the subject. I also specialize in the areas of English-language writing, grammar, and reading comprehension. I have wanted to be a teacher from a rather young age, and I am grateful to have the...
Education & Certification
- Vassar College - Bachelors, Drama (education minor)
- CUNY Graduate School and University Center - Masters, Linguistics
Subject Expertise
- ISEE
- PSAT
- CLEP
- GED
- +90 subjects