So, you just got the ISEE scores from your first attempt back. Whether you’re pleased or disappointed in your performance, signing up for a second try will let you score even higher and earn admission to that competitive school you’re hoping for!
For any type of exam, studying with practice exams and retaking the test is proven to result in higher scores. Whatever your initial ISEE scores are, read on for a look into the ISEE scoring system and reliable ways to prepare for a better test day #2!
ISEE Test Scores
The ISEE score report from your first exam includes substantial data about your performance. Let’s break down the different types of ISEE test scores and the useful information provided on your score report.
Your Raw Score is, simply, the number of questions you got right. Because there are several versions of the ISEE distributed to different testers, Raw Scores differ between tests. That’s why it is converted into a Scaled Score. This score ranges from 760 to 940 and is used to compare your performance to that of the Norm Group. After all, like most standardized exams, the ISEE is a peer-normed test. (The Norm Group is the group of students in your grade level last year—you aren’t directly compared to your classmates.)
Your score report also shows your Percentile Rank, which represents your performance in comparison to the Norm Group. (A 40th Percentile Rank means you scored better than 40% of the Norm Group, while a 94th Percentile Rank means you scored higher than 94%.) The final type of score you’re presented is the Stanine Score, which shows where your result falls on a bell curve.
As you can see, Stanine Scores of 4-6 are the most common, while scores of 7 and higher are considered excellent.
ISEE Subject Scores
Rather than giving you a “total score”, your score report indicates how you performed on each portion. On your ISEE report, you receive each of the score types above—(1) Raw Score, (2) Scaled Score, (3) Percentile Rank, and (4) Stanine Score—for each section of the ISEE:
The only exception is the ISEE Essay, which is unscored and sent directly to the schools you apply to.
Your score report also has an “Analysis” section, which breaks down your correct and incorrect answer choices by question type. That means you can see what types of questions you excelled at answering in addition to the ones you struggled on. For the Reading Comprehension portion in particular, you can see your performance on particular ELA topics, from Inference questions to ones about Main Ideas.
How do Schools View ISEE Scores?
When you hear people discuss ISEE scores, they’re most likely talking about Stanine Scores. This score type is a succinct way to measure student performance, which is why private schools use it when considering applicants.
The average ISEE scores for private schools vary—many schools admit students with scores of 4-6, while selective schools seek students with Stanine Scores above the crowd. The top 25% of ISEE test-takers have Stanine Scores of 7, 8, and 9, which are preferred for esteemed private schools (especially those in metropolitan areas). The best schools have the most applicants and only have space for some of them, so they want dedicated students who are motivated to study for a hard exam and perform well—and the ISEE is not easy.
Overall, what ISEE scores are good differ based on your private school admission goals. If you’re aiming for a good school that isn’t highly competitive, a goal score of 5-6 is fine. However, if you want to go to an academically rigorous school with high-achieving peers, you should aim higher. No worries if you aren’t there yet, since you can retake the ISEE!
Remember that you can take the ISEE only once per testing season. The ISEE testing seasons are fall (August through November), winter (December through March), and summer (April through July). The summer season is only available for transfer students, so you can only really take the test twice.
How to Score Higher on Your ISEE Retake
Retesting, in itself, has been found to (on average) improve an individual’s score by about 2/3rds of a standard deviation. On the ISEE in particular, each of the nine intervals of the Stanine Scoring system represents 0.5 standard deviation. That means that you’ll see a gain of nearly a whole point (on each subject) if you retake the ISEE once.
Let’s say your performance on a section was towards the upper end of the Percentile Rank range for that score—that means it’s likely that you’ll score 1 Stanine point higher on your ISEE retake. Of course, that kind of retest scoring is not perfectly consistent, but 60% of 1 Stanine point could mean the difference between a 6 and a 7, or between a 7 and an impressive 8.
That score increase is primarily attributed to increased exposure to the test. Once you’ve taken the ISEE once, you’re already somewhat familiar with the testing experience and likely to perform better on the retake—but what if you integrate targeted studying and practice tests between ISEE test day #1 and test day #2?
Personalizing your Studying with the ISEE Score Report
As we described earlier, your score report breaks down your performance by ISEE section as well as by question type. This means that you’ll know your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the ISEE, which will help you target your studying on the subjects and types of questions you struggle with the most.
Perhaps you score an 8+ on reading comprehension but a 5 on verbal reasoning—that means you should study using vocabulary lists to strengthen your word knowledge. Practice for synonym questions by using a thesaurus, and hone your single word response skills by reading books with high-level vocabulary, seeing how words are used in context.
Spend the most study time on the ISEE subjects you struggled the most on, and the least on the subjects you aced. Break down your studying further by focusing more time on the question types that you scored more poorly on. Then, use practice tests to track your subject knowledge progress!
Taking Multiple ISEE Practice Tests
Practice tests allow students to reap the benefits of retaking the ISEE without the added pressure of a real exam. Repeated exposure to an exam makes students more comfortable when they take the real thing. They’ll be familiar with the questioning style, test format, pacing, and even the content tested—this will especially help those with test anxiety.
An even greater benefit of taking multiple practice tests, however, is seeing how you fare on the test content. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to ISEE content is crucial in improving your ISEE scores on a retest, and using your practice test results in conjunction with your initial ISEE score report will hone your practice on the topics you’ll benefit from studying the most. When you start using your first ISEE score analysis to study, use practice tests and continue the cycle of studying and practice.
Prepare for the ISEE with Personalized Practice Questions
Scoring even better than your best effort on your first test can seem overwhelming, but using your score report to your advantage will help you tactically gear your studying towards better ISEE scores the second time around!
If you have an ISEE test on your horizon and are looking for affordable study materials that personalize to your abilities, Piqosity has you covered! Along with our full-length, online ELA and Math courses for grades 5-12 and SAT & ACT prep courses, we offer full ISEE test prep courses for the lower, middle, and upper level ISEE. Each ISEE course includes:
- 12 practice exams
- Over 3,000 practice questions
- Dozens of concept lessons, including video tutorials
- Real-time Stanine Score predictions
- Adaptive practice software
- Interface allowing teachers, tutors, and parents to assign and track student work
- …And much more!
If you’re at all interested in studying for the ISEE, we encourage you to take our mini diagnostic ISEE online practice test, available for free after registration with our Community Plan. When you’re ready to upgrade, Piqosity’s year-long accounts start at only $89.
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