Getting into High School: ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT
ISEE
The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is designed to assess students’ abilities in core subject areas to determine if a student is qualified for admission to private high school. The ISEE is offered at three levels: Lower (for prospective 5th and 6th graders), Middle (for prospective 7th and 8th graders), and Upper (for prospective 9th through 12th graders.)
Content
The ISEE is comprised of four sections of multiple-choice sections followed by an essay. The multiple-choice portion of the test consists of two Math sections, a Verbal section that tests vocabulary through synonyms and sentence completion questions, and a Reading Comprehension section.
Scoring
An ISEE score is calculated by assessing a student’s total number of correct answers. This raw score is placed on a bell curve that compares students’ scores across the nation. A student then receives a score between 1 and 9, with 9 being the highest score and 5 being the most commonly achieved score.
Preparing for the ISEE
Preparing for the ISEE helps students gain familiarity with the format of the test, and also emphasizes fundamental math, verbal, and reading skills that will help students during the test and beyond. To discuss an individualized test plan for your student, please contact us.
Registration Dates and Test Dates
The ISEE is administered by appointment. To register for the ISEE, click here.
SSAT
The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) measures quantitative, verbal, reading comprehension and writing skills, and is used by competitive secondary schools to gauge a prospective student’s skills and predict academic success. The SSAT as offered at two levels: Lower (for students in grades 5-7) and Upper (for students in grades 8-11).
Content
The SSAT consists of four sections of multiple-choice sections followed by an essay. The multiple-choice portion of the test consists of two Math sections, a Verbal section that tests vocabulary through synonyms and analogies, and a Reading Comprehension section.
Scoring
A raw score for the SSAT is determined by the total number of a student’s correct answers less a quarter-point for each incorrect answer. A raw score for each of the three subsections is converted to a scaled score, and these are added for a total score between 1320 and 2130 (for grades 5-7) and 1500-2400 (for grades 8-11). Students are also assigned a percentile ranking that compares their scores to the all students’ scores from the previous three years. The essay is not graded but is sent to schools for consideration.
Preparing for the SSAT
Preparing for the SSAT helps students gain familiarity with the format of the test, and also emphasizes fundamental math, verbal, and reading skills that will help students during the test and beyond. To discuss an individualized test plan for your student, please contact us.
To register for the SSAT, click here.
SHSAT
The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) is administered by the New York City Department of Education. Consisting of two sections – one verbal and one math – the SHSAT is the only criterion for admission to the New York City Specialized High Schools: Stuyvesant; Bronx Science; Brooklyn Tech; High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College; High School of American Studies at Lehman College; and Queens High School for the Sciences at York College.
Content
The SHSAT is comprised of two sections: Verbal and Mathematics. The Verbal section consists of 45 multiple-choice questions that cover reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and paragraph improvement skills. The Math section is comprised of 50 multiple-choice questions that test concepts such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and logic.
Scoring
Students are awarded a point for each correct answer, and are not penalized for incorrect answers. A raw score is then converted to a score between 200 and 800.
Preparing for the SHSAT
Preparing for the SHSAT helps students gain familiarity with the format of the test, and also emphasizes fundamental math, verbal, and reading skills that will help students during the test and beyond. To discuss an individualized test plan for your student, please contact us.
Registration Dates and Test Dates
The SHSAT is offered once per year. The test dates for 2010 were October 23rd and 24th for 8th-grade students and October 30th for 9th-grade students. A make-up exam was offered on November 14th.
To register for the SHSAT, click here.