Free ISEE Upper Level Practice Test
Practice the ISEE Upper Level as it is really given: four timed sections, original exam-style questions with advanced vocabulary and algebra, instant scoring and worked explanations. Built for students applying to grades 9-12.
Free ISEE Upper Level practice questions with answers
Seven original Upper Level questions across Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement. Tap an answer to check it and read the full explanation. No account needed.
- Question 1Verbal Reasoning · Synonyms
TENACIOUS most nearly means:
- Question 2Verbal Reasoning · Sentence completion
The critic's review was surprisingly ______: she praised the novel's ambition while dismissing nearly every sentence in it.
- Question 3Quantitative Reasoning · Rates
A printer produces 18 pages per minute. Working at the same rate, how many minutes does it take to print 405 pages?
- Question 4Quantitative Reasoning · Algebraic reasoning
If 5(x − 2) = 3x + 8, what is the value of x?
- Question 5Reading Comprehension · Author's purpose
"Historians long treated the 1840s canal boom as a straightforward triumph of engineering. Freight ledgers from the period tell a less flattering story: on three of the five largest canals, tolls never covered maintenance, and two were abandoned within a decade of opening." The author includes the freight ledgers primarily to:
- Question 6Mathematics Achievement · Quadratics
What are the solutions to x² − 7x + 12 = 0?
- Question 7Mathematics Achievement · Coordinate geometry
What is the distance between the points (−2, 1) and (3, 13)?
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Who takes the ISEE Upper Level?
The ISEE Upper Level is taken by students in grades 8 through 11 who are applying for admission to grades 9 through 12 at independent and private high schools. It is written by ERB, the Educational Records Bureau.
The five parts match the Middle Level — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement and an essay — but the content reaches into algebra I, coordinate geometry and higher-level vocabulary built on Latin and Greek roots.
Because your stanine compares you only with applicants in your own grade, the winning strategy is a full timed test first, then targeted drilling of the one or two sections dragging your stanines down.
ISEE Upper Level format, timing and question counts
Sections always appear in this order, with short breaks after Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematics Achievement.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 40 questions | 20 min |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 37 questions | 35 min |
| Reading Comprehension | 36 questions | 35 min |
| Mathematics Achievement | 47 questions | 40 min |
| Essay | 1 prompt | 30 min |
Verbal Reasoning
- Synonyms with advanced, root-heavy vocabulary
- Sentence completion using contrast, cause and comparison clues
- Vocabulary is always tested in context
Study tip: Thirty seconds per question. Predict your own word before reading the choices, then match the closest option.
Quantitative Reasoning
- Reasoning with rates, ratios, proportions and estimation
- Quantitative comparisons and algebraic reasoning
- More about strategy than long calculation
Study tip: Plug in numbers on variable-heavy questions and estimate before computing — many items are faster than they look.
Reading Comprehension
- Six passages across literature, history and science
- Main idea, inference, author's purpose and tone
- Vocabulary-in-context and text-structure questions
Study tip: Around six minutes per passage. For purpose questions, ask why the author included a detail, not just what it says.
Mathematics Achievement
- Algebra I: linear equations, systems, inequalities, exponents, radicals, quadratics
- Geometry: triangles, circles, area, volume, coordinate geometry
- Data, statistics and probability
Study tip: No calculator. Memorise the distance, midpoint and slope formulas and the special right triangles to save time.
Essay
- A timed prompt asking for a position or an experience
- Unscored — forwarded to schools as a writing sample
- Read for organisation, clarity and supporting detail
Study tip: Plan for two minutes, write four or five paragraphs in 24, and spend the last four rereading for grammar.
Benkyou's questions are original practice items modelled on the ISEE's published format and difficulty — they are not copies of released test papers.
How the Upper Level is scored
Each section produces a raw score, a scaled score of 760-940, a percentile against other applicants in your grade from the last three years, and finally a stanine from 1 to 9. There is no guessing penalty, so answer every question. The essay is unscored but sent to schools.
Read the full ISEE scoring guideISEE Upper Level FAQ
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