Award-Winning ISEE Courses & Classes in Houston, TX

Varsity Tutors offers a comprehensive Houston ISEE prep course for students looking to improve their study skills in advance of their testing date. ISEE is an acronym for "Independent School Entrance Examination," a standardized test that some magnet and independent schools across the country use as one of many admission criteria. A good score does not guarantee anything but can be seen as one step forward in your student's pursuit of their academic potential.

The ISEE is available at four "levels" because it would be foolish to give a test-taker preparing for second grade the same exam as somebody entering high school. Students entering grades 2-4 take a Primary Level ISEE, those entering grades 5-6 take the Lower Level ISEE, those entering grades 7-8 take the Middle Level ISEE, and those entering high school take the Upper Level ISEE. Varsity Tutors offers a Houston ISEE class for each of these examinations, so trust us with their test prep today.

Which academic topics are generally covered in a Houston ISEE course?

The Lower, Middle, and Upper Level ISEEs follow the same core format of five sections. The Verbal Reasoning section contains 40 multiple-choice questions in just 20 minutes, so students need to move quickly if they hope to finish on time. Questions on the section consist primarily of sentence completions and synonyms to measure a test-taker's vocabulary. It isn't feasible to try to study every word in the English language, so students should not use a dictionary or thesaurus when studying for this section. Instead, they should study Greek and Latin word roots, how to use context to define unfamiliar terms, and common suffixes and prefixes to help them figure out what a word might mean. Reading can also be an effective way to improve a student's vocabulary without necessarily trying to.

The ISEE's Quantitative Reasoning portion stresses mathematical thinking over performing operations. Test-takers have 35 minutes to answer 37 multiple-choice questions on this section of the exam. Sample topics include addition and subtraction on the Lower Level ISEE, square roots and percentages on the Middle Level ISEE, and introductory statistics and algebra on the Upper Level ISEE.

The examination's Reading Comprehension section consists of 36 multiple-choice items based on grade-appropriate reading passages. All students are expected to be able to identify a main idea and its supporting details in a passage, evaluate a passage's structural logic, and determine what influence an author's intent may have had on the piece. Older students are also asked to draw inferences based on the material in a passage, compare and contrast works to one another, and incorporate literary genres into their analysis. If your student frequently loses focus during lengthy reading passages, taking notes as they go along may promote a more active engagement with the material. Test-takers have a total of 35 minutes to finish this section.

The test's Math Achievement component stresses the ability to actually perform mathematical operations. Test-takers have 40 minutes to answer 47 multiple-choice items on this section. Sample topics include decimals and fractions for Lower Level test-takers, ratios/proportions and prime factorization for Middle Level students, and statistics and graphing on the Upper Level ISEE.

The last of the ISEE's sections is an unscored Essay. A copy of a student's work is included with their application, allowing schools to assess their written communication skills and personality for themselves. While students are introducing themselves on this section, conventions of written English such as grammar and spelling are also important. Test-takers have half an hour to plan and compose their written piece, so composing an outline beforehand is recommended.

The Primary Level ISEE uses a completely different format than that described above. Students entering grades 2, 3, and 4 each take a special exam tailored to their level, designated by a numeral after the word "primary." For instance, a student entering third grade takes a test called the Primary 3. All three sections have age-appropriate multiple-choice sections in Math and Reading, and Primary 2 also has an Auditory Comprehension section to measure a young child's listening skills. All three tests finish with a picture-based writing prompt to give schools an idea of each applicant's organization and creative thinking abilities.

Why should I enroll the student in my life in a Houston ISEE course provided by Varsity Tutors?

Every Houston ISEE course we provide takes place on an exclusive online classroom called our live virtual platform. Students are free to interact with their teacher and their peers in real-time, making it feel as though everybody is in the same classroom even if you're separated by miles geographically. If your student needs help, all they have to do is raise their hand to receive assistance.

Each Houston ISEE class is also taught by an expert instructor, so you can count on your student receiving up-to-date information and strategies. Working with other students may also prove helpful. For example, group assignments can require a student to explain why they want to take a particular approach to a question, potentially leading to a greater grasp of the underlying material. Sharing a classroom also allows multiple students to share the associated expense, providing a greater value for your money than you could get elsewhere. If you ever feel like your student needs personalized assistance to master a particular concept, their classroom instructor is also available for extra help sessions outside of class meeting times.

Varsity Tutors also makes attending a class as easy as possible. We offer both two-week and four-week classes so that something works for even the busiest of students. We also launch brand new classes on a weekly basis, so we're ready whenever you are.

How do I sign my student up for a Houston ISEE course today?

You can use the contact info provided below to speak with a knowledgeable educational consultant and learn more about how to sign up for a Houston ISEE class. Varsity Tutors has helped countless students, and we eagerly await the opportunity to do the same for your student!