(Independent School Entrance Examination)
The Test-Prep Course is a 14-hour enrichment course designed to provide students in grades 5 – 7 with additional skills and test-taking strategies necessary to build confidence and score up to their potential on the very difficult Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE). It was designed to help students become better prepared, to alleviate excessive fear and test anxiety and to help parents and students establish realistic goals. The test-taking and thinking strategies are taught explicitly using direct instruction. Students are taught to think like effective test-takers.
Experience has shown that most students expect the private school entrance exams to be similar to the standardized achievement tests they have been taking since the first grade (i.e. SAT, CTBS, ITBS). The big surprise is that ISEE tends to be much more rigorous than expected and likely includes some unfamiliar sections. Many students, even the brighter ones, experience a sense of panic before and during this exam. It is not uncommon for such feelings to adversely affect their performance on this exam. One of the purposes of The Test-Prep Course is to deal with this issue and help the students know what to expect. Knowing what to expect will build confidence and help each student put his/her best foot forward when taking the ISEE.
For the most part, test preparation courses have been devoid of one important aspect—direct instruction. Many concentrate on practice, practice, practice without showing students specific and effective strategies to use to answer the questions. Test-taking skills and strategies must be taught in a clear, concrete and meaningful way before they can be practiced. The Test-Prep Course for the ISEE does this for all five sections of the exam.
The Test-Prep Course teaches the language of the ISEE. Many researchers have highlighted the importance of helping students become very aware of test-specific vocabulary (Allen, 2002, Green and Milton, 2007, Calkins, Montgomery and Santman, 1998.) Students deserve to have better tools to strategically and successfully navigate the ISEE and be given the opportunity to show their best thinking on this very important test. Helping students understand a test’s unique characteristics increases the likelihood that they will approach the testing situation with confidence and a clear sense of purpose.
The ISEE contains some sections which students typically have not had much experience, such as verbal reasoning, quantitative comparison, problem-solving and writing an essay on a specified topic in a timed situation. The Test-Prep Course provides students with strategies and an understanding of these sections |
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The Test-Prep Course is offered after school and in most instances is taught one day per week for seven weeks in 2-hour classes. The enrollment is typically limited to 12 students per instructor. With a second instructor the course has been taught to 24 students using a team-teaching approach. After the necessary skills and strategies have been taught, sections of a sample entrance exam are administered to help students become familiar with the test directions, test format and layout, time constraints and difficulty level of the questions. A wide variety of brain-compatible activities and games are used to reinforce the skills while keeping the students actively involved and making the learning experience "fun."
- Gain insight into the test organization, layout, format, types of questions and time
constraints of the ISEE.
- Learn to use the difficulty level of the questions to their advantage.
- Develop the proper mental and psychological attitude toward the ISEE.
- Improve their ability to guess effectively.
- Use process of elimination
- Learn to make intelligent guesses.
- Detect and eliminate distractors on multiple-choice questions.
- Manage their testing time wisely and develop an “internal clock” so pacing each timed
section becomes manageable.
- Balance speed and accuracy.
- Reduce test anxiety.
- Learn techniques to quickly answer reading comprehension questions.
- Learn to identify if a comprehension question is general or specific.
- Learn tips for answering synonym and sentence completion questions.
- Develop an effective "game plan" for taking the various sections of the ISEE.
- Learn to avoid test traps.
- Learn strategies for answering quantitative reasoning and quantitative comparison questions.
- Use effective interviewing techniques.
- Improve essay writing techniques.
- Understand the test language of the ISEE (test-specific vocabulary)
- Know how and when to use test directions.
- Develop stamina to sustain their concentration throughout a long and demanding testing situation.
- Learn how to move back and forth between the test section and the answer sheet without losing their place.
- And much more!
| Unit #1 |
Overview of the ISEE
The 5 Sections of the ISEE
Difficulty Level of the Questions
Guessing on the ISEE
Tips for the Interview (optional)
Possible Interview Questions
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| Unit #2 |
Verbal Reasoning Test
Part 1 - Synonym Questions
Three Different Levels of Synonyms
Good Word/Bad Word Strategy
Break the Words into Parts
Look for a Small Word
Tips for Answering Synonym Questions
Traps to Avoid
The Types of Synonym Questions on the ISEE
ISEE Practice Test
Part 2 Sentence Completion Questions
The Four Steps to Use
Sentence Completion Clues
Warning Words
Semicolon Clue
Key Word Clue
Good Word/Bad Word Clue
Throat Grabbers to Avoid
ISEE Practice Test
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| Unit #3 |
Reading Comprehension Test
Three Types of Comprehension Questions on the ISEE
General
Specific
Vocabulary
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| Unit #3 |
Reading Comprehension Test (continued)
Using the Reading Game Plan
Using the Signal Word Strategy to Answer Specific Questions
Strategies for Answering a Tone/Mood/Attitude/Style Question
Speed Tips for Answering Specific Questions
Reading Comprehension Tips
ISEE Practice Test
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| Unit #4 |
Essay
Pointers for Writing the ISEE Essay
Frequently Asked Questions About the ISEE Essay
Use 5 Steps to Write the ISEE Essay
Using Transition Words
Planning Your Essay
4 Square +
Mini-Outline
Web or Map
Proofreading Your Essay
Sample ISEE Essay Questions
Practice ISEE Essay |
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| Unit #5 |
Quantitative Reasoning Test
Type 1: Word Problem Questions
Type 2: Quantitative Comparison Questions
Math Vocabulary
Quantitative Reasoning Tips
Practice ISEE Test |
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| Unit #6 |
Mathematics Achievement Test
Math Tips
Throat Grabbers to Avoid
Practice ISEE Test
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| Unit #7 |
Tips for Taking the ISEE
General Tips
Time Tips
Bubbling in Tips
Following Directions Tips
Guessing Tips
Test Anxiety Tips
What to do After You Have Finished Answering Questions on a Test Section
What to bring to the ISEE
What not to bring to the ISEE
What to do on test day
What not to do on test day
How to Squeeze More Points out of the ISEE on Test Day (Strategies to Use and Traps to Avoid)
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The Teacher’s Manual for the Test-Prep Course for the ISEE* has over 245 pages of easy to follow, teacher-friendly and detailed lesson plans, plus transparencies or Power Point CD, as well as brain-friendly games and activities. The course includes explicit and direct instructional methods using a step by step approach focusing the students’ attention on an immediate goal- mastery of one targeted strategy at a time. There are in-depth explanations and examples for each of the targeted strategies followed by practice of the strategy.
Students will receive a Test-Prep Course Notebook which includes 100 pages of important information, practical activities and practice questions for the ISEE. |
* The ISEE is a trademark name for the Independent School Entrance Exam which is developed by The Educational Records Bureau.
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