The night before the ISEE is not the time to learn anything new. Students who cram the night before usually walk in tired and anxious. Students who do a short, confident review, pack their things and get a full night of sleep walk in ready. This page is built for exactly that: about 45 minutes of light review plus a checklist so nothing is forgotten in the morning.
First, which ISEE level is your child taking?
Everything below, including the formulas, warm-up questions, vocab, roots and tips, will match that level. It’s listed on the Verification Letter.
Your Test-Day Checklist
What your child needs depends on where they test. Pick the format on the Verification Letter, then check items off as you pack. Your checks are saved on this device, so you can come back to it in the morning.
0 of 0 done
For in-person testing, students must check in by the time on the Verification Letter, usually 15 to 30 minutes before the start. Late arrivals are not allowed to test and families pay the rescheduling fee. For at-home testing, check-in starts 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Always follow your own Verification Letter and the official instructions for at-home testing and in-person testing if anything here differs.
The Day-Before Plan
Tap each block to see what to do. The goal is to finish review early and spend the evening relaxing.
Formula Review
There is no formula sheet and no calculator on the ISEE, so these need to be automatic. They match the level you picked above. Turn on Quiz me to hide the formulas and test recall. Tap a card to reveal it.
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Fraction, decimal and percent pairs save a lot of time: 1/2 = 0.5 = 50%, 1/4 = 0.25 = 25%, 3/4 = 0.75 = 75%, 1/5 = 0.2 = 20%, 1/8 = 0.125 = 12.5%, 1/3 ≈ 0.333 = 33⅓%. Perfect squares from 1 to 225 (1² through 15²) are worth one last look too.
10-Question Warm-Up
These are short, test-style questions written for your child’s level, using the formulas above. They should feel easy. If one trips you up, read the explanation and move on. No calculator.
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Vocab Warm-Up
The night before is not the time for a long word list. Instead, flip through these ISEE-style words picked for your child’s level, and spend a minute on the word roots below. Roots help with words you have never seen. Tap a card to flip it, then mark whether you knew it.
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Eight Roots and Prefixes Worth One Last Look
Ask whether it feels positive or negative, then cross off answer choices with the opposite feel. Look for a root you recognize. On sentence completions, find the clue words in the sentence (like although, because or but) and predict your own word before looking at the choices.
Strategy Reminders for Tomorrow
Read these once tonight and once in the morning. Here is how the test is laid out for your child’s level.
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Answer every question
There is no penalty for wrong answers on the ISEE. Never leave a bubble or screen blank. If time is running out, make your best guess on everything left.
Skip and come back
Every question in a section counts the same. If one question is taking much longer than the others, make a guess, jot the question number on your scratch paper and move on. You can go back to it within the same section if time allows.
Watch the clock, but don’t stare at it
Verbal Reasoning moves fastest. Check the time at the halfway point of each section so there are no surprises.
Quantitative Comparisons: try different numbers
When a variable appears, test more than one kind of number: a positive whole number, a fraction between 0 and 1, zero and a negative number if allowed. If different numbers give different answers, the answer is “cannot be determined.”
Reading: go back to the passage
The answer is always supported by the text. Read for the main idea, then return to the passage to prove each answer instead of relying on memory.
Some questions won’t count
Each multiple-choice section includes a few unscored experimental questions. If a question seems strange or unusually hard, it may not even count. Give it your best guess and keep going.
The essay: plan for three minutes
The essay is not scored, but schools do read it. Take three minutes to plan: think of a specific story or example, jot a quick outline, then write a clear opening, two body paragraphs and a short conclusion.
Use the breaks
Lower, Middle and Upper Level students get two 10-minute breaks. Stand up, stretch, use the restroom, eat the snack and drink some water, even if not hungry.
A Note for Parents
Your child will pick up on your energy tonight and tomorrow morning. Keep the conversation light, skip the last-minute quizzing in the car and remind them that one test does not define them. A simple “You’ve prepared for this. Just do your best and have fun with it” goes a long way. After the test, ask how they felt rather than how they did, and plan something fun for the afternoon.
Please remember that testing rules can change. For at-home tests, read the ISEE At-Home Family Guide linked from the official at-home instructions, and check the official in-person instructions for test center rules. Your Verification Letter always has the final word.
Planning ahead for a retake or the next testing season? Our tutors build ISEE plans around a student’s actual score report, so every session targets the points still on the table.
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