...the College Counselor working with students from grades 6-12. In my two years of experience, I have had the opportunity to network with college admissions counselors across the country, and I gladly connect my students to any college admissions departments I am familiar with. Although my tutoring specialty is test prep -- SAT, ACT, PSAT, SHSAT, and GRE -- I particularly love tutoring writing, and creative writing is a hobby of mine. My philosophy is...
Read more
...enjoy and excel at condensing and re-communicating facts or tasks, so that they become comprehensible to someone who may not understand them the first time around. It is not just my success at standardized tests or in my classes that will make me a great tutor, but also this skill and enthusiasm about learning. I understand that sometimes, the way you package and organize information is the most important part of teaching it to someone...
Read more
...favorite subject to tutor is math. My family is originally from Russia, and I grew up with a very strong and traditional math background. I always find teaching math to students to be gratifying, and I hope to share some of my love for math with my students. I also enjoy tutoring test prep, especially since I know how stressful the process of applying to colleges (and later graduate schools) is! With every student, I...
Read more
...and particularly in test prep, I make sure students have all the important strategies down. I try and build camaraderie with my students, making sure they feel comfortable and realize that I too went through the stressful process of school, whether it be junior high, high school, or college. When I am not working or in school, I really value my free time. I enjoy crafting and sewing, and am working on dresses and earrings....
Read more
...be overstated. It is not enough to share knowledge; knowledge must be communicated. This is the philosophy by which I have tutored and by which I currently tutor. With 4th grade students and with college-age students, with students in America and with students in Japan, I have helped new ideas and information take root and blossom to the satisfaction of student and tutor alike. I love those moments of recognition as someone internalizes knowledge, when...
Read more
...Program (ASEP) biology teacher's assistant in the summer and school year, I tutored underprivileged incoming first years by hosting weekly sessions as well as aided them with lab work. Through these programs, I have developed various techniques and tools that effectively allows students from all kinds of backgrounds to master course material. I created my own worksheets, fun activities and games that encourage students to think outside the box instead of simply relying on memory....
Read more
...I am very passionate about the subjects that I tutor, which include mathematics, standardized testing preparation, reading, English, writing, and basic French, and I firmly believe that anyone can master these topics with the proper guidance. I incorporate various methods of tutoring, including showing many examples, giving thorough explanations, and prompting students with questions to help facilitate the correct thought process. I love helping students and seeing their knowledge and understanding grow as we work...
Read more
...class. My approach to tutoring is to identify a students strengths and build upon them through frequent quizzes and reflective analysis. Additionally, having just gone through the college admissions process, I am privy to its length and complexity so can lend advice on anything, namely essays. I have plenty of experience writing and have been published in a local newspaper. While I think math is the easiest subject for me to teach, writing and writing...
Read more
empty... Relaxed and accommodating, but direct and impact-driven.... Get to know their background and the best way they retain information.... Provide self-prep materials, and evaluate their performance.... Show impact of results and progress.... Find alternative approaches, and practice.... Help them practice reading and understand main concepts.... Give them effective instruction, but also time.... Provide fun examples or real-life applications.... Asking questions throughout teaching the session.... With conversation about the subject and practice-test results.... What is their...
Read more
...As a high achiever throughout high school and college, I've always viewed education as one of our most valuable resources and am passionate about expanding the educational prospects of others. I have worked as a TA and recently spent a summer creating content for educational programs for disadvantaged populations. My priority as a tutor is truly meeting every student where they are and breaking things down into understandable elements to build from there.... I believe in...
Read more
...Biology, AP Physics, and AP Chemistry for 2 years. I love teaching students HOW to learn, not just WHAT to learn. I always emphasize hard work - because you always get what you work for. I don't care about natural intelligence, because trying your best and being persistent is the key to learning and improvement. My favorite part of teaching is seeing the student understanding a concept for the first time.
Read more
...taking the MCAT, and I will be taking an additional year to obtain a Master's in Business Administration. I started tutoring during my junior year for my high school in biology and pre-calculus. The following summer, I held preparatory courses for the SAT and ACT standardized tests for students from various schools. I took private tutoring lessons as well as a preparatory course myself for the SAT and ACT, and I tutor students for these...
Read more
...is an integral part to mastery of any subject, and also that it has intrinsic value in making the world a better place. I have taught argumentation and debate at the Harvard Debate Council summer workshops, and have developed and taught a political philosophy curriculum at the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece. I love working with kids, and I read and write children's books and young adult fiction in my spare time (as...
Read more
Hi, I'm the philosopher they call Andrew! You are most very definitely welcome to come to me with any school questions, but be warned: there's a good chance we'll soon be figuring out the meaning of life...
Read more
...years of studying under my belt ready to get kids to want to learn. I pride myself getting students to be as confident in their answers, as I am in mine. My area of expertise ranges from algebra to physics to test prep and even basic Spanish. Everyone has a different way of learning, and everyone is motivated is different ways. I'm here to help you discover how you like to learn, and use that...
Read more
...techniques has been consistently applicable: I use a range of media styles to instruct and engage an audience. And an intimate understanding of narrative structures allows me to deconstruct the "arc" of and "tell the story of" course material, in order to effectively communicate to students. I have just returned from a stay abroad in Beijing, China. There, I taught two independently designed courses to different sets of middle school students in Beijing, China. In...
Read more
I'm a 32 year old Yale graduate with extensive experience (10+ years) tutoring students for the SAT and ACT tests. I got a 2370 (1590) on my SAT. That score was on the first try so I didn't take the ACT at the time but I consistently score 35-36 on practice tests.
Read more
...The basic sciences are always the most interesting because they govern the behavior of the world around us and it still amazes me how a few simple equations can apply to so many situations, including things we experience every day. My preferred teaching style involves a little bit of give and take. I think I excel at giving students new ways to think about certain problems which may give them a better understanding of the...
Read more
...my husband's job in 2008. In addition to my teaching experience, I have tutored a number of students in the UK, adapting my tutoring to work well with a student's individual learning style. Since residing in Seattle, I have volunteered at the library and zoo, and I have helped at a homework club at the local YMCA dealing with a range of age groups and subjects, encouraging students to achieve their full potential I am...
Read more
...young people, specifically anything related to writing or the arts. I did a creative seminar at camp with a small co-ed group of young students, and the poems and thoughts some of those children came up with were simultaneously moving, insightful, wacky, and hilarious in a way that the best adult writers could only hope for. The best part of it all was that it was the writers themselves, not me, who insisted we get...
Read more
Our interview process, stringent qualifications, and background screening ensure that only the best ISEE- Upper Level tutors work with Varsity Tutors. To assure a successful experience, you're paired with one of these qualified tutors by an expert director - and we stand behind that match with our money-back guarantee.
Receive personally tailored ISEE- Upper Level lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.
ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring FAQ
The Independent School Entrance Exam, or ISEE, is leveraged by independent and private schools for admissions and placement. It is offered for three different levels: Upper, Middle, and Lower. Each test includes questions in multiple-choice format, as well as an essay question. The amount of time given, the difficulty of the questions, and the number of questions is dependent upon the level taken. Varsity Tutors can help you find a skilled tutor who can help your child study for the ISEE Upper Level exam.
The Upper Level is for students who are entering grades 9-12. The test consists of five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and the essay. Your student will have 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the entire exam.
The Verbal Reasoning section consists of sentence completion and synonym items. They assess your child's vocabulary knowledge, and his or her ability to reason. Children have 20 minutes to complete the 40 questions on this portion of the exam. Your child's ISEE Upper level tutor may work with your child to increase his or her vocabulary by utilizing flashcards with grade-level appropriate words, or they may use other techniques based on your child's current level of mastery.
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the exam uses multiple-choice questions to determine your child's ability to problem-solve and to think mathematically. It does not assess specific math skills. Your child will have 35 minutes to complete 37 items. The ability to think critically is a key factor in answering these questions correctly. Your child's tutor may work with your student on identifying what the question is asking, as well as time management techniques.
Both the Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement portions of the exam are designed to measure your child's ability to answer grade-level questions in math and reading. Your child will be given 35 minutes to answer the 36 questions in the Reading Comprehension section, and 40 minutes to answer the 47 questions in the Mathematics Achievement section. These sections are skill-based, and your child's tutor will spend time determining which skills your student needs to focus on in order to pursue the highest score possible.
The final section of the exam is a single essay question, which is not graded by the ISEE. Instead, it is sent to the school or schools identified on the registration form. While it will not be part of the ISEE grade, it is an important factor in admissions for many schools and should be given the same care and attention as the other sections. Your child's tutor may work with him or her on creating a clear and concise outline to answer writing prompts in preparation for this portion of the exam.
It is important to note that the ISEE only looks for the number of correct answers and does not impose a penalty for those items that are answered incorrectly. Because of this, your child's tutor may also work on making educated guesses, as there is no benefit to leaving a question blank.
The Varsity Tutors live learning platform allows you to schedule your child's private ISEE Upper Level tutoring session at a time and location that is most convenient for your schedule. Private tutoring sessions can be scheduled in a virtual setting or in person. To connect with a tutor who is eager to work with your child, contact Varsity Tutors today.
4.9/5.0 Satisfaction Rating*
Your Personalized Tutoring Program and Instructor
Identify Needs
Our knowledgeable directors help you choose your tutor with your learning profile and personality in mind.
Customize Learning
Your tutor can customize your lessons and present concepts in engaging easy-to-understand-ways.
Increased Results
You can learn more efficiently and effectively because the teaching style is tailored to you.
Online Convenience
With the flexibility of online tutoring, your tutor can be arranged to meet at a time that suits you.
Recent ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring Session Notes
I first went over some practice tests the student did in the prep book. He did rather well on them. We then worked on an essay the student had started previously, so he finished writing it. After that, we worked on some more complicated square root problems, and finally finished with some synonyms practice.
We started to look the math section and began with geometry. We went through questions on squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombi, other quadrilaterals, kites, and hexagons. I had the student find the measure of angles, length of sides, area, perimeter, and diagonals. Some of the questions included other material such as finding the mean or a percentage. She needs to break the problems down into smaller parts and diagrams are very helpful. She is used to working with the metric system but the ISEE includes questions in both English and metric; she's going to need to learn how to convert between the two systems and within the English system. She also needs to make sure to read questions carefully so that she answers the question being asked. We will work together to make her proficient in all these areas.
We made some great progress with math. We're going through each concept covered on the test and reviewing things he forgot. We also did an overview of reading comp strategy and how to look at the questions given. Great work!
It was great meeting this student today! She's a very bright, very friendly student, and I appreciate the amount of hard work that she puts into our sessions. We began by reviewing the way that the ISEE is structured and basic math vocabulary. When it was clear that she could jump into more advanced topics, we immediately started working on percentages and word problems associated with algebra and percentages. She did a great job with translating those word problems into equations.
The student finished the lessons for all sections on the ISEE today. She feels confident about her progress thus far and is using the notes we took as a guide.