Award-Winning ISEE Courses & Classes in Tucson, AZ

If you have a student getting ready to take any of the six versions of the ISEE, you might want to enroll them in a Tucson ISEE prep course provided by Varsity Tutors. The ISEE prep classes are conducted live online, so your student can interact with their instructor and peers as they review the content that will be on the ISEE and the test structure and other details.

The ISEE, or Independent School Entrance Exam, delivers advanced insights to help admissions officials at private or independent schools as they go through the admission process. It's not the only factor considered, but it is viewed as accurate and is taken into account with the rest of each student's application packet.

What subjects are covered in a Tucson ISEE course?

The core educational subjects are covered on the ISEE, including reading, English, math, and writing. Each skill is tested at an age-appropriate level on the different versions of the ISEE. The Primary Level has three separate versions called Primary 2 for students entering 2nd grade, Primary 3 for students entering 3rd grade, and Primary 4 for students entering 4th grade. The Lower Level is for students entering grades 5 or 6; the Middle Level is for students entering grades 7 or 8; and the Upper Level is for students entering high school grades. Let's take a brief look at what's tested at each level.

The Primary 2 ISEE is the only version that contains an auditory comprehension section, where students listen to fiction and nonfiction passages and answer a few questions about them. Then Primary Levels 2, 3, and 4 have age-appropriate multiple-choice questions in a Reading and a Math section. Finally, students are given a picture prompt and asked to write a story about the picture. This Writing Sample isn't scored, but schools do receive it to get an indication of each student's writing ability, creativity, and personality.

The Lower, Middle, and Upper Level ISEE all include the following sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Math Achievement, Reading Comprehension, and an Essay.

The Verbal Reasoning sections assess English skills using synonym and sentence-completion questions. Students are expected to know age-appropriate English skills like vocabulary, parts of speech, using context and word clues for understanding, and how to use prefixes, suffixes, and root words from Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Greek to determine the meaning of words they don't necessarily know.

The Quantitative Reasoning section evaluates students on their proficiency in mathematical thinking. The Math Achievement section focuses on mathematical operations. They've delivered separately, but both require a knowledge of age-appropriate math skills. For example, on the Lower Level ISEE, Math Achievement questions involve using operations with whole numbers and doing geometry and measurement problems. In the Quantitative Reasoning section, students are tested on estimation, comparison, and number logic.

On the Middle Level ISEE, Math Achievement questions involve algebra, data analysis, measurement, numbers and operations, problem-solving, and geometry. The same subjects are included in the Quantitative Reasoning section, but again, with a slightly different focus on the mechanics or the reasoning behind them. The Upper Level Math Achieve and Quantitative Reasoning sections have the same topics with the addition of data analysis and probability and have the same types of questions at a higher level.

The Reading Comprehension sections gauge where students are in their abilities to understand vocabulary, main and supporting ideas, author's intent or purpose, cause and effect relationships, and drawing conclusions or making inferences from passages. Students will need to compare and contrast information, discern between literal and figurative language, and apply information found in a passage to practical questions. Again, similar content is tested at varying age levels.

Finally, students provide an Essay response to a provided prompt about a topic of general interest to students at their appropriate grade level. They need to plan and write an organized written piece using age-appropriate writing skills including grammar, punctuation, and other English writing conventions. Schools want to know more about each student, and this Essay is one way of doing so. Adding their opinions and thoughts on the topic is encouraged.

You can expect your student to receive comprehensive coverage of all this material in their Tucson ISEE course. Collaboration between students and the instructor helps with both learning and retaining information. If your child runs into a concept that's more difficult for them than the other students, you can sign them up for individual tutoring sessions through Varsity Tutors. They can receive focused one-on-one attention to get them caught up.

What are the benefits of having my student take a Tucson ISEE class to prepare for the test?

There are many benefits to having your student attend the Tucson ISEE classes Varsity Tutors offers. Some have been mentioned, and in addition to these is the chance to learn ISEE-specific test-taking strategies that can be useful for them when they actually take the test.

Standardized exams are different than classroom tests and different from each other. What should your child do if they don't know the answer to a question? That depends on the test they're taking and how they judge unanswered questions. A professional Tucson ISEE class instructor can guide your student on this and other testing questions.

Time management is an important thing for test takers to master because having enough time to finish all the questions not only can help improve their score but can help reduce testing anxiety. Instructors may assign regular timed practice sections to help students see how their pace measures up, and then introduce techniques to help them maximize their pace to work best for them.

How can I enroll my student in a Tucson ISEE course?

Varsity Tutors makes the entire test prep process as convenient as possible. We offer both two- and four-week ISEE courses at different times and days, so you can always find one that meets your family's schedule. New classes start every week, so you can get your child started right away. All you need to do is contact Varsity Tutors and let us know your student's needs, and we can enroll them in a Tucson ISEE course that can meet their needs.