Neal Kamsler has worked in New York City independent schools for 35 years, including 21 years as Head of Upper School at Allen-Stevenson School. He also serves as Senior Director of Placement at Oliver Scholars, an educational access organization based in Manhattan. Test Innovators’ CEO, Edan Shahar, sits down with Neal to discuss independent school admissions: choosing the right school for your child, misconceptions about boarding school, and how admissions departments decide who to accept.
Test preparation is an iterative process. Each practice test serves as a benchmark of progress and as a roadmap for what to work on next. Approach preparation one step at a time, and don't get discouraged if you aren't reaching your goals immediately or as quickly as you expected. Like...
Josh’s daughter, Ellie, took the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT) in the hopes of gaining admission to an independent school for 9th grade. When Ellie initially took the test, one of the biggest struggles she faced was effectively managing her time on unfamiliar questions. She unknowingly spent too much time...
Over the last couple decades, the United States has placed increasing emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. In recent years, some programs have added Art (STEAM), generally placing a greater focus on creativity and design thinking.
A recent report commissioned by The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) noted that 91% of boarding school students felt academically challenged, compared to 70% of private day school students and 50% of public school students. The same study found that 87% of boarding school graduates felt very well prepared academically...
Why are practice tests such a critical piece of preparation?
The American Psychological Association defines the testing effect as the psychological finding that retention is better when taking a test compared to restudying the same material. The testing effect, also called retrieval practice, indicates that practice tests are a more effective...
Yesterday evening our Director of Education Brenna O'Neill educated the masses on everything you need to know about the ISEE; from test content to the strategies you need to succeed on the official test. You can view the recording below:
Since vocabulary is one of the main areas tested on the ISEE and SSAT tests, you will need to learn as many new words as possible before taking the test. While vocabulary questions primarily appear on the verbal section of the test, there are also vocabulary questions on the reading...
Did you make it through the ISEE’s four multiple-choice sections? You’re not quite done yet!
The fifth and final section on the ISEE is an essay section.
You’ve completed the ISEE—congratulations! After breathing a sigh of relief, you may wonder, “When will I get my scores?” Well, it depends on how you took the test.
