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.
Over the past five years, Test Innovators has helped more than 60,000 students prepare for the SSAT and the ISEE, the high school admissions tests required for applications to the most competitive independent schools in the country. Every year we review our data from thousands of test-takers to find out...
The school application process is tough: the applications, the deadlines, the interviews, and the lengthy exams can easily cause elevated levels of stress for both students and their parents. It's common (and completely normal) for students to feel anxious; however, we have provided some helpful tips for parents to keep...
Everyone feels a little anxious from time to time. When you're preparing for an important exam, dealing with test anxiety can be a major challenge. Try out one of the exercises we've outlined to help keep you cool, calm, and collected before your next big test!
Here are a few foolproof methods to help alleviate stress during the test prep process. Reduce anxiety and tackle this challenge head-on. You got this!
As part of our mission to help students gain access to quality educational opportunities, we award six merit-based scholarships every year to the Test Innovators students who showed the most improvement on either the SSAT or the ISEE.
We are excited to introduce Sonia, one of our 2022 scholars. Through consistent practice and perseverance, Sonia increased her SSAT score by 17 points, scoring in the 87th percentile overall!
Simulating the official testing experience is a critical part of the preparation process. This helps students mitigate any testing anxiety because they know exactly what to expect, and it helps them practice managing their time on a rigorous exam.
The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is an admissions exam used by private and independent schools as part of the admissions process.
The ISEE is separated into different testing levels: Upper, Middle, Lower, and Primary. The level you’ll need to take is determined by the grade to which you’re applying for...
