The Impact of Test Practice: A Data Study
The Education Records Bureau (ERB) provides products and services to assess and enhance the educational experience of students in grades 1-12 with the goal of increasing every student’s potential. ERB is the publisher of the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), an admissions assessment taken by students applying to independent schools.
Test Innovators offers high-quality test practice for admissions exams with the goal of providing students with a positive educational tool that helps them perform their best and unlock opportunities for their future. Test Innovators is the only ERB-endorsed practice for the ISEE.
In 2020, ERB and Test Innovators partnered with the goal of leveling the playing field for all ISEE test takers. The partnership provides every student with access to high-quality test practice, which reduces anxiety and increases confidence through familiarization and learning.
Access to practice supports the shared mission of helping students fully demonstrate their knowledge, and thus unlock educational opportunities.
Furthermore, in an effort to create equitable opportunities, students with an ISEE fee waiver receive free access to all of the Test Innovators ISEE practice materials, including full-length practice tests with immediate scoring, time management feedback, a personalized prep plan, targeted practice exercises, skill-building videos, and more.
In order to assess the impact the partnership has on test day performance, particularly for fee waiver students, a data study was conducted. The study included 31,926 students with 40,073 ISEE tests and 21 million data points.
Students in all grade levels were included. There were concentrations of students applying to grade 6 and grade 9 because those are the most common entry points.
The scores used in the study were normally distributed.
However, the average scores for students who used a fee waiver were lower than the average scores for students who did not use a fee waiver.
To measure the impact practice had on student performance, students were placed into three categories based on the amount of time they spent practicing: None (0 – ¾ hour), Familiarity (¾ – 2 ½ hours), and Learning (2 ½ hours or more).
The results were clear: the more a student practices, the better they perform.
The impact of practice for students with a fee waiver was the same. The more students practice, the better they are able to demonstrate their knowledge.
This analysis indicates that dedicated study for the ISEE on Test Innovators is associated with an average increase of 13 percentile points. What’s more, simply gaining familiarity with the ISEE is associated with a score increase of 5.5 percentile points on average.
To read about ERB’s take on our analysis, check out An Equitable Approach to Test Prep and Practice: How Can We Level the Playing Field?
Practicing for the ISEE positively impacts students’ experience on test day, particularly students who receive a fee waiver. Practice allows students to fully demonstrate their knowledge, which unlocks educational opportunities.
If you’d like to learn more about practice for the ISEE, including the fee waiver practice program, please contact the Test Innovators team.
