ISEE Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the ISEE tests mathematical reasoning abilities, which means that the questions often don’t require significant calculation and instead can be solved with numerical and logical reasoning.
Fast Facts
- Second section of the ISEE
- Lower Level: 35 minutes with 38 questions
- all word problems
- Middle and Upper Levels: 35 minutes with 37 questions
- 20 word problems and 17 quantitative comparison questions
- Lower Level: 35 minutes with 38 questions
- One of two math sections
- The second math section is the Mathematics Achievement section
- Two question types that focus on critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Word problems
- Quantitative comparison questions
Question Types
The Quantitative Reasoning section covers content across multiple subjects, including:
- Numbers and Operations
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Measurements
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Problem Solving
On the Lower Level ISEE, theQuantitative Reasoning section only contains word problems. On the Middle and Upper Levels, there are both word problems and quantitative comparisons questions.
You will find example problems for both question types below. The correct answers are bold.
Word Problems
Students are asked to use their knowledge to solve a problem. The vast majority of word problems can be solved without calculations of any kind.
- For a school project, Sabrina is collecting data on the cars she sees in the school parking lot. She has to list, in categories or groups, what she observes.
Sabrina’s Observation List:
1. Color of car: white, gray, black, brown, red, blue, etc.
2. Type of car: sedan, truck, mini-van, convertible, etc.
3. ?
Which information best completes Sabrina’s observation list?
A. Size of wheels
B. Number of doors
C. Company that built the car
D. First character on the license plate
Quantitative Comparisons
Students evaluate two different values and determine the relationship between them. All quantitative comparison questions have the same four answer choices that see you below.
Column A Column B
1/2 of 60 1/2 of 100
A. The quantity in Column A is greater.
B. The quantity in Column B is greater.
C. The two quantities are equal.
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Test-Taking Strategies
Read carefully. Make sure you understand exactly what the question is asking you to do. One of the most common mistakes students make on the ISEE is misreading questions, so take the time to read slowly and underline important information that you find in the problem.
Work backwards. For many questions, the best jumping off point is in the answers. If you’re working with an unknown quantity, you can substitute the answer choices in to find which is correct. We recommend starting with the middle answer choice to limit the number of answers you need to substitute!
Use estimation. Before you start to solve a problem, try to come up with what you think the answer might generally be first. Are we looking for a positive or a negative number? Will it be bigger or smaller than the other numbers included in the problem? Should it be a fraction, a decimal, or a whole number?
Interested in learning about the other sections of the ISEE? Check out these posts!
Originally published on July 9th, 2014. Updated on September 5th, 2024.
