Meet Scholarship Winner Macie

Meet Macie

Macie’s favorite subject has always been math. She loves the challenge of mathematical thinking and finds it thrilling to solve a hard problem. Macie’s eighth grade teacher encouraged her to enroll in math classes at the local community college to challenge her and further stimulate her interest.

Macie also enjoys music. At her previous school, Macie played the guitar, piano, and drums. She is looking forward to participating in music at her next school.

Macie’s ISEE Preparation

When Macie first took the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), she prepared by working through a prep book. However, when she received her test scores, she realized she would need to change her preparation approach in order to achieve her desired scores. Macie needed a tailored plan that would guide her preparation. Macie is a part of the A Better Chance cohort, and they recommended that she use the Test Innovators platform to improve her scores on the next test.

Upon taking the first Test Innovators practice test, Macie discovered she needed to focus on the Verbal, Quantitative, and the Reading sections. Her first task was to expand her vocabulary; she printed out the 300-word vocabulary list and challenged herself to learn as many words as possible. She also really appreciated the Personalized Prep Plan because it provided targeted recommendations that informed her of exactly what to practice. Macie worked diligently through the recommended quantitative and reading practice exercises.

When Macie first took the ISEE, she scored in the 15th percentile, but after months of dedicated preparation, she raised her scores to the 52nd percentile. Macie’s hard work and determination made her a great candidate for our 2018-2019 Independent School Tuition Scholarship.

Macie’s Next School

In the fall, Macie will be starting 9th grade at The College Preparatory School. College Prep, founded in 1983, is an independent day school located in Oakland, California. The school serves 360 students in grades 9-12. College Prep challenges its students to engage deeply in learning, appreciate one another, and grow into adults who are intellectually adventurous, ethically sure-footed, and generous of heart and spirit.

Macie was drawn to College Prep by its small class sizes and the variety of classes it offered. She prefers smaller classes because she finds smaller class sizes to be more conducive to building a close teacher-student relationship. Additionally, Macie’s previous school did not have many electives, but College Prep has a variety of options, such as drawing and music.

When Macie attended Shadow Day at College Prep, she observed two different classes—a math class and a physics class. Each class had 10 to 15 students and all of them were engaged in discussion, which is exactly the type of classroom environment Macie knew she wanted at her next school.

Macie’s Advice for Other Students

Macie’s advice for other students preparing to take the ISEE is to first identify what you are struggling with and then make a clear plan to overcome those struggles. She encourages others to go out of their comfort zone and learn something new or tackle a challenging subject.

How Can Test Innovators Help Your Student?

Test Innovators is here to build test confidence through personalized practice. Using insights from over 20,000,000 questions answered, the Test Innovators platform helps each individual student focus on the most impactful practice. Timing analysis helps students learn effective time management, personalized recommendations target areas of weakness, and tools to build test-taking skills ensure that students have the skills and confidence they need to be successful on test day. Test Innovators helps students achieve their goals by helping them get the scores they need to gain admission to their dream schools.

Test Innovators has helped over 100,000 students improve their test scores to gain acceptance into schools with selective admissions processes. They offer prep for the Secondary School Admissions Test (SSAT), the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and the ACT. They also offer tutoring for all four tests.