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.
For this reason, we have created online proctor videos so that students can have their own virtual proctor!
We recommend that students find a time that they can sit down and take a full-length practice test (ideally a weekend morning, as that’s the time they’ll be taking the official test!), print out their practice test, pull up their proctor video, and press play. The video proctor will do the rest — give students all the instructions, 5-minute warnings, and stop times for each section.
Make sure you choose the video for the correct level and test. If you will be receiving an accommodation for time and a half on the official test, check out the extended time videos!
The first section of the SSAT is a timed writing sample.
The prompts vary by test level, with Upper and Middle level students choosing between two differing prompts, and Elementary level students being asked to write a story based on a visual prompt. Upper and Middle level... Read More
Test Innovators and ERB, publisher of the ISEE, have teamed up to ensure that every student has access to high-quality test preparation tools. Our organizations believe in the importance of leveling the playing field for all test takers, decreasing test-related anxiety through familiarization, and empowering students to use test prep...
In our School of the Week series, we’ll be profiling some of the schools that use the ISEE as part of their admissions package. We hope to demonstrate the enormous diversity of competitive schools in the US, Canada, and abroad.
With an important exam on the horizon, it is completely normal to feel some test anxiety. However, we have some great tips on how to reduce test anxiety and study effectively while you prepare to take the exam. Creating a focused study plan, practicing consistently, and building healthy habits will...
Over the past seven years, Test Innovators has helped more than 100,000 students prepare for the SSAT and the ISEE—the admissions tests required by the most competitive independent schools in the country. Every year we review our data from thousands of test-takers to determine the most popular schools.Below are the 5...
You may know about the content differences between the ISEE and the SSAT from our previous post here. But there are also big geographic differences. Schools in Georgia, for example, never use the ISEE for admission, while schools in Texas never ask for SSAT scores.
Assessing students for admission into independent and private schools can be a challenge. The ISEE is just one component used when reviewing applicants. Find out if you're using the ISEE in a fair and unbiased way!
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...
Are teacher recommendations, grades, or test scores more important for your overall application? In this clip from our CEO's chat with placement expert Neal Kamsler, Neal talks about the different ways that schools might look at your ISEE & SSAT scores, and how those scores fit into the final decision.
For...
Test preparation is known to increase performance on high-stakes tests, but how does it help with test anxiety? Research has shown that exposure, habit formation, skills development, and online preparation are all effective methods to reduce test anxiety, and each method is linked to test preparation.
