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 more successful when taking a test than when restudying the same material for the equivalent amount of time. This phenomenon, also referred to as retrieval practice, indicates that practice tests are a more effective learning tool than purely reviewing the material. Research also shows that the more difficult the retrieval of information, the better it is for long-term memory and retention. So, if you are taking a difficult test like an admissions test, the best way to prepare is to take several practice tests. Between each practice test, it’s important to analyze your results and revisit the material you didn’t know. Learn more about the three steps of test preparation.
*Note: The first study on this concept was published in 1917, and since then there have been multiple follow-up studies on similar concepts, including a 2016 study that we discussed here.
Parents often ask us which ISEE section is the most important to a competitive application. It’s also a question we like to discuss with our internal team and with our network of tutors and school administrators. And as with everything else, we’ve analyzed our data to find the answer to...
The Mathematics Achievement (MA) section of the ISEE Test is intended to reflect curriculum related questions, in contrast to the Quantitative Reasoning section which is intended to measure students’ reasoning abilities.
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Since the January 7th test last weekend, we've been hearing this question a lot: where are my SSAT scores? Although we do not have access to your scores, we can definitely help answer a few questions.
The last section of the ISEE is the Essay. Students are given 30 minutes to write an essay in response to a prompt. The Essay section is not scored. Instead, a copy of the essay is sent to schools along with the ISEE score report. As you prepare for the...
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.
Phillips Exeter Academy is Mason’s dream school. Mason knows everything there is to know about Exeter. All of his heroes are Exeter alumni: his favorite US president is Franklin Pierce, and he has dressed up as author Booth Tarkington for the past three Halloweens.
The following infographic provides a visual overview of the structure and content on the ISEE, so that you can get to know the test. However, the best way to get to know the ISEE is to take a full-length practice test. Get started with a free sample test today.
Start at least 6 months before your test date Not only are there a lot of words to learn, but giving yourself time to practice and use the SSAT vocabulary words you are learning will help their definitions stay with you.
