High School Admissions Tests Page

High School Admissions Tests

High school admissions tests (HSATs) are required by many independent and parochial high schools as part of the admissions application. There are three different HSATs: the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE^®), the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT^®), and the High School Placement Test (HSPT^®). The ISEE and SSAT are typically used for admissions to independent high schools, while the HSPT is used for admissions to parochial high schools. To determine which test you should take, contact the high schools to which you are applying.

The ISEE^®

The Independent School Entrance Exam administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB), is used by many private schools as a way of comparing applicants from different lower and middle schools. There are three levels of the ISEE: the Lower Level is for students entering grades 5 and 6, the Middle Level is for students entering grades 7 and 8, and the Upper Level is for students entering grades 9 through 12. The ERB only allows you take the ISEE once every six months.

The ISEE measures reading comprehension skills, verbal reasoning (i.e., synonyms and sentence completion questions), and math achievement in areas such as computation and application of knowledge and skills. All levels of the exam include an essay, which is not scored but instead sent to the receiving school. The ISEE is 160 minutes long.

ISEE scores are reported for each subject on a scale of 800 to 950. Scores from the Lower, Middle, and Upper Level exams cannot be compared. Before calculating your scaled score, the ERB first calculates a raw score. The score is simply computed by adding up all of your correct answers. The ISEE does not deduct points for incorrect answers, so you should never leave an ISEE question blank. The ERB then converts your raw scores to scaled scores in order to adjust for small variations in difficulty among different test forms.

ISEE Prep Program

Ivy West's ISEE Program prepares for the Math, Verbal and Essay sections of this test. The program includes a total of ten, 90-minute lessons – five math and five verbal – along with two ISEE practice tests, a professional Ivy West tutors(s) and ISEE course book materials. Ivy West provides ISEE programs for Middle and Upper levels only. We recommend registering early for this test as test site enrollments fill early in the school year. Many schools require the ISEE be taken before the end of December.

The SSAT^®

The Secondary School Admission Test administered by the Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB) is also used by many private schools as an admissions test. There are two levels of the SSAT: the Lower Level SSAT is used for students currently enrolled in grades 5 through 7, and the Upper Level is used for students currently enrolled in grades 8 through 11.

The SSAT consists of four multiple-choice sections and an essay that is not scored, but instead sent to the receiving schools. The verbal section is comprised of synonym and analogy type questions, while the reading comprehension section tests your reading comprehension skills by requiring students to answer questions after reading passages on a range of topics. The two quantitative (math) sections test concepts from arithmetic, elementary algebra and basic geometry. The essay asks writers to argue for or against a topic statement. The SSAT is 155 minutes long.

Lower Level test scores are reported for each subject on a scale of 440 to 710. Upper Level scores are reported on a scale of 500 to 800. The SSATB calculates raw score by adding up of all correct answers, and then subtracting ¼ point for each wrong answer (blank answers have no effect on score). The SSATB then converts the raw score into a scaled score to adjust for small variations in difficulty among different test forms.

SSAT Prep Program

Ivy West's SSAT Program prepares for the Math, Verbal and Essay sections of this test. The program includes a total of ten, 90-minute lessons – five math and five verbal – along with two SSAT practice tests, a professional Ivy West tutors(s) and SSAT course book materials. Ivy West provides SSAT preparation for Upper Level only.

The HSPT^®

The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is used by many Catholic schools as an admissions test and as a placement test. This test is only administered to 8th grade students entering 9th grade. The HSPT is developed by Scholastic Testing Service (STS) and is sometimes referred to as the STS exam or STS-HSPT. Unlike the ISEE and SSAT, the HSPT is administered by each individual school, so STS does not deal directly with student registration.

The HSPT consists of five multiple-choice sections: verbal skills (synonyms, antonyms, analogies); quantitative skills (series, geometric comparisons, number manipulations); reading comprehension; math (arithmetic, basic algebra and elementary geometry); and language skills (grammar and composition). The HSPT is approximately 140 minutes long, but may vary depending on the sections each particular school chooses to add.

HSPT scores are reported on a 200 to 800 scale. Wrong answers do not count against the score, so students should never leave a question blank. STS adds up correct answers to obtain a raw score, and then converts this to a scaled score to adjust for small variations in difficulty among different test forms.

HSPT Prep Program

Ivy West’s HSPT Program prepares for the Math and Verbal sections of this test. The program includes a total of ten, 90-minute lessons – five math and five verbal – along with a Testing Skills Assessment, a professional Ivy West tutors(s) and HSPT course book materialsIvy West’s HSPT Program prepares for the Math and Verbal sections of this test. The program includes a total of ten, 90-minute lessons – five math and five verbal – along with a Testing Skills Assessment, a professional Ivy West tutors(s) and HSPT course book materials.