This course prepares students entering grades 5–6 for the Lower Level ISEE with a complete program that teaches both the underlying academic skills and the test-specific reasoning needed on exam day.
Students begin with a diagnostic assessment and readiness map, then work through the major ISEE sections in a logical sequence: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, mathematics achievement, reading comprehension, and essay writing. Each part of the course includes concept teaching, worked examples, guided practice, independent practice, timed drills, quizzes, cumulative review, and structured correction of mistakes.
- Verbal Reasoning: synonyms, sentence completion, context clues, Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes, multiple-meaning words, academic vocabulary, and common answer-choice traps
- Quantitative Reasoning: number sense, operations, factors and multiples, divisibility, fractions, decimals, percents, patterns, relationships, logic, and multi-step word problems
- Mathematics Achievement: computation with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals; order of operations; measurement; geometry; area and perimeter; data interpretation; and equation setup from word problems
- Reading Comprehension: main idea, supporting details, inference, tone, author's purpose, text structure, point of view, vocabulary in context, and passage-type strategy for literary and informational texts
- Essay: prompt analysis, brainstorming, paragraph structure, introductions, body paragraphs with specific examples, conclusions, revision, editing, and timed writing practice
A central feature of the program is systematic review. Students learn how to analyze diagnostic results, keep a mistake log, classify errors by type, and turn missed questions into targeted study priorities. This makes practice more efficient and helps students improve weak areas instead of repeating the same mistakes.
The course also gives students repeated experience with timed section drills and a full mock test so they can build pacing, stamina, and confidence before the actual exam. Full answer explanations are used throughout so students understand not only why the correct answer works, but also why the other choices are wrong.
- Start with a baseline diagnostic and personal readiness map
- Learn the ISEE format, timing, scoring, and section expectations
- Build section skills from foundations to mixed practice
- Complete quizzes, cumulative review, and timed drills
- Take a full mock test and analyze results in detail
- Finish with weak-area repair and a practical test-day plan
This course is designed to be practical, thorough, and age-appropriate. It helps students strengthen the exact skills measured on the Lower Level ISEE while developing better pacing, clearer writing, stronger reasoning, and more independent review habits.