ISEE Test-Taking Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The night before the ISEE, what is the most effective preparation?
- Cram new material until midnight
- Get a full night of sleep and review lightly (Correct answer)
- Take a full practice test
- Skip breakfast to stay alert
Correct answer: Get a full night of sleep and review lightly
Rest improves focus and memory far more than last-minute cramming.
Question 2: During the essay section, which step should come before writing?
- Writing the conclusion first
- Briefly planning or outlining your main points (Correct answer)
- Counting the lines
- Copying the prompt repeatedly
Correct answer: Briefly planning or outlining your main points
A quick outline keeps the essay organized and on topic within the time limit.
Question 3: In a quantitative comparison, you find Column A equals Column B for one value but differ for another. What is the answer?
- Column A is greater
- Column B is greater
- The relationship cannot be determined (Correct answer)
- They are always equal
Correct answer: The relationship cannot be determined
If the relationship changes depending on the values, it cannot be determined from the given information.
Question 4: What should you do if you finish a section early?
- Move ahead to the next section
- Review flagged questions and check your work (Correct answer)
- Put your head down and rest
- Erase all your answers
Correct answer: Review flagged questions and check your work
Extra time is best spent revisiting marked questions and verifying answers, not idling.
Question 5: When eliminating answer choices, marking them out helps because it:
- Adds points
- Keeps you from reconsidering wrong options (Correct answer)
- Is required
- Slows you down usefully
Correct answer: Keeps you from reconsidering wrong options
Crossing out eliminated choices prevents wasting time rereading them and improves guessing odds.
Question 6: How can you avoid careless mistakes on math word problems?
- Solve in your head only
- Underline what the question actually asks for (Correct answer)
- Pick the largest number given
- Ignore units
Correct answer: Underline what the question actually asks for
Identifying exactly what is asked prevents solving for the wrong quantity.
Question 7: The ISEE is a timed test where unanswered questions count as wrong. This means you should:
- Leave hard questions blank
- Fill in every bubble before time runs out (Correct answer)
- Answer only easy questions
- Stop when unsure
Correct answer: Fill in every bubble before time runs out
Because blanks earn nothing, fill in an answer for every question, even if guessing.
ISEE Test-Taking Strategies 3
The night before the ISEE, what is the most effective preparation?