Students and families often wonder about the differences between the ISEE and SSAT for admissions testing. Most independent schools and boarding schools will accept both tests, so choosing the right one depends on a student’s preference and performance.
The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is an entrance exam for private elementary, middle and high schools administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). The ERB is also the publisher of the CTP-4 grade level achievement tests used by many independent schools as well as the ECAA used for admissions to grades K-4.
There are three versions of the test:
- Lower Level (LL) for students applying to grades 5 and 6.
- Middle Level (ML) for students applying to grades 7 and 8.
- Upper level (UL) for students applying to grades 9 through 12.
The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) is an admissions test for private middle and high schools. It is typically required by boarding schools.
There are three versions of the test:
- Elementary Level for students applying to grades 4 and 5.
- Middle Level for students applying to grades 6-8.
- Upper Level for students applying to grades 9-12.
| ISEE | SSAT | |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong Answer Penalty | No. Never leave a question blank | Yes. One quarter of a point is deducted from the raw score for every incorrect answer |
| Admissions | While some schools accept either exam, some schools prefer one to the other. Families should check the specific requirements for each of their preferred schools. | While some schools accept either exam, some schools prefer one to the other. Families should check the specific requirements for each of their preferred schools. |
| Analogies | No | Yes |
| Answer choices | 4 answer choices for each question. | 5 answer choices for each question. |
| Sentence Completions | Yes | No |
| Quantitative Comparisons | Yes | No |