Free ISEE Lower Level practice test
Download a free, full-length ISEE Lower Level practice test below: 127 multiple-choice questions and an essay prompt, in the official order and timing (2 hours 20 minutes, plus two 10-minute breaks), with a bubble answer sheet, an answer key and a scoring worksheet. It's written for 4th and 5th graders applying to grades 5 and 6. The Detailed Answer Key, which explains every question, is free with a Test Ninjas account.
- 127 questions + essay · 2 hr 20 min plus two 10-minute breaks
- All five sections in test-day order, with answer sheet, answer key and scoring worksheet
- 40-page test book · 83-page Detailed Answer Key
Prefer a screen? The same test is in your account as a timed online test with ISEE Lower Level Premium.
What's on the ISEE Lower Level practice test?
Practice Test 1 has the same five sections, question counts and time limits as the real Lower Level ISEE, in the same order. The real test mixes a few unscored tryout questions into each section; in this practice test every question counts.
| Section | Questions | Time | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Verbal Reasoning | 34 | 20 min | Synonyms, then sentence completions with one blank (some take a short phrase) |
| 2. Quantitative Reasoning | 38 | 35 min | Word problems only, several with tables and graphs |
| Break | 10 min | ||
| 3. Reading Comprehension | 25 | 25 min | 5 passages, 5 questions each |
| 4. Mathematics Achievement | 30 | 30 min | Grade 3–5 math: numbers, fractions, measurement, geometry, data |
| Break | 10 min | ||
| 5. Essay (unscored) | 1 prompt | 30 min | A personal or descriptive topic, written in pen on two lined pages |
How the Lower Level differs from the other ISEE levels
The ISEE Lower Level is for 4th and 5th graders applying to grades 5 and 6. A practice test from another level won't prepare you for these differences:
- No quantitative comparisons. At the Lower Level, Quantitative Reasoning is all word problems. Column A/Column B comparisons start at the Middle Level, so don't spend Lower Level prep time on them.
- Shorter reading. Five passages with five questions each, in 25 minutes. The Middle and Upper Levels have six passages and 36 questions in 35 minutes.
- Phrase completions. Some sentence completions are finished by a short phrase ("too amazed to clap") rather than one word. The test is about the logic of the sentence as much as vocabulary.
- Math is mostly arithmetic. ISEE's Lower Level guide gives about 4–7 questions each on whole numbers, on decimals, percents and fractions, on algebraic concepts (patterns and simple rules) and on data and probability, and 2–5 each on geometry and measurement.
- Two grades, one test. 4th and 5th graders take the same test, but each is compared only with applicants to the same grade. A 4th grader isn't expected to know everything on it.
For the full picture of this level, see the ISEE Lower Level overview.
Sample questions from the Lower Level practice test
These six questions come straight from Practice Test 1, so you can see the level of the test before you print it. Try each one, then open the answer.
GRIEF
- (A)misery
- (B)relief
- (C)surprise
- (D)worry
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (A) misery. Grief is deep sorrow after a loss, and misery names that depth of unhappiness.
The magician pulled a full bowl of goldfish out of a folded newspaper, and the children in the front row were -------.
- (A)too amazed to clap
- (B)asked to sit farther back
- (C)sitting closest to the stage
- (D)told not to touch anything on the table
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (A) too amazed to clap. Goldfish coming out of a folded newspaper is a cause, and the sentence asks for its effect on the children watching. Only wonder answers to a trick that cannot be explained.
A mural is sketched onto a wall marked off in equal squares, 12 across and 7 down. The artist works for 5 days and colors 20 of the squares. How many squares are still uncolored?
- (A)4
- (B)64
- (C)84
- (D)100
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (B) 64. The wall holds 12 x 7 = 84 squares and 20 are colored, so 84 - 20 = 64 are still uncolored. The 5 days are in the item but are of no use for this question.
A class keeps a chart of how the students get their lunch. The chart below shows four days of one week.
| Day | Packed lunch | Bought lunch | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 16 | 6 | 2 |
| Tuesday | 9 | 14 | 2 |
| Wednesday | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| Thursday | 13 | 11 | 3 |
On which day did the fewest students eat lunch at school?
- (A)Monday
- (B)Tuesday
- (C)Wednesday
- (D)Thursday
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (C) Wednesday. Eating lunch at school means either packing it or buying it, so two columns have to be read together: Monday 16 + 6 = 22, Tuesday 9 + 14 = 23, Wednesday 12 + 9 = 21, Thursday 13 + 11 = 24. Wednesday is the fewest.
Five children ran a sack race and were timed with a stopwatch to the nearest second. Their times were 16, 9, 14, 11, and 10 seconds. What is the mean of the five times, in seconds?
- (A)10
- (B)11
- (C)12
- (D)60
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (C) 12. Add the five times and divide by 5: 16 + 9 + 14 + 11 + 10 = 60, and 60 / 5 = 12 seconds.
Four classrooms folded paper and cut snowflakes. The bar graph below shows how many snowflakes each room cut.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Room 1 | 30 |
| Room 2 | 45 |
| Room 3 | 25 |
| Room 4 | 40 |
How many more snowflakes did Rooms 2 and 4 cut together than Rooms 1 and 3 cut together?
- (A)30
- (B)55
- (C)85
- (D)140
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (A) 30. Rooms 2 and 4 cut 45 + 40 = 85 snowflakes, and Rooms 1 and 3 cut 30 + 25 = 55. The difference is 85 - 55 = 30.
The full test book has all 127 questions, plus five reading passages and the essay prompt.
How to take the practice test like the real ISEE
A practice test is only as useful as it is realistic. These rules follow the official test-day format:
- Print single-sided and keep the answer sheet (page 4) separate, as on the paper test. Students fill in bubbles on an answer sheet and write the essay by hand.
- Time each section with a kitchen timer and take the two 10-minute breaks, after Section 2 and after Section 4. No calculator, ruler or protractor.
- Build up to one sitting. About 2 hours 40 minutes with breaks is a lot at 9 or 10. If a first run in one sitting is too much, split it at the first break (Sections 1–2, then 3–5), knowing the score will read a little high. Take later tests in one sitting, at the time of day the real test starts.
- Answer every question. There's no penalty for wrong answers, so a blank is always a lost point.
- Do the essay. It isn't scored, but schools read it. Thirty minutes in pen, planned in the notes box first.
How to score the Lower Level practice test
Count the questions you got right in each of the four multiple-choice sections; that is the raw score. On the real ISEE, each raw score becomes a scaled score from 760 to 940, a percentile that compares the student only with recent applicants to the same grade (5th-grade applicants with 5th-grade applicants, 6th-grade applicants with 6th-grade applicants), and a stanine from 1 to 9. Enter your section raw scores in the ISEE score calculator for an estimate. ISEE doesn't publish its raw-to-scaled conversion, so any practice-test score is an estimate, typically within a stanine.
- Stanines 7–9 are the top 23% of same-grade applicants. Many selective schools look for 7s and above, but every school weighs scores differently; see what is a good ISEE score.
- Stanines 4–6 are the middle 54%, and 1–3 the bottom 23%. Read more in ISEE stanines explained.
- Compare sections with each other. Your lowest section is usually where study time pays off fastest.
What to study after the practice test
Review every question you missed in the Detailed Answer Key first, including the ones you guessed right; it explains why each wrong choice is wrong. Then put your study time where the test showed gaps:
More free ISEE Lower Level practice
- ISEE's free materials. ISEE offers free online sample tests that look like the real online exam and end with a sample score report, and ISEE’s What to Expect on the ISEE guide for the Lower Level, which includes a paper practice test. ISEE's prep partner, Test Innovators, has a free trial, and students with an ISEE fee waiver get a prep package free (iseetest.org). Save an official test for a dress rehearsal close to test day.
- A 15-minute check. The free ISEE mini practice test has 15 timed Lower Level questions, scored instantly.
- Daily practice. ISEE questions of the day keep skills warm between full tests.
- Wrong level? Students take the level for the grade they're applying to. See the ISEE Middle Level practice test or ISEE Upper Level practice test.
Planning how many tests to take? See how many ISEE practice tests to take, the 3-month ISEE study plan and ISEE test dates for 2026–2027. Students can take the ISEE once per testing season (fall, winter and spring/summer).
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The full-length Test Ninjas ISEE Lower Level Practice Test 1 on this page is a free PDF: 127 questions plus the essay prompt, with an answer sheet, answer key and scoring worksheet. The Detailed Answer Key, which explains every question, is free with an account. ISEE also offers free online sample tests and a What to Expect guide with a practice test.
The Lower Level ISEE is 2 hours 20 minutes of testing: Verbal Reasoning (34 questions, 20 minutes), Quantitative Reasoning (38 questions, 35 minutes), Reading Comprehension (25 questions, 25 minutes), Mathematics Achievement (30 questions, 30 minutes) and a 30-minute essay. There are two 10-minute breaks, so plan on about 2 hours 40 minutes.
Students applying to grades 5 and 6 take the Lower Level, so it is usually taken by 4th and 5th graders. Each student is compared only with other applicants to the same grade.
No. Quantitative Reasoning at the Lower Level is all word problems. Quantitative comparison questions appear only on the Middle and Upper Levels.
No. Calculators are not allowed on any ISEE section unless a student has an approved accommodation. Practice every math question by hand.
Count the correct answers in each section to get raw scores, then enter them in the ISEE score calculator to estimate scaled scores, percentiles and stanines. ISEE does not publish its conversion, so treat the result as an estimate.
Official sources
Checked October 28, 2026:
- ISEE 2026–2027 Quick Facts Guide (PDF): format, timing, breaks, testing seasons and free materials
- ISEE's What to Expect on the ISEE guide for the Lower Level: section content and question ranges
- iseetest.org
Practice Test 1 is an independent Test Ninjas practice test, not an official ISEE form. ISEE® is a trademark registered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB), now part of E3n, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Test Ninjas.