Free ISEE Middle Level practice test
Download a free, full-length ISEE Middle Level practice test below: 160 multiple-choice questions and an essay prompt, in the official order and timing (2 hours 40 minutes, plus two 10-minute breaks), with a bubble answer sheet, an answer key and a scoring worksheet. It's written for 6th and 7th graders applying to grades 7 and 8. The Detailed Answer Key, which explains every question, is free with a Test Ninjas account, and so is the timed online version of this test.
- 160 questions + essay · 2 hr 40 min plus two 10-minute breaks
- All five sections in test-day order, with answer sheet, answer key and scoring worksheet
- 46-page test book · 106-page Detailed Answer Key
Prefer a screen? With a free account you can also take this test online, timed section by section and scored automatically.
What's on the ISEE Middle Level practice test?
Practice Test 1 has the same five sections, question counts and time limits as the real Middle 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 | 40 | 20 min | 20 synonyms, then 20 one-blank sentence completions |
| 2. Quantitative Reasoning | 37 | 35 min | 20 word problems, then 17 quantitative comparisons |
| Break | 10 min | ||
| 3. Reading Comprehension | 36 | 35 min | 6 passages, 6 questions each |
| 4. Mathematics Achievement | 47 | 40 min | Grade 6–8 math: number sense, fractions and percents, pre-algebra, geometry, data |
| Break | 10 min | ||
| 5. Essay (unscored) | 1 prompt | 30 min | A personal or opinion topic, written in pen on two lined pages |
How the Middle Level differs from the other ISEE levels
The ISEE Middle Level is for 6th and 7th graders applying to grades 7 and 8. A practice test from another level won't prepare you for these differences:
- Quantitative comparisons appear for the first time. About half of Quantitative Reasoning asks you to compare Column A with Column B and pick one of four fixed answers. Many arrive having never seen the format; see our quantitative reasoning guide.
- The pace jumps. Verbal Reasoning is 40 questions in 20 minutes (30 seconds each), and reading grows to six passages and 36 questions in 35 minutes.
- Algebra matters. ISEE's Middle Level guide puts 9–13 of the 47 math achievement questions on algebraic concepts, along with 7–10 each on whole numbers and on decimals, percents and fractions, 4–6 each on geometry and measurement, and 5–9 on data and probability.
- Same structure as the Upper Level, easier questions. The Middle and Upper Levels share the same sections, counts and timing. The Upper Level adds two-blank sentence completions and harder algebra.
- 6th and 7th graders are scored separately. Each student is compared only with applicants to the same grade, so a 6th grader isn't penalized for 8th-grade topics.
For the full picture of this level, see the ISEE Middle Level overview.
Sample questions from the Middle Level practice test
These six questions come straight from Practice Test 1, including a quantitative comparison, so you can see the level of the test before you print it. Try each one, then open the answer.
BENEVOLENT
- (A)forceful
- (B)kind
- (C)talkative
- (D)wealthy
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (B) kind. Benevolent describes a wish to do good for others, so kind is the closest match.
Although the museum guide spoke for nearly an hour, her stories so ------- her audience that they begged her to continue.
- (A)bored
- (B)captivated
- (C)confused
- (D)exhausted
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (B) captivated. "Although" signals contrast: the talk ran nearly an hour, yet the listeners wanted still more, so the stories must have captivated them.
The first four terms of a pattern are 9, 16, 23, 30, … If the pattern continues in the same way, what is the 10th term?
- (A)37
- (B)65
- (C)70
- (D)72
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (D) 72. Each term is 7 more than the one before, so the rule is "7 times the term number, plus 2." The 10th term is 7 × 10 + 2 = 72.
x is a negative number.
- (A)The quantity in Column A is greater.
- (B)The quantity in Column B is greater.
- (C)The two quantities are equal.
- (D)The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (B) The quantity in Column B is greater. x is negative, so x + 5 is less than 5, while 5 − x is 5 plus a positive amount, so it is greater than 5. Column B is greater for every negative x. No calculation is required — only the sign.
Which of the following lists the values 3/5, 0.55, 58%, and 5/8 in order from least to greatest?
- (A)3/5, 0.55, 58%, 5/8
- (B)0.55, 58%, 5/8, 3/5
- (C)0.55, 58%, 3/5, 5/8
- (D)0.55, 3/5, 5/8, 58%
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (C) 0.55, 58%, 3/5, 5/8. Rewrite all four values as decimals: 3/5 = 0.6, 0.55 stays 0.55, 58% = 0.58, and 5/8 = 0.625. In order from least to greatest, 0.55 < 0.58 < 0.6 < 0.625, so the order is 0.55, 58%, 3/5, 5/8. No two of the four values are equal.
The mean of Rosa's five quiz scores is 18. Her first four scores were 13, 20, 16, and 19. What was her fifth score?
- (A)4
- (B)17
- (C)18
- (D)22
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (D) 22. Five scores with a mean of 18 have a total of 5 × 18 = 90. The four known scores total 13 + 20 + 16 + 19 = 68. The fifth score is 90 − 68 = 22.
The full test book has all 160 questions, plus five reading passages (six at this level) 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. On the online ISEE you click answers and type the essay; the questions and timing are the same.
- Time each section and take the two 10-minute breaks, after Section 2 and after Section 4. No calculator, ruler or protractor.
- Learn the four comparison choices cold before the test: (A) Column A is greater, (B) Column B is greater, (C) equal, (D) can't be determined. They never change.
- Answer every question. There's no penalty for wrong answers. With 30 seconds per verbal question, guess and move on rather than stall.
- Write the essay in 30 minutes, planned in the notes box first. It isn't scored, but a copy goes to every school.
How to score the Middle 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 (7th-grade applicants with 7th-grade applicants, 8th-grade applicants with 8th-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 Middle 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 Middle 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 Middle 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 Lower 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 Middle Level Practice Test 1 on this page is a free PDF: 160 questions plus the essay prompt, with an answer sheet, answer key and scoring worksheet. With a free Test Ninjas account you also get the Detailed Answer Key and a timed online version of the same test. ISEE offers free online sample tests and a What to Expect guide with a practice test too.
The Middle Level ISEE is 2 hours 40 minutes of testing: Verbal Reasoning (40 questions, 20 minutes), Quantitative Reasoning (37 questions, 35 minutes), Reading Comprehension (36 questions, 35 minutes), Mathematics Achievement (47 questions, 40 minutes) and a 30-minute essay, plus two 10-minute breaks.
Students applying to grades 7 and 8 take the Middle Level, so it is usually taken by 6th and 7th graders. Each student is compared only with other applicants to the same grade.
Starting at the Middle Level, part of Quantitative Reasoning shows two quantities, Column A and Column B, sometimes with information about them. You choose (A) if Column A is greater, (B) if Column B is greater, (C) if they are equal, or (D) if the relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Yes. It is longer (160 questions versus 127), adds quantitative comparisons, has six reading passages instead of five and covers more algebra. Because students are compared only with applicants to the same grade, a harder test does not mean a lower stanine.
No. Calculators are not allowed on any ISEE section unless a student has an approved accommodation.
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 Middle 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.