Free ISEE Upper Level practice test
Download a free, full-length ISEE Upper 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 students in grades 8 to 11 applying to grades 9 through 12. The Detailed Answer Key, which explains every question and why each wrong answer is wrong, is free with a Test Ninjas account.
- 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
- 48-page test book · 108-page Detailed Answer Key
Prefer a screen? The same test is in your account as a timed online test with ISEE Upper Level Premium.
What's on the ISEE Upper Level practice test?
Practice Test 1 has the same five sections, question counts and time limits as the real Upper 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 | 19 synonyms, then 21 sentence completions, 9 of them with two blanks |
| 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 8–11 math up to second-year algebra: functions, exponents, geometry, statistics, probability |
| Break | 10 min | ||
| 5. Essay (unscored) | 1 prompt | 30 min | An opinion or problem-solving topic, written in pen on two lined pages |
How the Upper Level differs from the other ISEE levels
The ISEE Upper Level is for students in grades 8 to 11 applying to grades 9 through 12. A practice test from another level won't prepare you for these differences:
- Two-blank sentence completions. Only the Upper Level has them: both words must fit, so eliminate on one blank, then check the other. Practice Test 1 has nine.
- Algebra is the biggest math strand. ISEE's Upper Level guide puts 13–17 of the 47 math achievement questions on algebraic concepts (up to second-year algebra), 8–13 on data and probability, 5–11 on number sense and 5–8 each on geometry and measurement.
- Harder vocabulary. Synonyms reach words like cede, censure and prevaricate. A steady word habit matters more here than at any other level; start with the Upper Level vocabulary list.
- One test, four grades. 8th graders applying to 9th grade take the same test as 11th graders applying to 12th, but each is compared only with applicants to the same grade. An 8th grader isn't expected to know every 11th-grade topic.
- Same structure as the Middle Level. Sections, question counts and timing match the Middle Level; the questions are harder.
For the full picture of this level, see the ISEE Upper Level overview.
Sample questions from the Upper Level practice test
These six questions come straight from Practice Test 1, including a two-blank sentence completion and a quantitative comparison, so you can see the level of the test before you print it. Try each one, then open the answer.
CEDE
- (A)grant
- (B)receive
- (C)seize
- (D)withhold
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (A) grant. To cede is to hand over territory or a right to somebody else, so grant is the closest match.
What the survey had described as a weekend's tidying turned out to be a ------- task, one that occupied a ------- team of volunteers for the better part of three years.
- (A)monumental . . . sizable
- (B)passing . . . devoted
- (C)routine . . . vast
- (D)staggering . . . token
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (A) monumental . . . sizable. The scale of the job is given twice: a weekend's work turns out to run three years, and it takes a whole team of volunteers. Monumental names the first quantity and sizable the second, and the degree of one accounts for the degree of the other.
A clothing store writes its markup on cost and its margin on price in scientific notation.
- (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. Column A is (3.0 × 2.0) × 104 + (-2) = 6.0 × 102, which is 600. Column B is (8.0 ÷ 1.0) × 105 - 3 = 8.0 × 102, which is 800. Both are hundreds, and 8 hundreds beat 6.
A bike courier is paid per delivery against a guaranteed minimum, and the week's balance in dollars works out to 9x2 - 64. Which of the following is equal to 9x2 - 64?
- (A)(3x - 8)(3x - 8)
- (B)(3x - 32)(3x + 32)
- (C)(3x - 8)(3x + 8)
- (D)(9x - 8)(9x + 8)
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (C) (3x - 8)(3x + 8). This is a difference of two squares, since 9x2 = (3x)2 and 64 = 82. A difference of squares factors as (3x - 8)(3x + 8).
A technician measured the same length forty times. The box-and-whisker plot below summarizes the readings, in millimeters.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| minimum | 12 |
| first quartile | 18 |
| median | 24 |
| third quartile | 30 |
| maximum | 42 |
What is the interquartile range of the readings?
- (A)6
- (B)12
- (C)24
- (D)30
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (B) 12. The interquartile range is the third quartile minus the first: 30 - 18 = 12.
A grade point average weighted by course credits is checked against a target, and the check reduces to the equation |2x - 5| = 9. What are the solutions of this equation?
- (A)x = -2 and x = 7
- (B)x = -7 and x = 2
- (C)x = 7 only
- (D)x = 2 and x = 7
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (A) x = -2 and x = 7. An absolute value equation splits into two cases. If 2x - 5 = 9, then 2x = 14 and x = 7. If 2x - 5 = -9, then 2x = -4 and x = -2.
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: on the Upper Level that means exponents, radicals and percents by hand.
- Pace verbal at 30 seconds a question. Synonyms are quick if you know the word and slow if you don't, so guess, mark and move on.
- Answer every question. There's no penalty for wrong answers.
- Write the essay in 30 minutes: take a clear position, support it with two specific examples and leave time to proofread. It isn't scored, but schools read it.
How to score the Upper 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 (9th-grade applicants with 9th-grade applicants, 10th with 10th, and so on), 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 Upper 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 Upper 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 Upper 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 Middle 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 Upper Level Practice Test 1 on this page is a free PDF: 160 questions plus the essay prompt, with an answer sheet, an answer key and a scoring worksheet. The Detailed Answer Key, which explains every question and why each wrong choice is wrong, is free with an account.
The Upper 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 9 through 12 take the Upper Level, so it is taken by 8th through 11th graders. Each student is compared only with other applicants to the same grade.
Yes. The Upper Level is the only ISEE level with sentence completions that have two blanks. Both words in the answer must fit the sentence.
Mathematics Achievement covers number sense, algebraic concepts up to second-year algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability. Algebra is the largest strand. Quantitative Reasoning adds word problems and quantitative comparisons. No calculator is allowed.
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 Upper 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.