ISEE Lower Level study plan
ISEE Lower Level · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Verbal Reasoning & Mathematics Achievement
Diagnose baseline by taking one timed practice section each in Verbal Reasoning and Mathematics Achievement and logging raw scores and error types
Build a personal vocabulary log of 40 Lower Level-appropriate words drawn from your own reading, recording part of speech, definition, and one original sentence per word
Review arithmetic fundamentals (place value, rounding, order of operations, factors and multiples) and correct every missed item from the diagnostic
Establish a weekly error-tracking sheet with columns for domain, skill, error cause, and re-test date
Your checkpoint
A completed baseline score sheet plus an error log covering every question missed on both diagnostic sections, with each error tagged to a specific skill
Verbal Reasoning
Master the two most common verbal analogy relationships (synonym/antonym and part-to-whole) by classifying and solving 60 practice analogies
Apply the sentence-completion strategy of predicting a word before reading the answer choices across 40 items
Distinguish prefixes, roots, and suffixes in your vocabulary log and group words by shared root
Write original analogy pairs in each relationship you have studied to confirm you can justify the bridge in one sentence
Your checkpoint
A one-page analogy bridge sheet listing at least 10 relationship types, each with an original example pair and a one-sentence justification
Mathematics Achievement
Compute fluently with fractions, decimals, and percents, including converting among all three forms across 50 mixed problems
Solve ratio, proportion, and percent-of problems using a consistent setup you can write down each time
Practice estimation and answer-choice elimination to avoid long computation on multiple-choice items
Re-test every item missed in weeks 1 through 3 and mark which errors are now resolved
Your checkpoint
A 25-question self-made quiz on fractions, decimals, percents, and ratios, scored and fully corrected with worked solutions
Quantitative Reasoning
Translate word problems into equations by underlining the unknown and assigning a variable before computing
Solve quantitative comparison items by testing the values zero, one, a fraction, and a negative where the problem permits
Practice number-line, pattern, and sequence reasoning until you can state the rule in words
Identify and correct the three error causes that appeared most often in your log so far
Your checkpoint
A log of 30 quantitative comparison items showing the tested values and the reasoning that produced each answer
Reading Comprehension
Read three grade-level nonfiction passages and write a one-sentence main idea for each without looking back at the text
Practice locating explicit detail answers by returning to the passage and citing the supporting sentence
Distinguish fact from opinion and identify the author's purpose in each passage you read
Build a working definition of inference and answer 15 inference questions with cited evidence
Your checkpoint
A passage analysis sheet for three passages, each with main idea, author's purpose, two supporting details, and one inference with quoted evidence
Verbal Reasoning & Reading Comprehension
Complete a timed verbal reasoning section and a timed reading comprehension section under exam conditions, then score both
Review every reading question you missed and classify it as detail, inference, vocabulary-in-context, or main idea
Practice using context clues to define unfamiliar words in reading passages rather than relying on memorized lists
Reduce average time per verbal item while maintaining accuracy above your week 2 baseline
Your checkpoint
Two timed section scores recorded side by side with your week 1 baseline, plus a written note naming the single skill that most limits each score
Mathematics Achievement & Quantitative Reasoning
Review geometry and measurement topics including perimeter, area, angles, and coordinate-plane basics across 40 problems
Solve data interpretation items from tables and simple graphs, checking units and labels before answering
Practice multi-step problems by writing each step down and verifying the final answer against the question asked
Re-drill the ten items you have missed most often across all mathematics work
Your checkpoint
A corrected 30-question mathematics review set with every wrong answer rewritten as a correctly worked solution
Verbal Reasoning & Quantitative Reasoning & Reading Comprehension & Mathematics Achievement
Take two full-length timed practice tests on separate days and score all four domains
Compare domain scores against week 1 and week 6 baselines and confirm improvement in each area
Review only the highest-frequency error categories from your log rather than re-studying everything
Finalize a test-day plan covering pacing per section, when to skip and return, and how to check work
Your checkpoint
A final score comparison table across all four domains showing baseline, midpoint, and final results, plus a one-page test-day pacing plan
Milestones
Week 2: You can name the relationship in an analogy and justify it in one sentence, and your vocabulary log holds at least 80 words with roots grouped
Week 4: Your quantitative reasoning accuracy on comparison and word-problem items has risen above your week 1 baseline, and no error category accounts for more than a third of your mistakes
Week 6: Both timed verbal and reading scores exceed your week 1 baseline, and you can classify any missed reading question by type
Week 8: All four domain scores on the final full-length practice test meet or exceed your week 1 baseline, and you have a written pacing plan for each section