ISEE: levels, sections, scoring, testing seasons and fees (2026-27)

Who runs the ISEE

The ISEE comes from the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). Since March 1, 2026 it has been run by E3n, the nonprofit formed when ERB merged with the Enrollment Management Association, which made the SSAT. ERB’s ISEE page now forwards to admission.org, where registration and fees are published. E3n says the ISEE is accepted by more than 1,200 independent schools around the world.

Sources: E3n, Who We Are (the ERB and EMA merger); E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats); ERB home page (ISEE by ERB); E3n, ISEE 2026-2027 Quick Facts Guide (PDF)

Levels

The level depends on the grade your child is applying to, not the grade they are in now. The ISEE has four levels; the Primary level comes in three versions.

Sources: E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats); E3n, ISEE score reports (scaled scores, percentiles, stanines)

Sections and timing

Lower, Middle and Upper Level students also write an essay, which is not scored. Schools that receive the scores get a copy of the essay; families do not. There is no essay at the Primary levels. Online and paper tests have the same number of questions, the same timing and the same chance to change answers within a section.

Verbal reasoning uses synonyms and sentence completions. Quantitative reasoning tests how students think about math and needs little or no calculation. Mathematics achievement covers number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability, and problem solving, and may need calculation. Each multiple-choice section includes a few questions that are not scored.

Sources: E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats); E3n, ISEE score reports (scaled scores, percentiles, stanines); E3n, ISEE 2026-2027 Quick Facts Guide (PDF)

How the ISEE is scored

Students are scored only on correct answers, so a wrong answer costs nothing and there is no advantage to leaving a question blank. Each scored section gets a scaled score from 760 to 940, worked out from the number of questions answered correctly and adjusted for small differences between test forms.

The report also gives a percentile rank from 1 to 99, comparing your child with students in the same grade who took the ISEE in the past three years, and a stanine from 1 to 9. Stanines 4, 5 and 6 cover the middle 54 percentile points; stanines 1 to 3 and 7 to 9 each cover 23. The stanine analysis shades one stanine either side of your child’s result, because a retest can move a score. E3n notes that independent school applicants are a strong comparison group, so percentiles can look lower than on other tests.

Online scores are usually ready in three to five days and paper scores in five to ten. Families always get the report. You decide which schools receive it, before or after you see it, and adding a school later is free. Only a complete report can be sent: you cannot mix sections from different test dates. Optional services: hand scoring of a paper test for $55, and rescoring for one grade above or below for $45 (not available for the Primary levels).

Sources: E3n, ISEE score reports (scaled scores, percentiles, stanines); E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats)

Testing seasons: once per season

A student may take the ISEE once in each testing season, so up to three times a school year. A student who tests in September (fall) must wait until December (winter) to test again.

Sources: E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats); E3n, ISEE 2026-2027 Quick Facts Guide (PDF)

Where to take it, and what it costs

These are the fees E3n listed on October 5, 2026. Online tests can be booked until 3 days before the test date. Paper tests should be booked at least 21 days ahead; late registration (20 to 14 days before) and walk-in registration (where a school offers it) cost more. Prometric test centers serve students applying to grades 5 to 12 only, give the online test, and require a parent or guardian to stay on site for the whole test.

Source: E3n, ISEE registration (testing options, fees, rescheduling and refunds)

Rescheduling and refunds

At home, at a school or at a testing office: rescheduling one day or more before the test costs $50. Cancelling one day or more before refunds the fee minus $55, and only within 90 days of registering. Nothing can be rescheduled or refunded on or after the test date.

At a Prometric test center: changes are free 31 days or more ahead, $25 from 30 to 15 days, $45 from 14 to 5 days, and $75 to reschedule from 4 days to 1 day ahead. Cancelling 4 days or less before the test gets no refund, and a student who arrives 30 minutes or more late cannot test.

Source: E3n, ISEE registration (testing options, fees, rescheduling and refunds)

Fee waivers

Fee waivers come from the schools your child is applying to, not from E3n. The family must plan to apply for financial aid, and each school decides who qualifies; E3n says a typical income threshold of $80,000 for a family of four may apply. A universal waiver covers the registration fee for testing at a school, a testing office or at home (not Prometric), in the U.S. or abroad, and includes online practice from Test Innovators. Some schools have a limited number of separate Prometric waivers. A student can receive more than one waiver a year. 2026-27 waivers expire on July 31, 2027.

Sources: E3n, ISEE fee waivers; E3n, ISEE registration (testing options, fees, rescheduling and refunds)

Accommodations

Any student with a documented disability may be eligible. Apply in the ISEE parent account and upload at least one document dated within the last 3 years: an IEP, 504 or private school plan; a professional evaluation; or proof of accommodations on a similar test (SSAT, HSPT, SAT, ACT or PSAT). The request also includes a Current School Statement, completed by an administrator or specialist at your child’s current school (including virtual or homeschool settings). Review takes one to two weeks once the request is complete, so wait for the decision before you register. Approved accommodations are valid for 24 months and are not flagged on the score report. Extended time (1.5x), double time (2x), calculator use and a computer for the essay are offered on paper, online, at home and at Prometric centers; other accommodations depend on the setting.

Sources: E3n, ISEE accommodations; E3n, ISEE 2026-2027 Quick Facts Guide (PDF)

Which schools use the ISEE

E3n says more than 1,200 independent schools accept the ISEE, and that schools use it as one measure alongside their other admission criteria. Many schools accept either the ISEE or the SSAT, but in some regions only one test is offered, especially at local day schools, so check the admission page of each school you are considering.

Sources: E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats); E3n, ISEE score reports (scaled scores, percentiles, stanines); E3n advice, ISEE or SSAT: which assessment should my student take (August 2, 2026)

Sources and dates

• E3n, Who We Are (the ERB and EMA merger), read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/who-we-are
• E3n advice, ISEE or SSAT: which assessment should my student take (August 2, 2026), read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/advice/isee-or-ssat-which-assessment-should-my-student-take
• E3n, About the ISEE (levels, sections, timing, testing seasons, formats), read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/assessments/isee/about
• E3n, ISEE registration (testing options, fees, rescheduling and refunds), read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/assessments/isee/registration
• E3n, ISEE score reports (scaled scores, percentiles, stanines), read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/assessments/isee/score-reports
• E3n, ISEE accommodations, read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/assessments/isee/accommodations
• E3n, ISEE fee waivers, read October 5, 2026https://www.admission.org/assessments/isee/fee-waivers
• E3n, ISEE 2026-2027 Quick Facts Guide (PDF), read October 5, 2026https://cdn.erblearn.org/www/20260801_E3n_ISEE_QuickFacts_DIGITAL.pdf
• ERB home page (ISEE by ERB), read October 5, 2026https://www.erblearn.org/