ISEE Middle Level practice: every section, at the real pace

The ISEE Middle Level is for children applying to grades 7 and 8. It has four scored sections, Verbal Reasoning (40 questions in 20 minutes), Quantitative Reasoning (37 in 35), Reading Comprehension (36 in 35) and Mathematics Achievement (47 in 40), and a 30-minute essay. Below is a free 12-question drill for each section at the real Middle Level pace, with every answer explained, and the full 160-question mock is free on the practice test page.

30 s
per Verbal question: 57 s
per Quantitative question: 58 s
per Reading question: 51 s
per Math question

Last checked 13 November 2026 · Computed from ERB's Middle Level counts and minutes, checked 13 November 2026

Free Middle Level drills, one for each scored section: 12 original ISEE-style questions at the real Middle Level pace, then every answer explained. No sign-up.

12
questions
6 min
time limit
Free
every answer explained

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 13 November 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is on the ISEE Middle Level?

Four multiple-choice sections in a fixed order, each on its own clock, then the essay: 2 hours 40 minutes of testing with two short breaks. Each section is scored and reported separately.

The Middle Level, section by section (ERB), with the time each question gets

Verbal Reasoning

Questions: 40
Minutes: 20
Seconds a question: 30
Question types: Synonyms, sentence completions

Quantitative Reasoning

Questions: 37
Minutes: 35
Seconds a question: 57
Question types: Word problems, quantitative comparisons

Reading Comprehension

Questions: 36
Minutes: 35
Seconds a question: 58
Question types: Passages with questions

Mathematics Achievement

Questions: 47
Minutes: 40
Seconds a question: 51
Question types: School math, no calculator

Essay

Questions: 1 prompt
Minutes: 30
Seconds a question: Not scored
Question types: Sent to the schools

The Middle Level, section by section (ERB), with the time each question gets
Section	Questions	Minutes	Seconds a question	Question types
Verbal Reasoning	40	20	30	Synonyms, sentence completions
Quantitative Reasoning	37	35	57	Word problems, quantitative comparisons
Reading Comprehension	36	35	58	Passages with questions
Mathematics Achievement	47	40	51	School math, no calculator
Essay	1 prompt	30	Not scored	Sent to the schools

The order matters for stamina. Verbal Reasoning comes first and is the fastest section; Mathematics Achievement comes last, after about two hours of concentration. A child who has practised a full mock knows what that fourth section feels like when tired, which is one reason a complete rehearsal helps more than separate worksheets.

How should my child approach Middle Level Verbal Reasoning?

With ready vocabulary and a quick routine, because 40 questions in 20 minutes leaves about 30 seconds each. There is no time to puzzle out every word, so the routine has to be automatic.

Synonyms: put the capital-letter word in a short sentence, then try each choice in its place. If the word is unfamiliar, look for a root (bene, mal, chron, port) and rule out choices that cannot be right.
Sentence completions: find the clue word (but, although, because, so), say a word that fits before looking at the choices, then pick the closest.
Watch for choices that are linked to the word but do not mean the same thing. A "loud" color is related to "bright," but loud does not mean bright.
Answer every question before time runs out. There is no deduction for a wrong answer.

ISEE-style question 1 · Sentence completion
Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. The new student was ___ at first, but after a week she was chatting with everyone at lunch.
1. Areserved
2. Btalkative
3. Cfamous
4. Dcareless
Worked answer
A: reserved. "But" sets up a contrast with "chatting with everyone." The blank needs the opposite of chatty: reserved, meaning quiet and holding back.
1. Find the clue word: "but" means the two halves contrast.
2. The second half says she became chatty.
3. So at first she was the opposite: reserved.
The trap: Choosing "talkative," which matches the second half of the sentence instead of contrasting with it.

What are quantitative comparisons, and how does my child solve them?

A quantitative comparison shows two quantities, Column A and Column B, and always the same four choices: A is greater, B is greater, they are equal, or the relationship cannot be determined. The skill is testing enough cases before choosing.

Work out each column if you can. Often one is a quick calculation and the other a little longer.
If a letter appears, try a positive whole number, zero, a negative number and a fraction, whichever the information allows.
If different allowed values give different answers, choose "cannot be determined." If every value gives the same answer, choose it.
Do not do more work than needed: you only need to know which is bigger, not the exact values.

ISEE-style question 1 · Quantitative comparison
x is a whole number greater than 1. Column A: x² Column B: 2x Compare the quantity in Column A with the quantity in Column B.
1. AThe quantity in Column A is greater.
2. BThe quantity in Column B is greater.
3. CThe two quantities are equal.
4. DThe relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Worked answer
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.. If x = 2, both columns are 4, so they are equal. If x = 3, Column A is 9 and Column B is 6, so A is greater. Different allowed values give different answers, so the relationship cannot be determined.
1. Try the smallest allowed value, x = 2: A = 4, B = 4, equal.
2. Try x = 3: A = 9, B = 6, A is greater.
3. Two different results, so the answer is "cannot be determined."
The trap: Trying only one number. On a comparison with a letter, always try at least two allowed values, including the smallest.

The rest of the section is word problems that reward reasoning over long arithmetic: working backward, ratios, patterns, estimation, counting and remainders. Our mock puts the word problems first and the comparisons after, in blocks that grow harder.

Four drills for every section

The Pass Pack adds three more full Middle Level mocks and four 12-question drills for each section, every answer explained.

The ISEE Pass Pack gives you 4 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The ISEE Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the ISEE Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

4
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

How should my child pace Middle Level Reading Comprehension?

At about 58 seconds a question, a passage with six questions gets roughly six minutes, reading included. That means one careful read and then answering from the text, not rereading the passage for every question.

Teach your child to say in a few words what each paragraph is about while reading. Then, for each question, point to the sentence that proves the answer. A choice that is true in real life but not stated in the passage is the most common trap, and pointing to a line beats it.

Our passages mix science, history, opinion pieces and stories, so no kind of passage is new on test day. Each mock has six passages with six questions each.

What math is on the ISEE Middle Level?

Fractions, decimals and percents, ratios and proportions, integers, exponents and square roots, equations and inequalities, geometry and measurement, coordinates, and data and probability, all without a calculator.

ISEE-style question 1 · Geometry
A rectangle has a perimeter of 30 cm and a length of 9 cm. What is its area?
1. A54 square cm
2. B270 square cm
3. C21 square cm
4. D63 square cm
Worked answer
A: 54 square cm. Length plus width is half the perimeter: 30 ÷ 2 = 15, so the width is 15 − 9 = 6 cm. The area is 9 × 6 = 54 square cm.
1. Half the perimeter is one length plus one width: 15 cm.
2. Width = 15 − 9 = 6 cm.
3. Area = 9 × 6 = 54 square cm.
The trap: Subtracting the length from the whole perimeter (30 − 9 = 21), forgetting that the perimeter counts each side twice.

Some topics may not have been taught yet in your child's school, especially for seventh-grade applicants, who sit the same test as eighth-grade applicants but are compared only with other seventh-grade applicants. If a drill shows a topic your child has never seen, spend a few short sessions on it rather than pushing through a whole mock.

Insist on written working. Most lost points in this section come from a dropped sign or a fraction step done in the head, not from not knowing the method.

How should my child use these free drills?

One 12-question drill takes ten minutes or less. Start with the section that scored lowest on the full mock, do one a day, and read every explanation, including the ones your child got right.

The drills above run at the real Middle Level pace for their section, so a Verbal drill is quick and a Math Achievement drill gives a little longer. After the drill, look at the explanations together. Ask your child to say why the right answer is right in one sentence, then move on: short and regular beats long and rare.

When the drills feel easy, take a second full mock. The free one is on the ISEE practice test page; more questions like these are on ISEE sample questions, and the week-by-week plan is in how to prepare for the ISEE.

What is the ISEE Middle Level essay like?

One prompt, 30 minutes, not scored by ERB. A copy goes to every school on your list, so it should answer the prompt directly, in organized paragraphs, with specific details.

Answer the exact prompt in the first two or three sentences, so the reader knows where the essay is going.
Spend three to five minutes planning: one main point and two specific examples or moments.
Write in paragraphs: an opening, two body paragraphs (one for each example) and a short closing.
Use real details (a name, a place, what was said) instead of general statements like "it was a great experience."
Write in your own voice. Schools read the essay to get to know the applicant, not to count long words.
Keep the last three minutes to reread and fix missing words, spelling and sentences that run on.

Practice prompts in the style of the ISEE are in how to prepare for the ISEE. Two or three timed essays before test day are enough for most children.

Frequently asked questions

Who takes the ISEE Middle Level?

Children applying to grades 7 and 8, usually while they are in grades 6 and 7.

How long is the Middle Level?

2 hours 40 minutes of testing, including the 30-minute essay, plus two short breaks.

Is the Middle Level the same as the Upper Level?

The sections, counts and clocks are the same; the Upper Level content is harder and it is normed against older applicants. See the Upper Level guide.

Do seventh-grade applicants get easier questions?

No, they sit the same Middle Level test, but their percentiles and stanines compare them only with other applicants to seventh grade.

Is this the real ISEE?

No. It is an ISEE-style practice test with original questions written for LifeScore. LifeScore is not affiliated with ERB, and ISEE is ERB's registered trademark.

Do we have to pay?

The first full Middle Level mock, one free drill for each section and the sample questions are free with no sign-up. The ISEE Pass Pack, with all four mocks, 16 section drills, essay prompts and every answer explained, is a one-time payment with no subscription.

Every Middle Level question type, on the real clock

Four full ISEE-style Middle Level mocks, 16 section drills, essay prompts and every answer explained, in one payment.