ISEE Scores Explained: Stanines and Percentiles

What do the numbers on an ISEE score report mean?

The scaled score is your child's result on ERB's scale for that level. The percentile rank says what share of the comparison group scored at or below it. The stanine groups the percentiles into nine bands, and it is the number many schools look at first.

The three numbers for each section (ERB)
Number	Range	What it tells you
Scaled score	760 to 940	Your child's result on ERB's scale for the level, adjusted so different test forms can be compared
Percentile rank	1 to 99	Compared with independent-school applicants to the same grade over the past three years. A 60 means your child scored as well as or better than about 60% of that group
Stanine	1 to 9	A band of percentiles. 5 is the middle; 4 to 6 covers the middle of the group

The report shows these for Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement separately. It also lists the kinds of questions each section asked and how many your child answered correctly of each. That breakdown is the most useful part for preparation, because it shows where the points went.

What is a stanine on the ISEE?

A stanine ("standard nine") is a score from 1 to 9 that groups percentile ranks into nine bands. Stanine 5 covers percentiles 40 to 59, the middle of the group; 9 covers percentiles 96 to 99.

Stanines and the percentile ranks they cover (ERB)
Stanine	Percentile ranks	Share of the group
1	1 to 3	about 3%
2	4 to 10	about 7%
3	11 to 22	about 12%
4	23 to 39	about 17%
5	40 to 59	about 20%
6	60 to 76	about 17%
7	77 to 88	about 12%
8	89 to 95	about 7%
9	96 to 99	about 4%

Stanines are coarse on purpose. A percentile of 58 and one of 61 sit in different stanines (5 and 6) though the difference may be a question or two, while 61 and 76 share stanine 6. A small change on test day can move a stanine by one, which is why schools read them as a range rather than an exact rank.

ERB's report also includes a stanine analysis that sets Verbal Reasoning beside Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning beside Mathematics Achievement. A gap there can show, for example, a child who reasons well but has not yet been taught some of the math the test asks.

Find the points before test day does

Four full Middle Level mocks show each section's percent correct and where the misses fall, with 16 drills to fix them.

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

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Why are ISEE percentiles lower than my child's school test scores?

Because the comparison group is different. School and state tests compare your child with students nationally; the ISEE compares them only with other applicants to independent schools, a group that skews strong. ERB notes that ISEE percentiles can sit well below a national percentile for the same child.

A child near the top of a national test may land in the middle stanines on the ISEE without doing anything wrong. Admissions offices see these reports every year and read them in that light. It helps to explain this to your child before the report arrives, so a number in the middle of the range is not taken as failure.

Percentiles are also only comparable within a level and a grade. A Middle Level stanine for an eighth grader is set against other eighth-grade applicants, not against seventh graders taking the same test.

What is a good ISEE score?

There is no single answer, because ERB sets no pass mark and most schools publish no cut-off. Stanines of 5 and above are at or above the middle of a strong group, and schools differ widely in what they expect. They weigh the stanines with grades, recommendations, the interview and the essay.

Ask each school how it uses the ISEE. Some say so on their admissions page; many will tell you if you ask.
Look at the four sections together. An uneven profile, strong in one area and weaker in another, is common and schools expect it.
Treat any website that gives a precise "required" stanine for a named school with caution unless the school itself publishes it.
Remember that schools receive the essay too, so a clear, honest writing sample still matters.

Can a practice test predict my child's ISEE stanine?

No outside practice test can give a real stanine or percentile, because those need ERB's norms, which come from real applicants. Ours reports percent correct and a practice band instead, and says so plainly.

Our practice bands on the 160-question Middle Level mock (LifeScore, not ERB)
Band	Percent correct	Questions of 160
Building	Under 45%	Under 72
Developing	45% or more	72 or more
Solid	65% or more	104 or more
Strong	80% or more	128 or more
Excellent	90% or more	144 or more

Use the bands to see change over time on our questions: a move from Developing to Solid after three weeks of drills is real progress. Do not read them as stanines. Percent correct and a percentile measure different things, and a hard section can give a lower percent correct and still a high percentile.

The free ISEE practice test gives your child a first band in each section, and the Middle Level practice page has a free drill for each one.

Can my child retake the ISEE to raise a score?

Yes, once in each testing season, so up to three times a year. Each sitting costs a new fee, and schools may see every report you send them, so it pays to prepare well for the first one.

If a first report came in lower than you hoped, look at the question-type breakdown before deciding. A low score with many blanks at the end of a section usually means pace, which timed practice improves quickly. A low score spread across a math section usually means topics not yet taught, which takes longer.

Plan the second sitting for the next season and leave at least four to six weeks of steady practice between them. How to prepare for the ISEE has a plan built around that gap, and the ISEE test guide lists the seasons and fees.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest ISEE score?

The top scaled score is 940 on each section, the top percentile 99, and the top stanine 9.

Is a stanine of 5 good?

It is the middle of a strong comparison group of independent-school applicants, which often corresponds to a much higher national percentile. Whether it is enough depends on the school.

Does the ISEE have an overall score?

No. Each of the four sections is reported separately, and the essay is unscored.

Who sees my child's ISEE scores?

You, and the schools you choose as score recipients. The copy of the essay goes to those schools as well.

Will this tell me my child's stanine or percentile?

No, and no outside test can. Stanines and percentiles compare your child with other applicants who sat the real ISEE, and those norms belong to ERB. We show percent correct for each section and a practice band.

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.

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