glentavo
中文Start with 20 questionsStart

ISEE Lower Level guide

ISEE Lower Level or SSAT: what is the difference?

On this page
  1. Which level a grades 5–6 applicant takes
  2. Side by side
  3. How to choose
  4. Where Glentavo fits
  5. Sources

Short answer

Both are admission tests now run by the same nonprofit, E3n. ISEE levels follow the grade your child is applying to; SSAT levels follow the grade your child is in now. The ISEE never deducts for wrong answers, while the Middle Level SSAT does. Ask each school which test it accepts before choosing.

ISEE Lower Level: 140 testing minutes, four scored sections and an unscored essay, no deduction for wrong answersISEE Lower Level · 140 min · wrong answers cost nothingVerbal20 minQuantitative35 minReading25 minMath30 minEssay30 min
ISEE Lower Level: 140 testing minutes, four scored sections and an unscored essay, no deduction for wrong answersISEE Lower Level · 140 min · wrong answerscost nothingVerbal20 minQuantitative35 minReading25 minMath30 minEssay30 min
SSAT Middle Level: 170 testing minutes, an unscored writing sample, four scored sections and an unscored experimental section, a quarter point off per wrong answerSSAT Middle Level · 170 min · 1/4 point off per wrong answerWriting25 minQuantitative30 minReading40 minVerbal30 minQuantitative30 minExperimental15 min
SSAT Middle Level: 170 testing minutes, an unscored writing sample, four scored sections and an unscored experimental section, a quarter point off per wrong answerSSAT Middle Level · 170 min · 1/4 point offper wrong answerWriting25 minQuantitative30 minReading40 minVerbal30 minQuantitative30 minExperimental15 min
Testing minutes on one scale, breaks not included. Filled: scored sections. Hollow: unscored parts.

Which level a grades 5–6 applicant takes

  • ISEE: Lower Level for anyone applying to grade 5 or 6.
  • SSAT: Elementary Level for students currently in grades 3–4; Middle Level for students currently in grades 5–7.
  • So a fourth grader applying to grade 5 would take the ISEE Lower Level or the SSAT Elementary Level; a fifth grader applying to grade 6 would take the ISEE Lower Level or the SSAT Middle Level.

Side by side

Sources: E3n ISEE Quick Facts Guide 2026–2027; Admission.org SSAT level pages (July 24, 2026); Admission.org SSAT score reports page (scoring rules), accessed October 22, 2026. Check current details before registering.
ISEE Lower LevelSSAT Middle LevelSSAT Elementary Level
Scored sectionsVerbal Reasoning 34 q / 20 min; Quantitative Reasoning 38 q / 35 min; Reading Comprehension 25 q / 25 min; Mathematics Achievement 30 q / 30 minQuantitative 25 q / 30 min, twice; Reading 40 q / 40 min; Verbal 60 q / 30 minQuantitative 30 q / 30 min; Verbal 30 q / 20 min; Reading 28 q / 30 min
Not scoredEssay, 30 minWriting sample, 25 min; experimental section, 15 minWriting sample from a picture prompt, 15 min; experimental section, 15 min
Total time2 h 20 min plus two 10-minute breaks3 h 10 min including two 10-minute breaks2 h 5 min including a 15-minute break
Wrong answersNo deductionA quarter point subtracted per wrong answer; blanks neither add nor subtractNo deduction
How oftenOnce per season, up to three times a school yearPaper: up to six standard and one flex test per testing year; at home: once per testing yearPaper: up to two standard and one flex test per testing year
WhereSchool, ISEE testing office, Prometric center, or at home (online)Paper, Prometric center, or at home (US and Canada)Paper only

How to choose

Start with the schools. Some accept either test and some state a preference, and it can change by year, so check each admission office's current page.

If your schools accept both, the format can decide it. The ISEE has two separate math sections — one reasoning, one achievement — and no deduction for guessing. The Middle Level SSAT is longer, adds an experimental section, and deducts for wrong answers, which changes how a child should handle questions they are unsure of. A timed practice test of each can show which one suits your child.

Where Glentavo fits

Glentavo prepares for the ISEE Lower Level only. If your child is taking the SSAT, Glentavo's practice tests will not match its sections, timing or scoring.

How Glentavo works

Sources

Public pages and guides from E3n, the nonprofit formed by the merger of ERB and EMA, accessed October 22, 2026. Test details can change from year to year; check the current guide before registering.

  1. ISEE Quick Facts Guide 2026–2027 (E3n, version 08.01.26)
  2. E3n Is Officially Here (ERB news, March 2, 2026)
  3. About the SSAT (Admission.org, E3n)
  4. What's on the Middle Level SSAT (Admission.org, July 24, 2026)
  5. What's on the Elementary Level SSAT (Admission.org, July 24, 2026)
  6. SSAT Score Reports: scoring methodology (Admission.org, E3n)
  7. Guessing on the SSAT: Good or Bad? (Admission.org, September 5, 2025)

Start with 20 questions