Entrance Exam 101

Most private schools require students entering middle and high school to take an entrance exam to gain admission to their institutions.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the most commonly accepted standardized tests are the Independent School Entrance Examination, or the ISEE, and the High School Placement Test, or HSPT, for Catholic schools. Another often recognized and accepted test is the Secondary School Aptitude Test, or the SSAT.

The ISEE and SSAT tests are to middle and high school what the SAT or ACT is to college. They are administered independently at a set time at a specific location with results sent to designated schools. Often schools schedule these tests on their own campuses, and individual entrance requirements usually specify which test to take. The HSPT, however, does not coordinate national testing days, and test administration is the responsibility of individual schools or dioceses, which determine when to offer the HSPT. Now, all three tests offer at home options. These organizations provide students a secure computerbased testing option to be taken at home when group testing isn’t available.

On these exams, students can expect multiplechoice questions that test verbal, math, and reading comprehension skills and a portion that assesses writing ability (though not part of the HSPT). Policies vary according by test on taking practice tests and repeated test attempts. The test results often determine course placement, so more schools have begun to offer preparation test programs to better equip entering students for the real thing. Schools may have additional or different requirements for international students.

ISEE

Source: www.iseetest.org

LOWER LEVEL

FOR Candidates for grades five and six.

MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL

FOR Candidates for grades seven and eight (Middle); candidates for grades nine through 12 (Upper).

HSPT

Source: www.ststesting.com FOR Students in grade eight for placement in ninth grade.

SSAT

Source: www.ssat.org

The SSAT is a multiple-choice test designed for students in grades three through 11 and is administered on three levels: elementary, middle, and upper.

ELEMENTARY LEVEL SSAT

FOR Students in grades three and four.

MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL SSAT

Standard Test (group administered on eight Saturdays), Flex Test (group or individual administered on a different date), Regional Flex Test or Open Flex Test (regional consortia administered). FOR Students in grades 5–7 (Middle) and grades 8–11 (Upper). 