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150 multiple-choice questions and 55 flashcards, written to the ISEE Upper Level blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
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ISEE Upper Level — 5 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, Essay (unscored)
CoStudy's ISEE Upper Level (Grades 9-12 Admissions) bank holds 205 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
MATH ACHIEVEMENT: Circle radius 5. Area?
Answer: C — 25π
A = πr² = π(5²) = 25π. C) Correct.
Column A: 2^10. Column B: 10^3.
Answer: A — A > B
A: 1024. B: 1000. A > B.
sin(30°) = ?
Answer: A — 1/2
A) Correct. B) cos(30°). C) sin(45°). D) Off.
ESSAY: Strongest structure for a 30-minute prompt is:
Answer: B — Clear thesis + 3 body paragraphs with evidence + conclusion
A/C/D) Wrong. B) Correct — coverage + organization outscore brilliant fragments.
Factor: x² - 9.
Answer: A — (x-3)(x+3)
Difference of squares.
Column A: 30% of 80. Column B: 80% of 30.
Answer: C — Equal
Both 24. Multiplication is commutative.
Midpoint of (-2, 4) and (6, -2)?
Answer: A — (2, 1)
((-2+6)/2, (4-2)/2) = (2, 1). B/C/D) Off.
Synonym for CAPRICIOUS.
Answer: A — Impulsive and unpredictable
A) Correct. A/C) Opposites. D) Off-by-one — caprice is whim, not deceit.
Although the critic praised the novel's structure, she found its dialogue ___, observing that no character spoke distinctly.
Answer: A — homogeneous
A) Correct — 'no character spoke distinctly' demands sameness. A/C/D) Reverse the implied criticism.
Synonym for PERFUNCTORY.
Answer: A — Routine and indifferent
A) Correct — perfunctory = done as a duty without care. A/C) Opposites. D) Off-meaning (not anger, just disinterest).
READING (hum): A novelist's recurring use of fog imagery in a city scene most likely suggests:
Answer: D — Confusion or moral ambiguity
D) Correct — fog conventionally signals obscurity. A) Reversal. C) Off-tone. B) Half-right but too literal.
Permutations of 4 objects taken 2 at a time?
Answer: C — 12
P(4,2) = 4·3 = 12. A) Combinations C(4,2). B/D) Off.
6 sample cards from the 55 in the bank.
Pythagorean theorem?
a² + b² = c² for right triangles. Common Pythagorean triples: 3-4-5, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, 7-24-25.
Slope formula?
m = (y₂ - y₁) / (x₂ - x₁). Line equation y = mx + b. Parallel lines: equal slopes. Perpendicular: slopes are negative reciprocals.
Common mistake: arithmetic errors?
Re-check basic arithmetic on the easier-looking problems. The test rewards consistency, not heroism.
Topics covered (Upper)?
Number sense, algebra (linear + quadratic), geometry (Pythagorean theorem, area, volume), probability + statistics, basic trigonometry.
Reading question types?
Main idea, supporting detail, vocabulary in context, inference, author's purpose / tone.
Pace per section?
Verbal: 30 sec/question. Quantitative: 1 min/question. Reading: ~6 min/passage. Math Achievement: ~50 sec/question. Practice to internalize.
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
Open ISEE Upper Level (Grades 9-12 Admissions) →
The ISEE Upper Level (Grades 9-12 Admissions) bank holds 205 items: 150 multiple-choice questions, 55 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
ISEE Upper Level — 5 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, Essay (unscored)
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 205-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.