ISEE Test Prep | Do I Need to Hire a Private Tutor?

Have you asked yourself whether your child would benefit from a private tutor to prep for the ISEE? Are you wondering how much time to commit to the test prep process and how your child will fit tutoring into an already packed schedule? Do you want your child to compete to the best of her ability in the private school admissions process but worry that too much test prep could create anxiety and backfire on test day?

This article can help you address all these questions and concerns. You want to minimize the anxiety and stress of the test prep process and to help your child perform at his or her personal best. You can support your child a number of ways, including helping her study the materials on her own using test prep books or enroll in a test prep class for the ISEE. For many students, one-on-one tutoring is the best course as this allows a student to receive the undivided attention and expertise of an experienced tutor, who is familiar with the best strategies to use to ace the ISEE. With targeted, personalized attention, each student can negotiate challenges, master skills, and gain confidence, which is the key to improved results and performance. 

Still not convinced? Read on to better understand whether it makes sense to hire a private tutor to help your child prep for the ISEE test. 

ISEE TEST PREP | HOW CAN A TUTOR HELP?

It can be difficult for elementary school students and middle school students to find the time to study, and it’s especially difficult to commit to a strict study schedule at a young age!  A tutor who has experience with the ISEE test will be able to come up with a tailored study plan. This will allow a student to work most on the subjects that need improvement, which will help streamline study time and provide an excellent way to raise a student’s score.

The ISEE questions cover mathematics, verbal reasoning, and reading comprehension, and the test requires students to write a short essay. Some students will find that working with a tutor is useful for improving on the essay component of the test, because most students will not have had substantial practice writing essays on a given prompt. In order to score well on the essay section, a student will need to create a clear essay that has a thesis, and this can be a little overwhelming in such a short time period! The more practice students have coming up with possible theses and drafting essays, the easier it will be to construct a new essay on test day.

A tutor will also be able to answer all of the lingering questions that a student may have. For many elementary school and middle school students, the ISEE may be a new experience, or students may have only taken a few standardized tests before. A tutor is a great source of test-taking tips, such is how to work through reading comprehension questions faster, or clever ways to find key information in math problems. Knowing these strategies will help the actual test process to go more smoothly.

ISEE TEST PREP | HOW LONG DOES A STUDENT NEED TO WORK WITH A TUTOR?

For students who want a thorough review before the ISEE, finding an ISEE tutor two or three months before the ISEE test date is usually a good idea. One month with a tutor is ample time for review in key areas, and a few weeks can provide some last-minute work in an area where a student is struggling.