About Us

Boston ISEE Test Prep was formed out of a parent's frustration at not having very many options for ISEE test prep in the Boston area.

The Search

When Anne Yount began searching for ISEE test prep classes for her son in the Fall of 2001, when he was a 5th grader, she found very few choices. Most of what was offered were 8 week "cram courses" that met for 2 hours a week and attempted to teach a myriad of math and vocabulary needed for success on the test. Much of the material was new to students, and took some time to absorb. She knew she needed more than just a "cram class" to get her son prepared.

The Approach

Anne began by enrolling her son in a free class offered by the local community center when he was in 5th grade (a full year before he was to take the test) to help him get a feel for the test and the material. Next she bought several ISEE prep books and worked with him over the winter and spring of his 5th grade year to start to learn the material. At the end of his 5th grade year she had him take the SSAT (a test similar to the ISEE) to get a feel for the testing environment. Throughout the summer and fall she worked with him on vocabulary, following a system that helped him to retain the words. This is the system she has developed for Boston ISEE Test Prep. Finally, in the fall of his 6th grade year she had him take an 8-week "crash course" in ISEE Test Prep. The class helped him to round out areas he still needed help in, and it also taught him tricks for working the test (how to eliminate answers, how to guess, how to dissect the reading sections, etc.).

The Result

The combination of the above approaches resulted in her son being accepted to Boston Latin School for the 2003 school year!

Unfortunately, many of his peers were not as prepared, and consequently they were not offered admission to the exam schools, or to any of the private schools they had applied. These children were all very bright, all honor roll students, but they were not prepared for the test. Their parents were faced with making some painful decisions about where they would attend school the following year. They had assumed that since their children were bright and had good grades, they would easily get into an exam school - unfortunately they were wrong.

The ISEE

When competing for entrance into an exam school, students are competing against one another for one of the limited slots. Your child may do well on the test, but if a large number of other children do better than your child, then they will be offered a slot ahead of your child (assuming grades are all equal). The best way to increase your chances of getting an invitation to attend an exam school, or any private school, is to do as well as you can on the test. Schools look at the test as one of the best indications of how well your child will adapt academically once they are enrolled.

One of the major components of the ISEE is vocabulary. Vocabulary is a part of the Reading Comprehension, Sentence Completion, Synonym, and Essay sections. Close to 60% of the test involves questions that require students to use their vocabulary skills in order to do well in these sections. The best way to increase your child's vocabulary is to start early, and work with them often to build up their vocabulary prior to the test.

Why an ISEE Prep Class?

Many parents find teaching their own children to be difficult. Children at this age are getting to the stage where they are separating from their parents and asserting themselves as individuals. Any attempt by parents to make their children sit down and assume the role as student, while they assume the role of teacher, is often met with resistance, making for an unpleasant experience for both student and parent. Often it is easier to have your child work with an independent teacher who is seen as a neutral third party in the teaching process.

Other parents find that with work, caring for other siblings, and the demands of running a household, they simply do not have the time or energy to devote to working with their child on a regular basis to help them prepare for the test. Still other parents have not had experience with standardized tests such as the ISEE or the SAT in the past, they may find the whole process confusing and intimidating, and are not sure where to begin preparing their child for the test. Students also find the process stressful, and are often resentful of having to take time away from other activities in order to attend a prep class.

The Solution

With these concerns in mind, we have designed Boston ISEE Test Prep to:

Still have questions about Boston ISEE Test Prep? Call us at 617-553-8083 for more information, contact us via e-mail at bostoniseeprep@rcn.com, or check out our Frequently Asked Questions section to see if we have addressed your issue there.