Our Proven Approach to ISEE Test Prep

ISEE Test Preparation Services
Private ISEE tutoring ensures that your student is only spending precious time on the areas where they need help. Students generally meet with a tutor for 1 to 2 hours a week depending on the student’s needs, schedule, and their targeted test dates.
We will start by identifying your student’s strengths and weaknesses through a mock test, then the tutor will work with your student to address shortcomings and reinforce skills in the tested subjects in math and reading.
To maximize skill retention, the tutor will assign homework questions for the student to complete in-between sessions.
Our tutors & instructors are brilliant and charismatic:
- Equally skilled in math and english
- Self-accomplished and inspiring
- Gifted at working with younger students
Personal Courses
You can also schedule your student’s preparation as a personal course, which are structured as 10 or 20-hour packages. Personal courses are the same as regular private tutoring but follow a specific timeline and plan (while still catering to the student’s needs).
Pricing is dependent on the tutor’s hourly rate and a:
- 10% discount on the hourly rate for a 10-hour personal course
- 15% discount on the hourly rate for a 20-hour personal course
Test prep classes are a great way for students to get a broad overview of the ISEE and refresh tested concepts. We offer both standard (18 hours) and bootcamp (30 hours) classes for the Upper Level ISEE and the standard classes for the Lower Level ISEE. Courses will cover test-taking strategies and help students refresh their skills in math and reading with significant amounts of instructor-led practice.
Our classes are capped at just 8 students so that every student gets full attention from the instructor, and every student receives a personalized study plan that guides them through to their two test dates.
Standard courses are $1,200, and Boot Camps are $1,750. Students enrolling with 1 or more friends save 10%.
These courses are held in person.
Fall 2023 Upper and Lower ISEE Courses
Our fall courses are designed to lead right up to your student’s first ISEE test date in October or November. Weekday courses meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for 2 weeks and 18 hours and the Upper Level Boot Camp meets on 5 consecutive Saturdays for 30 hours.
- September 18 – September 29 (Weekday)
- 4:30 – 7:30PM each day
- October 16 – October 27 (Weekday)
- 4:30 – 7:30PM each day
- September 16 – October 14 (Upper Level Boot Camp)
- 10:00AM – 4:00PM each Saturday
- includes lunch
Students preparing for the SAT, ACT, or ISEE exams can register for one (or more) of our 2-hour Practice Club sessions to have guided practice and support from our test prep tutors. Students need consistent and meaningful practice each week leading up to their exams, and the Practice Club allows them to properly set aside time to do so. Each session is limited to a 4:1 student to tutor ratio, and our tutors have scored in the top 1% on their own exams.
Each Practice Club 2-hour session is $125.
Mock tests are an integral part to our ISEE prep methodology. We use a diagnostic test to identify your student’s strengths and weaknesses, and we continually recommend additional tests to get students comfortable with the test format and structure.
We offer mock tests on most Saturdays at no-charge for current and future clients.
- The Upper Level ISEE test will last approximately 3 hours. Upper Level is for students applying to grades 9-12.
- The MiddleLevel ISEE test will last approximately 3 hours. Middle Level is for students applying to grades 7&8.
- The Lower Level ISEE test will last approximately 2.5 hours. Lower Level is for students applying to grades 5&6.
In these info sessions, we guide you and your student through what it takes to fullly prepare for the ISEE. We discuss:
- timeline for test dates and admissions deadlines
- structure and expectations for prep and practice
- competitive score goals for Houston schools
- admissions process and choosing schools
We recommend that your student and one parent attend these sessions, which are held in-person only at our office at 2427 Bartlett Street, Houston, TX 77098.
ISEE Admissions Test Overview
Upper/Middle Level ISEE overview video by General Academic Founder Shelby Joe. Read much more about the ISEE at Piqosity.
Lower Level ISEE overview video by General Academic Founder Shelby Joe. Read much more about the ISEE at Piqosity.
ISEE Test Prep FAQs
As the fourth largest public school district in the United States, Houston is fortunate to offer some exceptional public schools.
Our research shows that elementary school desirability and performance are directly related to the wealth of the surrounding neighborhood. Therefore top schools inside the city include River Oaks, West University, Horn (Bellaire), Poe (Southampton), and Roberts (University Place).
At the high school level, Houston’s best public schools are application-only magnet schools like Carnegie Vanguard, DeBakey, and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Click here to read our analysis of Houston’s magnet school lottery.
We could debate this topic ad nauseam! Some Houston private schools like St. John’s, Kinkaid, and Strake Jesuit routinely boast of an exceptional number of students who score in the top 1% on the PSAT. However, ultimately the definition of “best” is different for each family, and indeed each child.
Click here to read our analysis of PSAT National Merit Semifinalists by school.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the average Houston private school costs $25,674, which was up 6% from the previous year. Catholic schools were generally 20% cheaper.
Click here to read our annual analysis of Houston-area private school tuition.
Students are generally able to take the ISEE twice during the application cycle. In Houston, we recommend that students take the ISEE in mid-November and again in early January (if they were unhappy with their first attempt).
Students generally take the test either at their current school (for terminal middle schools) or at the school to which they’re applying.
Registration opens August 1st and does fill up, so parents should register as early as possible.
Click here to see the 2023-2024 ISEE test dates and locations in Houston.
While it’s impossible for us to guarantee specific improvements given every student’s unique situation, our research shows that the average General Academic student improves by 1.4 stanines or up to 20 percentile ranks.
Click here to read our analysis about student score improvement.
The ISEE is a peer-normed test graded along a normal curve, which is split into 9, evenly divided sections. Scores of 4, 5, and 6 are average while scores of 7, 8, and 9 are highest. A 1 approximately represents the bottom 3% of test-takers while a 9 represents the top 3% of test-takers.
In Houston, students applying to the most academically rigorous private schools like Annunciation Orthodox, St. John’s, Kinkaid, Strake Jesuit, or St. Agnes tend to have the best chances of admission with scores of 7 or higher.
Larger private schools with a more academically diverse population like Episcopal, Houston Christian, or St. Pius are more welcoming of average scores of 5 and 6.
About half of General Academic’s more than 300 ISEE students start preparing by the end of August. When preparing for a standardized test, the most important tools are a diagnostic test and time. Students need to know where they are and how far they need to go to meet their goals.
Click here to read our analysis about when when Houston students start preparing for the ISEE.

Stephen Hayes leads our ISEE test preparation services. He is the co-founder of General Academic and lead author of, “ISEE Upper Level Prep Guide and 6 Full-Length Practice Tests.”
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