About ISEE Grade 3
Live online ISEE Grade 3 prep for Grade 3. The curriculum has 5 units, from Foundational Vocabulary in Context to The Creative Picture Prompt.
An admission exam administered by ERB used by selective private day and boarding schools nationwide for admissions and academic awards.
ISEE Grade 3 Exam Format & Focus
Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and an unscored Essay.
How Skillzy Young Scholars Prepares Students for ISEE Grade 3
Skillzy Young Scholars teaches ISEE Grade 3 in live online classes with vetted mentors who have completed 100 hours of training. The curriculum is organised into 5 units, with worksheets, quizzes, timed practice and mock exams. Progress is tracked in the LMS and shared with parents in a monthly report.
What ISEE Grade 3 Covers
- Four levels: Primary, Lower (grades 4-5), Middle (6-7) and Upper (8-11)
- Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension and mathematics achievement
- An unscored essay that is sent to the schools
- No penalty for wrong answers, so every question should be answered
- Scores are reported as stanines, which compare students to others of the same grade
ISEE Grade 3 Curriculum
Classes follow these units. Every student starts with a level check, and the order and pace adapt to your child. Units that go beyond the exam's core topics are stretch material.
- Target Audience
- Current Grade 3 students (applying for Grade 4 admission).
- Total Time
- Approximately 54 minutes of testing time.
- Scoring System
- Stanine scores ranging from 1 to 9 (comparing students to a highly competitive peer group). There is NO penalty for incorrect answers on the ISEE.
- Format Details
- The Primary 3 exam is computer-based (or paper-based in certain instances) and consists of three main sections:
- 1. Reading Comprehension: 24 questions; 28 minutes.
- 2. Mathematics (Quantitative Reasoning & Achievement combined): 24 questions; 26 minutes.
- 3. Writing Sample: 1 picture prompt (unscored, but sent directly to admission teams).
What the program focuses on
- Verbal Reasoning (basic vocabulary, synonyms, and simple sentence contexts)
- Quantitative Reasoning (aptitude-style pattern recognition, logic, and basic comparisons)
- Reading Comprehension (literal details, main idea, and basic inferences in short texts)
- Mathematics Achievement (direct math content: addition, subtraction, basic multiplication and division)
- The Unscored Writing Sample (structuring clear, creative responses to an age-appropriate picture prompt)
- Interactive, hands-on learning with continuous progress monitoring
Units
1 Foundational Vocabulary in Context
Students will learn to:
- Expand Grade 3 Vocabulary: Learn high-frequency, age-appropriate words used in typical 3rd and 4th-grade literature.
- Identify Synonyms: Recognize words with the same or nearly the same meaning to answer direct synonym questions.
- Use Sentence Context: Fill in the blank with the correct word by analyzing context clues from the rest of the sentence.
ISEE Alignment - Verbal Section. The ISEE tests vocabulary heavily through context. 3rd graders must be able to read a sentence, understand the logical flow, and select the word that perfectly completes the thought.
Learning activities:
- Interactive synonym matching and vocabulary flashcard relays
- "Fill-in-the-blank" sentence completion logic puzzles
- Process of elimination drills for tricky distractor words
What this means for your child. Your child will significantly expand their everyday vocabulary and learn strategic ways to use context clues to define unfamiliar words.
2 Reading Comprehension: Main Idea & Details
Students will learn to:
- Execute Active Reading: Read short, grade-appropriate passages (fiction and nonfiction) with high focus and intent.
- Extract the Main Idea: Identify what the story or informational text is mostly about, distinguishing it from minor details.
- Locate Specific Details: Go back into the text to find explicit facts and answers to "who, what, where, when, and why" questions.
- Draw Basic Inferences: Learn to "read between the lines" to understand how a character feels or why an event happened based on textual clues.
ISEE Alignment - Reading Section. For Primary 3, students must read independently and answer 24 questions in 28 minutes. This requires a balance of reading carefully but quickly enough to finish the section.
Learning activities:
- "Find the Fact" highlighting games (locating evidence directly in the text)
- Main idea vs. supporting detail sorting tasks
- Basic inference detective games using short stories
What this means for your child. Your child will build crucial reading stamina and comprehension, learning how to read for meaning and accurately prove their answers using textual evidence.
3 Pattern Recognition & Mathematical Logic
Students will learn to:
- Identify Visual & Number Patterns: Look at a sequence of shapes or numbers and logically determine what comes next (e.g., skip counting or alternating shapes).
- Understand Comparisons: Master the concepts of greater than, less than, and equal to using both visual models and mathematical equations.
- Apply Logical Reasoning: Solve puzzle-like math questions that require thinking about how numbers relate to each other, testing natural aptitude rather than just school-taught math.
ISEE Alignment - Quantitative Reasoning. Quantitative Reasoning tests a child's natural aptitude for problem-solving. This requires flexible thinking and recognizing visual and numerical patterns outside of a standard math worksheet.
Learning activities:
- Number sequence logic puzzles (e.g., add 2, subtract 1)
- Greater than / less than sorting games
- Visual pattern prediction and continuation tasks
What this means for your child. Your child will develop foundational logical reasoning skills, learning how to recognize patterns and compare values like a true problem-solver.
4 Foundational Arithmetic & Number Sense
Students will learn to:
- Master Core Operations: Execute multi-digit addition and subtraction (with regrouping/borrowing).
- Introduce Multiplication & Division: Master basic multiplication facts and simple division concepts.
- Understand Place Value & Fractions: Identify place values up to the thousands and understand basic fractions (halves, thirds, quarters) using visual models.
- Solve Simple Word Problems: Translate one- and two-step real-world stories into math equations.
ISEE Alignment - Math Achievement. This section tests what the student has explicitly learned in school. Absolute fluency in 3rd-grade arithmetic is required to solve problems confidently under a time limit.
Learning activities:
- Mental math addition, subtraction, and multiplication speed drills
- Fraction shading and visual modeling tasks
- Word-problem keyword highlighting (e.g., "total" = add, "share equally" = divide)
What this means for your child. Your child will solidify their core math calculation skills, ensuring they can perform basic arithmetic rapidly and solve real-world math scenarios.
5 The Creative Picture Prompt
Students will learn to:
- Analyze the Prompt: Look at a provided picture prompt and brainstorm a cohesive short story.
- Structure a Story: Organize writing with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
- Express Ideas Clearly: Use descriptive adjectives, complete sentences, and basic punctuation to bring a story to life.
ISEE Alignment - Writing Section. While unscored, this writing sample is sent directly to admission directors. It is used to gauge a 3rd grader's raw, unedited ability to form sentences, use imagination, and express creativity.
Always check the official exam organizer for the current format, dates and eligibility. We do not guarantee scores or rankings.
Every student begins with a level check so we can see where the gaps are. Private 1:1 students also get a full diagnostic assessment and a personalized roadmap. We teach the concepts behind each question type, practice under timed conditions, and review every wrong answer. We cannot guarantee specific scores, but progress is tracked in monthly reports.