Testing and Assessment

Testing or assessment comprises an important part of our admissions process.

Testing and Assessment information 

pre-Kindergarten through grade 4

Due to limited space and a competitive applicant pool, we encourage families to submit an application by Nov. 15 for a priority decision option* and no later than Feb. 15 for a regular decision option (please refer to the Application Process page for dates and deadlines).  

*Please note for some grades priority decision admission notification may be delayed until regular decision notification on March 1, 2024. Please contact the admission office for questions.

Pre-Kindergarten through Kindergarten

An application is required in order to schedule an admission assessment for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten applicants. After your admission application is submitted, your child will be scheduled for one of the following assessments:

1. An assessment of your child’s developmental skills and school readiness takes place in a friendly, relaxed classroom atmosphere with teachers and small groups of children.
2. For applicants to our pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds program, we ask the applicant’s parents to join us for a family visit as part of the admissions process.
3. Pre-kindergarten applicants currently enrolled in the Beginnings Parent and Toddler Program are waived the assessment portion of the application process.
4. Your child does not have to be fully toilet-trained at the time of the assessment but he or she must be fully toilet-trained by the first day of school with the exception of those students entering the pre-kindergarten for 2-year-olds program.
5. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten admission assessments for regular admission applicants will be scheduled on an individual basis for grades where space remains.

Grades 1 through 4

Your child’s admission assessment is an age-appropriate standardized test for grades 1-4 that measures general school ability along with achievement in reading and math. The assessment takes place in a comfortable one-on-one setting permitting careful teacher observation. An application is required in order to schedule admission testing for grades 1-4. 

The admission assessment for grades 1-4 will be scheduled on an individual basis for grades where space remains.

Grades 5 through 12

1. Applicants to grades 5 through 12 should take the Educational Records Bureau’s Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) as part of the admissions process. The ISEE is an admission test for students applying to independent schools. The test covers verbal and quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, math achievement, and includes a non-scored essay that demonstrates your student’s writing skills.
2. Applicant families should register online for the ISEE At-Home Testing, ISEE paper test at a school, or to schedule the test at a Prometric Testing Center. Remember to add the Seven Hills School code 361005 to the score report section. 
3. For students entering the 11th and 12th grades, the PSAT, ACT, or SAT serves as an acceptable alternative to the ISEE, if the test is taken in the current year.
4. Students who require F-1 visas or for whom English is not their first language should take the TOEFL, which measures English proficiency, in addition to the ISEE. For additional information about the TOEFL, visit the International Students page.

Registering for the ISEE 

Students may take the ISEE online via ISEE At-Home Testing, at a Prometric Testing Center, or on paper at a school. Applicant families should register for their choice of options via the icon below.

When registering, add the Seven Hills School code 361005 in the score report section.