The Free Placement Test for ISEE Middle Level math

The Free Placement Test is how LadderPrep finds your child's starting point in ISEE Middle Level math. It takes up to 30 minutes and asks up to 24 scored questions, one at a time, each depending on the answers before it. The result sets where your child starts in the 67 lessons. No payment is needed: you create a free parent account, add your child, and confirm parental permission by email. You see the parent report and a preview of the study plan before you buy anything.

How does my child take the Free Placement Test?

Your child takes the Free Placement Test on their own, in the student area. Before the first lesson, the "Today" page shows "Take the Placement Test", and the test is also listed under Tests. The start page reads "Let's find your starting spot" and gives these rules:

• "One question at a time. You won't see if an answer is right or wrong."
• "There's no clock on each question. The whole test has one time limit, and it keeps running if you take a break." The limit is 30 minutes.
• "No calculator. Keep scratch paper and a pencil nearby."
• Choosing "I haven't learned this yet" is "a real answer, not a skip."

The test covers only the math taught in the 67 lessons. Its time doesn't count toward the plan's weekly minutes, and taking it doesn't start the 180 days of access.

How does the test choose the questions?

The Free Placement Test chooses each question based on your child's earlier answers.

• It starts below grade level. The first questions come from lessons below your child's current grade, then the test moves up to grade-level lessons and beyond.
• It rotates through the 8 areas. Questions rotate through the course's 8 math areas, and your child sees how many areas are done.
• Two right answers confirm a lesson. A lesson is marked Known only when two right answers back each other up. One right answer marks it Likely known.
• One slip doesn't mislabel a lesson. A single wrong answer doesn't mark a lesson To learn. On its own it leaves the lesson "Not checked yet", and the plan teaches it.

How many questions are on the test?

The Free Placement Test has up to 24 scored questions and no minimum. It can end sooner:

• when the 30 minutes run out;
• after 6 misses in a row ("I haven't learned this yet" counts as a miss here);
• when every area has closed (an area closes after 4 misses in a row in that area);
• when there are no more suitable questions to ask.

Once the test gets past its first six questions, one unscored warm-up question is mixed in. Answers given much faster than the question usually takes don't count. Three of those in a row pause the test with "Let's slow down a little." After three pauses the attempt doesn't count, and your child can start again right away.

What does "I haven't learned this yet" do?

Choosing "I haven't learned this yet" marks that lesson "To learn", and no other lesson. It gives your child an honest answer for a topic they haven't seen yet, instead of a guess, and the parent report shows it as your child's own answer.

What does the parent report show?

The Free Placement Test report is on your child's Tests tab once the test counts. It shows:

• A summary chart: for example "20 of 67 lessons Maya likely knew at the placement test", broken down into Known, Likely known, To learn, and Not checked yet.
• A grid of all 67 lessons by course area: "Where Maya stood after the placement test". The grid stays as a record of placement day; the Progress tab shows where your child is now.
• A study plan preview for "Maya's personalized plan": the week new lessons finish, the weeks of the full-length practice tests, and the review time before the test date.
• How the lessons start: how many start with a quick check, with the video, or with practice.
• Every question: "See every question" lists each question with your child's answer.

The report's last line before "See more" reads "A starting point, not a score. Quick checks and practice keep updating it."

What does my child see at the end?

At the end of the Free Placement Test your child sees where to start, never a score or a weakness. The result page reads "All done. Here's your starting spot." It shows:

• "Start here", with the first lesson and a button such as "Start lesson N5";
• "Your strong spot", one area that went well, or "Thanks for every answer" when no area stands out;
• how many lessons start with a quick check: "Pass the quick check and go straight to practice. Look for the bolt on your course map."

How do the results shape the study plan?

The Free Placement Test sets the starting status of each of the 67 lessons, which decides where your child's plan begins and which lessons start with a quick check instead of the video. Lessons the test marked Known also count as taught when the plan schedules the full-length practice tests. The test never removes a lesson from the plan, and quick checks, practice, and practice tests keep updating each lesson's status. How lessons work and how the study plan works explain what happens next.

Questions parents ask

Is there a free ISEE math diagnostic?

LadderPrep's free starting test is the Free Placement Test, for ISEE Middle Level math. It takes up to 30 minutes, has up to 24 scored questions, and shows where your child's plan begins and which of the 67 lessons can start with a quick check. It needs a free parent account, your child's profile, and parental permission, and no payment.

Does the Free Placement Test give a score?

No. It gives no score, percentage, percentile or stanine. The report shows counts and a status for each lesson: Known, Likely known, To learn, or Not checked yet.

Can my child retake it?

No, not once an attempt counts: "You've already taken it, so your starting spot is set." An attempt that didn't count, because it had no scored answer or paused three times, can be taken again right away. After the test, quick checks and practice keep updating where each lesson starts.

Is the placement test required?

No. Without it, lessons start as "Not checked yet" and begin with the video, except lessons two or more grades below your child's current grade, which start with a quick check.

Does it cover other levels or the verbal sections?

No. LadderPrep covers only ISEE Middle Level math: the Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematics Achievement sections. It has no Lower or Upper Level course and no verbal sections.