Quantitative Reasoning is the second section of the ISEE and is generally considered the most difficult. In this section, students have 35 minutes to complete 37 questions or just under 1 minute per question. There are two question types – word problems and quantitative comparisons. Word problems present math questions in paragraph format where students must correctly translate words into mathematical functions. Quantitative comparisons are what most students probably say is the most difficult part of the ISEE. In this section, students are presented with values in two columns, column A, and column B, followed by four options: A) The quantity in Column A is greater B) The quantity in Column B is greater. C) The two quantities are equal. D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given. For both word problems and quantitative comparisons, the Middle Level tested material includes algebra and basic geometry. Our experience is that most 6th graders should have seen most of the tested concepts by the end of December of their 6th grade year. Calculators are not allowed on any level of the ISEE.

This section is divided into two parts that contain two different types of questions. Each question in Part One consists of a word problem followed by four answer choices. Look at the four answer choices given and select the best answer. Each question in Part One consists of a word problem followed by four answer choices. Using the information given in each question, compare the quantity in Column A to the quantity in Column B, and choose one of these four answer choices: - The quantity in Column A is greater. - The quantity in Column B is greater. - The two quantities are equal. - The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.