Canada's leading independent schools are highly competitive, and most use standardised admissions tests to help compare applicants from different school systems, cities, and countries. Understanding which tests are used, how they are scored, and what score a competitive applicant needs is essential groundwork for any family considering independent school admission in Canada. This guide covers the ISEE, the SSAT, and the role school-specific entrance examinations play alongside them.
ISEE vs SSAT: Which Test Is Used Where
The two principal admissions tests used by Canadian independent schools are the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination) and the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test). Both are designed by US-based non-profits and are accepted by most North American independent schools, though individual schools specify which they prefer or require.
Check before you register: Upper Canada College, Bishop Strachan School, and Havergal College all specify their preferred tests on their admissions pages. Some schools accept both; others require one specifically. Register for the wrong test and you may need to sit a second examination at short notice.
Administered by ERB. Scores reported as stanines (1–9) within grade-level norm groups. Competitive applicants to top Canadian schools typically need stanine 7–9 (top 23%). Does not penalise for guessing on most question types. Five levels: Primary, Lower, Middle, Upper, and a separate Level for Grade 8 entry.
Administered by SSATB. Scores reported as percentile ranks within a highly self-selected norm group (students who have taken the SSAT are inherently above average). A 75th percentile SSAT score is equivalent to a very high raw score. There is a guessing penalty (¼ point deducted per wrong answer).
Score Targets at Top Canadian Schools
Canadian independent schools do not publish official cut-off scores — admissions decisions are holistic and consider interview performance, school reports, extracurricular record, and in many cases an additional school-specific entrance examination. However, admissions consultants and published research point to consistent benchmarks for competitive applicants.
| School | City | Test(s) Accepted | Indicative Score Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Canada College | Toronto | ISEE / SSAT | ISEE stanine 7–9 (85th+ percentile) |
| Bishop Strachan School | Toronto | ISEE / SSAT | ISEE stanine 7–9 |
| Havergal College | Toronto | ISEE / SSAT | ISEE stanine 6–9 |
| Crescent School | Toronto | ISEE / School exam | ISEE stanine 6+ |
| Shawnigan Lake School | BC | SSAT preferred | SSAT 65th+ percentile (self-selected norm) |
| St. George's School | Vancouver | ISEE / SSAT | ISEE stanine 6–9 |
| Lower Canada College | Montreal | ISEE / SSAT / School | Varies — school exam weighted heavily |
Score targets are indicative only and based on publicly available admissions guidance. Contact schools directly for current requirements.
Understanding ISEE Stanine Scores
The ISEE reports scores as stanines — a nine-point scale derived from the normal distribution. Unlike a raw score or percentile, a stanine communicates a band of performance rather than a precise rank, which makes it easier for admissions committees to interpret without over-weighting small point differences.
| Stanine | Percentile Range | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 96th–99th | Very high — top 4% of applicant norm group |
| 8 | 89th–95th | High |
| 7 | 77th–88th | Above average — competitive for most top schools |
| 6 | 60th–76th | Above average — competitive for many schools |
| 5 | 40th–59th | Average |
| 4 | 23rd–39th | Below average |
| 1–3 | Below 23rd | Well below average |
ISEE norm groups are based on all students who have taken that level of the test in the preceding three years — a genuinely representative sample, not a self-selected group of high achievers. This makes ISEE stanines directly comparable across years and schools.
School-Specific Entrance Examinations
Many Canadian independent schools administer their own entrance examination in addition to or instead of ISEE/SSAT. These are typically conducted on the school's premises during the admissions open day or a dedicated assessment session in January or February. School-specific exams generally test English comprehension, writing, and mathematics at a level aligned with the entry grade. Some schools also include a cognitive reasoning component.
At schools that use both a standardised test and a school-specific examination, admissions teams typically weight the school exam more heavily — it assesses performance under the specific conditions and in the specific format that the school values, and allows direct comparison among students who all sat the same paper on the same day.
Preparation for school-specific examinations should focus on the school's stated curriculum level for the entry grade, timed writing practice, and mathematical problem-solving. Unlike ISEE preparation, which benefits from specific test-taking strategy training (guessing policy, timing, question-type recognition), school exam preparation is more effectively addressed through broad curriculum consolidation and writing fluency.