If you’ve ever been a parent or teacher sitting beside a child taking a timed test, you’ve probably said some version of:
“Remember to go back and check your work.”
It’s one of those “if I had a nickel…” phrases. We say it constantly, but when students are taking a timed test like the ISEE, that simple habit often disappears.
Over the years of watching students work through timed sections, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what actually stands in the way.
It turns out the resistance usually comes from 3 very real (and very understandable) thoughts.
“I already didn’t know the answer. Why would I know it now?”
When students begin ISEE test prep, their testing “toolkit” is usually pretty small.
Many have never taken a test where:
- They see so much unfamiliar content
- They need to move quickly
- Strategy matters as much as knowledge
So their decision-making process is simple:
- I know this → I can do it.
- I don’t know this → I can’t do it.
That mindset makes perfect sense in everyday school testing. But the ISEE is different.
Success on these exams depends heavily on strategy, not just knowledge.
During preparation with my students, we work on:
- Specific strategies for specific question types
- Using elimination strategies
- Spotting patterns and clues
- Managing time intentionally
When students revisit a question after learning these strategies, something important happens:
They are not the same test-taker they were the first time they saw it.
Going back isn’t about magically “knowing more.”
It’s about applying tools they didn’t use the first time.
This is a huge mindset shift, and a powerful one.
“I don’t want to change my right answers.”
This fear is super common, and honestly, it’s reasonable.
Students often believe that reviewing answers will cause them to lose points by changing correct answers to incorrect ones.
But when we actually track what happens during review, we see a very different pattern.
Most of the time, students:
- Change wrong answers → to right answers
- Change wrong answers → to better guesses
- Rarely change right answers → to wrong ones
In fact, losing points during review happens far less often than students imagine.
When a student frequently changes their answers, we want to figure out why.
Sometimes students feel like they have to change something because surely they couldn’t have gotten everything right. That urge is understandable, but it’s not strategic.
The goal is a more nuanced habit:
Yes, review your work.
No, don’t change an answer unless you have a clear reason.
I like to teach students to ask themselves:
- Did I fully read the question?
- Did I skip a strategy I know?
- Did I skip a strategy I didn’t have time for?
- Do I see new evidence now?
Reviewing becomes a thinking process, not a guessing process.
The reason most kids don’t say out loud: “My brain is tired.”
Students don’t usually say this one, but I will say it for them.
The ISEE is mentally exhausting.
By the time students reach the end of a timed section, their brain is working hard just to finish. Reviewing answers requires:
- Sustained focus
- Mental energy
- Emotional discipline
And that’s difficult, especially for younger students.
This is why “checking your work” isn’t just a reminder.
It’s a skill that must be practiced and trained.
During preparation, I help students build the stamina to budget time intentionally, expect to review, and stay mentally engaged until the very end.
Because on a test like the ISEE, the final minutes are often where extra points are found.
The big takeaway
“Go back and check your work” sounds simple.
But on the ISEE, it actually requires:
- Strategy
- Confidence
- Self-understanding
- Stamina
- Practice
When students learn how to review effectively, those last few minutes of a section can become a goldmine of extra points.
And that’s a skill they’ll carry far beyond admissions testing.
If your child will be taking the ISEE or SSAT for admission to competitive independent schools, it would be my honor to be their guide on that journey.
