We publish 6 in-depth prep guides covering 6 selective enrollment and competitive admission schools in Washington, including BASIS Independent Bellevue, BASIS Independent Bothell, Eastside Catholic School, Lakeside School, Seattle Preparatory School and The Overlake School — covering essays, exam strategy, and application timelines.
BASIS Independent Bellevue's admissions team personally scores the ISEE writing sample on six specific criteria — and families never see those results. This post reveals exactly what the team looks for and how targeted essay practice gives Bellevue applicants a real edge before December 2026 testing begins.
BASIS Independent Bothell now requires the ISEE starting with 2026–2027 admissions — and the school only accepts your child's first score submission. This guide covers ISEE levels, on-campus test dates, stanine targets, and what BASIS admissions actually looks for beyond the numbers.
Eastside Catholic requires student essay questions for every applicant — and ISEE or SSAT takers submit a writing sample on top of that. This post breaks down exactly what EC admissions readers look for, how to approach the most common prompt structures, and how timed Essay Writing Practice Tests help 8th graders build the authentic voice EC values.
Writing a 100–250 word admissions essay for Lakeside School is harder than it sounds — especially for students in grades 5–9 who've never had to compress their ideas that tightly. This guide gives you a concrete framework, sample prompt analysis, a before/after revision, and timed Essay Writing Practice Tests to build the skill before application season opens.
Seattle Prep is Washington's top-ranked Catholic high school, and every applicant must take the HSPT by early January. This guide covers the December test window, competitive score targets, and the class placement stakes that most prep resources completely miss.
The Overlake School admissions essay is just 200 words — and every single one counts. This guide gives 9th–11th grade applicants a concrete writing framework for the Ravenna personal statement, explains how the SSAT writing sample is different, and decodes Overlake's holistic values so your essay feels authentic, not performative.