One of the most important things to know about the ISEE and SSAT Tests is that there will be content that your child has never seen before, especially in the math sections. It is important that parents understand that this test may be very difficult for your children, even if your child is normally a good student. You need to be prepared to support your child through the stress of learning brand-new content during this process.
They typically consider grades, scores, and extra-curriculars/recommendations all equally. This test is not the end of the world, and will not be the only indicator of their ability to get into a good school. Schools are looking for well-rounded students, so the test is just one part of the application.
Private schools are looking for test results that are consistent across the different sections, which means that it's better to have similar math/verbal/reading scores than to have much higher scores in one section than another. This is why it's important to customize our instruction to focus on the areas that need the most improvement.
Taking practice tests is an important part of the preparation process and reduces anxiety on test day. I recommend your child take a full practice test after the first or second tutoring session, because you don't want the student to be overwhelmed by the content too early. Your child needs to build up endurance, because the test is nearly 3 hours long and is quite exhausting for students.