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    Joined: Feb 2014
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    Aufilia Offline OP
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    So to get SCAT scores for the CTY, my DD, who is 8 and has ADHD, is apparently supposed to take a test at a testing center. I've taken tests at testing centers in the last couple years but I've never seen kids there, only adults, and the attendant has always been in another room and I don't think is readily available to help with technical issues. I can't see how this is possibly a good environment for testing a kid who's never done this before and has a low tolerance for frustration with technology. If your kid has done this, can you share your experience?

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    Val Offline
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    My son did the SCAT when he was 11. There was a reception area where I checked him in. We waited for a few minutes, and then I accompanied him a few feet down a hallway to a desk where a person made sure he didn't have anything in his pockets. This desk was at the entrance to a room with lots of desks with computers.

    I signed a log book and they took him into the room. The attendant was pretty much always sitting there, and anyone who needed help was supposed to raise a hand.

    IIRC, DS told me that the software was fairly basic. He just had to click the circle/box next to his answer choice and then click Next. He got a break between the math and verbal sections, and we went outside and stood in the sun for ten minutes. Honestly, I don't think it was a big deal.

    Seems to me that the larger problem may not be the center, but your DD's tolerance for technology-related frustration. Has she ever done an online test? If not, you might want to do some practice runs with online quizzes to get her used to the idea.

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    Aufilia Offline OP
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    She has done games and programs on the computer, like IXL or Dreambox, and she does Raz Kids for school which does have some quizzes. But she has done them enough to know how to navigate them and how they're scored and when she must answer or when she can go back later and so on. I can only assume she gets one chance at each question on this test, no coming back?

    I actually dislike these computerized tests for important sort of tests, because it's so much easier to not read closely on a computer screen and she can't use any of the strategies that really help her, like underlining the important words so she doesn't miss something.

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    You don't have much to lose by trying it, right?

    She may find the EXPLORE a more congenial format-- longer, but on paper.

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    It's possible to take the test again, if her scores don't qualify. So in that regard, she doesn't have to get stressed out about the fist attempt.

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    Ivy Offline
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    We just did this. The proctors sat her right next to the window and door to the office in case she needed help and they were very kind and sweet with her. We did the practice test questions online before hand and there were also some screenshots of the test on the CTY site.

    That said, my daughter has some trouble with the math portion of the exam. It seems that there was a timer running for the instruction reading portion of the test and she got nervous and thought it was her remaining time. She asked the proctor and they reassured her, but it was still a lot more stressful than the first half. Result is that she passed the first (passed meaning qualified for camps and classes) and not the second. Of course she's also weaker in math, but the combination wasn't a good thing.

    I like the idea of computer practice, but until you've done a timed test in a testing center, it's going to feel unfamiliar. DD wants to redo the test at some point (we missed the registration window for camps anyway -- not to mention needing time to plan for the expense) so it's not a big deal. Knowing she could made her feel a lot better. I told her to think of this one as practice for taking tests and that's probably a good way to look at it.


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