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    #213331 03/26/15 08:56 PM
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    Labmom Offline OP
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    Has anyone had their child take the regular ACT vs. EXPLORE in 6th grade, and if so, how did your child feel about the experience?

    We are looking at options for a new education path for our DD11 and thought this might help us figure a few things out....like if we homeschool where we should begin! As well as perhaps opening some doors for other opportunities. DD is a DYS, so I think she has the brain power to do OK on the full ACT, but I don't know if she will tolerate sitting still for FOUR hours of testing! Any tips on how to help prepare her for such a task?

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    How did she do sitting still for the Explore? A much shorter test, I know, but it ought to give you a sense...


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    Our ds13 took it last year when he was in 7th (but he'd just been grade skipped so he would have been in 6th) and he was fine with the length. It looks like your dd might be grade-skipped as well. Does she want to? I think as long as she wants to, she'll have the stamina.

    Last edited by KADmom; 03/27/15 04:59 AM.
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    Make sure she takes the ACT without writing. Writing just makes it longer (for a 6th grader, HS kids should take with writing for college applications).

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    DS did take the ACT in 6th grade, had not taken the Explore. I think if you take it through a talent search, the writing portion is not included anyway. To prepare, well, does she do testing in school already? That's a good start. Also, get the booklet from ACT or a prep book from your public library. Take the sample tests (we set up at the dining room table a couple of Saturday mornings and did one portion of the test each Saturday, with a timer.) Then grade the test and for any incorrects, figure out if it's an error in knowledge, a Mis-mark, a timing issue, or (as DS figured out) an error in the book.

    Then, if you want to, go through the prep sections. But it's interesting to take the practice tests first. We found that the score on the practice test was predictive of the actual one. That was true of my HS junior, too.

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    Labmom Offline OP
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    Thanks for the replies. She has not taken the Explore, and it has been a few years since she has done any formal testing (with the exception of IQ testing). She has not been grade skipped, just very young for her grade. She is "up" for the testing, mostly because I told her it would help me prepare if we decided to homeschool next year, which she wants to do. We did sign up through NUMATS. My plan is to do basically what NotherBen did, so I am glad to hear it worked for your son.

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    We did it (without writing) in 6th. It was long, but DS mostly enjoyed it. (NB he likes tests.) He had done the Explore previously and was familiar with the format and rules.

    The data was enough to convince the school about further accelerations that were urgently needed. One had the feeling that the EXPLORE meant nothing to them, but the ACT gave data on a scale they were familiar with.


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    If your DD has any task or activity she can focus upon intensely for an extended period of time, she will be fine on the ACT.

    It's not the ACT, but DS took the SAT in 5th grade to qualify for SET. When he came out he said the experience was "very relaxing", which I thought was very funny at the time. DS is a competitive chess player which sometimes requires intense thinking for 8-10 hours a day, and compared to that, he didn't find the 3+ hour SAT test as being demanding.

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    My DD took both the ACT and EXPLORE as a 10yo 6th grader. She was fine with it.

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    My 4th grader will complete algebra 1 before he advances to 5th this Fall. I expect him to complete geometry over the 5th grade. Is this enough math do well on the ACT. How much formal math education did your 5th/6th grader complete before examination? He wants to be ready for isee, talent searches, and a couple of early college admission test (sat/act) at the end of his sixth grade. He will also need to re-up at CTY. thx.

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