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    Joined: Feb 2012
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    We are considering transitioning from Explore to SAT this year for talent search. My concern here is that the test might be demoralizing for younger kids. Can folks speak of experience of taking SAT at younger ages?

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    My older two took the SAT in 7th grade, age 12 or so. They took the 2400 scale format in 7th and again in HS, so I do not have any experience with the new format.

    They understood that the SAT is a test for HS 11th and 12th graders, and that they wouldn't ace it. However, the test wasn't so difficult that they felt demoralized.

    They both took the ACT in 11th grade (we are in an SAT area of the country), and while they would not have been familiar with all of the subject matter in 7th grade, there are a good number of questions a bright 7th grader could answer.

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    My kids, both now in hs, took the SAT in 7th grade at age 12. We told them it was to qualify for online classes at CTD (Northwestern Univ.). They didn't complain about the difficulty (both had pretty decent scores based on 12th grade norms), and really had no reference point to know if their scores were high or not. So no, it was not demoralizing. The worst part was that the test takes ~4 hours - long and tedious.

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    Hardly anyone is familiar with the new SAT, since it hasn't been out a year. However, one of our kids took the previous SAT at 13, and most members of my sib group took the way old SAT back in the day between ages 9 and 11. One of my young relatives took the ACT this past winter, at age 10. I think it was made clear to all of us that some of the material might be topics in which we had no prior instruction or exposure, since the tests are designed for students leaving 11th or 12th grades. Take your best guess and move on. Whether it could be demoralizing is somewhat dependent, however, on the specific child. One of our children did not end up testing, because it would have been an unnecessarily unpleasant and anxiety-provoking experience.

    For my own children, I've explained that I am deliberately having them take a test with a high ceiling compared to their current nominal grade placement, so that I can track ongoing progress, and progress toward college prep, because age/grade-appropriate measures don't give enough information on progress in their cases. When it's time to apply to college, then they'll take it again "for real." Test prep consists solely of taking the practice test in the registration materials (or you could use the same test on the CB website).


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    I am not sure what would constitute younger age but the issue should probably be when your child has outgrown the Explore. DS13 hit the ceiling on the Explore at age 9 with his composite score in the 99th percentile (both as against 8th graders and talent search 4th graders). I would have had to switch him to the ACT/SAT the next year but he skipped a year of talent search participation due to a busy schedule of middle school assessments. He finally took the SAT the year after in 6th grade in line with other NUMATS kids so not super young. DD13 did not take her first SAT until she was 12 and in 7th grade so even older. Neither kid was demoralized or stressed. There is the element of endurance and focus, which in my opinion is a beneficial skill/experience.

    I should probably add that both kids took both the old SAT (last administration) and the new SAT (first administration) this past year. Overall, the new SAT is less endurance and less stressful due to optional essay and so shorter time as well as the switch to fewer but longer sections that are grouped by subject. On the old SAT, there were ten sections and you had to switch gear ten times as the math, CR and writing sections were random.

    Last edited by Quantum2003; 08/28/16 11:26 AM.

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