Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 196 guests, and 25 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    streble, DeliciousPizza, prominentdigitiz, parentologyco, Smartlady60
    11,413 Registered Users
    March
    S M T W T F S
    1 2
    3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    10 11 12 13 14 15 16
    17 18 19 20 21 22 23
    24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Page 2 of 2 1 2
    Joined: Feb 2006
    Posts: 802
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Feb 2006
    Posts: 802
    Ghost did PLUS at 10 years old in 5th grade. No prep other than going through the booklet to see what is the test format.
    He did SAT at 11 in 6th grade. Again, prep involved going through the official SAT booklet to find out about different types of questions and he was checking online for "SAT question of the day".
    This year,at 12 in 7th grade, he will repeat SAT and write ACT.
    He does have an Official SAT Study Guide now and is looking at math questions. ACT prep will include looking through the booklet. He is participating in a talent search most likely for the last time.
    My daughter, 10 years old in 5th grade, will write an Explore. I would love to get my hands on some kind of a booklet so she wil know what types of questions to expect!

    Joined: May 2006
    Posts: 865
    C
    cym Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: May 2006
    Posts: 865
    They'll send a short sample booklet a couple weeks before EXPLORE, but there is a full length practice test available on the ACT website for about $5.

    As far as prep, I had my oldest DS go through the guide/sample test that came with registration for both ACT and SAT. We read the rules very carefully and reviewed the answers. I did the same with second DS but his interest petered out. He was weak in math, so we did some practice from an ancient SAT math book I had (I think this only served to intimidate him because there were so many he didn't know how to work). It's impossible to teach them at this point, so the important thing is that if you narrow a question down to 2 answers, take the guess; otherwise leave it blank. The best thing is to go over that kind of "strategy" with your child, rather than covering more material than the practice test.

    For DS 11, I did have to reassure him that this was supposed to be a fun challenge, that the results don't matter at all at this point, so try not to stress, that no one had to know if he bombed it, that it was good practice/experience for when it did matter (when applying to colleges), etc. I told him not to exhaust his energy on the essay because it didn't mean anything for the talent searches and he didn't have enough life experience and essay writing to do well, so save his strength for the other sections. DS 11 was not having it--he loves writing and said that was how intended to get "worked up" for the rest of the test. We'll see where that put us...


    Joined: May 2006
    Posts: 865
    C
    cym Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: May 2006
    Posts: 865
    Now I can't find where I ordered the EXPLORE sample test on the website. You might call ACT and ask. Maybe they don't offer it anymore (the one I have is from last year when second DS was going to take it, but it ended up conflicting with Science Olympiad).

    One thing I remember from oldest DS was that he did the EXPLORE sample material and scored perfectly (or almost). Then after he took the test, he said it was MUCH harder than the sample test.

    Last edited by cym; 12/16/07 07:18 PM.
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 304
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 304
    I am reading this thread with great interest, as I have wondered about testing after the EXPLORE. There is a wonderful boarding school in our area that accepts day students as well. They request a SSAT done in 8th grade (fall I would assume)for admission. DD wants to go there, as she learned about their wonderful science program (she is interested in zoology)and tons of AP classes offered. So with the goal of SSAT in 8th grade, I wonder if SAT or ACT would be better for 6th and 7th or if there is a way to take the SSAT earlier? From reading their website, the SSAT is similar to the SAT in that it has a written portion and deduction for wrong answers.

    Ania, there is a booklet that comes with the Explore test, our talent search send it our 3 weeks before the test. It will have sample questions that will help in preparation.

    Page 2 of 2 1 2

    Moderated by  M-Moderator, Mark D. 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Testing with accommodations
    by aeh - 03/27/24 01:58 PM
    Quotations that resonate with gifted people
    by indigo - 03/27/24 12:38 PM
    New, and you'd think I'd have a clue...
    by astronomama - 03/24/24 06:01 AM
    For those interested in astronomy, eclipses...
    by indigo - 03/23/24 06:11 PM
    Son 2e, wide discrepancy between CogAT-Terranova
    by astronomama - 03/23/24 07:21 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5