Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy SAT - via talent search or individually?

Are there other benefits through a program that I'm not aware of? Would the actual test taking situation be any different if he registers individually or through a talent search?

Any info appreciated!

My daughter is signed up to take the ACT through the Belin-Blank talent search and my son is taking the EXPLORE with them as they don�t offer the ACT or SAT until 7th grade. We are also considering signing them both up for the SAT through the Midwest Academic Talent Search. We are unsure about the SAT because the dates are not ideal with our schedules.

I suppose my expectation is that there will be more young testers amongst the group if we go through a talent search. I would expect there to be more security and supervision at the test site for a group of younger students. I also like the data to see how they compare to other academically able students in the same grade.

I like going through the talent search. I like to get the reports of comparisons and even if you're not interested in distance ed or summer institutes, wouldn't it be cool to see what's out there? Maybe you'll change your mind sometime (most testimonials say the summer institutes were what sustained the smart kids between summers).

Our "talent search" is $25, so it's not a big deal (Rocky Mountain). I think even this fee is waived if you qualify.

One note of caution for SAT takers. It VERY long. My DS 11 took it in December and he survived but was wiped out. I left him at 7:45 am and picked him up at 12:45 pm. It's a LONG test. The ACT without writing is at least an hour shorter and may be a good way to start.

Good Morning CFK,
I agree that the ACTs are a bit friendlier to younger kids, the only reason to try the SAT, besides the child needing the 'headroom' is to one score before the 13th birthday, so see if they qualify for SET. I can't remember exactly how old your son is, CFK, but if he is 12, then I would suggest the SAT.

Grinity nee Trinity

As Dottie says, the ACT writing portion is optional for all students. It's shorter and, according to DS 13, who has taken it twice, much easier. No penalty for guessing. SAT requires the writing (which is first) and penalizes for wrong answers. Another important difference, as I understand it, is that SAT is a "reasoning" test (somewhat correlatable to IQ at a certain age). ACT is an "achievement" test.

It was interesting to see that my DS did not score too well (composite 26) on ACT in 7th grade, but after another year of "learning" including online math course, scored much better (composite 30). Meanwhile SAT score only went up 70 points in the same interval, which could just be improved comfort level and experience.

We'll see what DS 11 does--he'll also take ACT in Feb. He lacks confidence, so it makes me nervous, even though his IQ scores are in EG range. He thinks he's the least brilliant of the crew, though I don't agree (nor does early testing).

My DS 9 is probably the most talented, and will take EXPLORE in January (he's very excited). If he could just take the math portion of SAT, I would consider it, but he's too immature or wiggly or something to sit for the whole thing at this point. I don't want him to be soured by it. Besides, any program I'm considering for him for the next year or two would accept EXPLORE results. My DH thinks it would be crazy to send him to a summer program for 3 wks...would he maintain personal hygiene? "what's the hurry?" I'm trying to figure out if it would be a really great experience for him, or if I should wait.

One last comment is that you do enter the actual grade they're in. At first I thought that meant skipped kids were "penalized" because now they have to score higher to qualify for programs than if they weren't skipped. However, I keep thinking about what Ania said about how their classmates are older, not necessarily smarter.

Dottie, I think the ACT is what has tortured me for the last several months. DS scored 32 and 31 in Reading/English (whatever the categories--it was 97-98% of college bound srs) and now sits through 9th grade honors English, which he says is material he learned in 4th grade. I'm trying to negotiate a semester skip to 10th grade English so he can go into AP next year. They've never done it before and think I'm pushy freak mom. Oh well--guess that's all off-topic--sorry.

Cym, you are not a freak :-)
The HS that I am hoping my DS will eventually attend puts all kids that want to pursue an IB program into Honors 10 in 9th grade. No testing is needed, no SAT scores, just good grades from middle school. I would fight like hell !

Thanks Dottie & Ania,

It's so therapeutic to gain reassurance here. I'm trying to avoid the online course route right now because I want DS to go out for the HS golf team, continue with MESA club (science) and other activities that will be impacted if he's spending evenings doing online coursework or reading. We have no IB program here, unfortunately, but that sounds great and makes sense.

Anyway, back to SAT-related stuff--are either of your kids going to do a summer institute this year (have I asked that before?)? There's language immersion through Johns Hopkins (Ania, I know Ghost already has some languages down), international studies (my DS says, "I am NOT going to China, Mama!") Ok, maybe I'm projecting my interests... He wants to go back to Duke (their courses don't come out till Jan). We'll see.

This year will be DS's first time with a talent search test. I was worried about how DS would do with a timed test (he has never been timed before and likes to linger over problems, savoring the humor in the incorrect answers!) and also the eye hand coordination with filling in the bubbles. So we did buy The Real ACT prep guide and DS done 2 practice tests. He has gotten much better at time management. I don't think we'll do anything else, though.

I truly do not know about summer courses.
We are going to Europe for six weeks and Ghost will have to do Boy Scout camp (otherwise it will be very difficult to get some of the obscure requirements out of the way for an Eagle).
I would love for him to do Math Path, but I don't think that he is very interested. Plus it is very expensive.
We were thinking about THINK, but if he goes, there is going to be almost no family time here at home over the summer.
My daughter is writing Explore for the first time this winter. It would be interesting to see if she qualifies for any summer programs and if she would be interested in going. So far she is also planning a Girl Scout camp with her troop.

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!

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...

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.

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.