My DD took the Explore as an 8yo 4th grader, having skipped 2nd. She took it mostly because I wanted her to, and was resistant to any suggestions of technique (including, but not limited to, "don't leave any questions unanswered"). She did not particularly enjoy the test experience.
She declined to test as a 5th grader.
In 6th grade, she heard the intercom announcement that the 8th graders were all taking the Explore. "Hey, that's the test I took in 4th, right? Can I take that again?" I explained that based on her 4th grade scores, I thought she'd get meaningful results on two sections, but that if she wanted meaningful results on the other two, she might try the ACT. She choose to take both.
ACT was yesterday. She spent maybe an hour the night before on test-taking strategy, went in feeling comfortable, and came out relatively happy.
