Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Experience with transition to SAT/ACT

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.