Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion EXPLORE TEST

WE are planning to enroll our kid to test for ACT Explore. She is in 5th grade. I think it will be a good way to challenge her more. My only fear is, if she fares badly will these scores stay with the ACT and show as history. I really want to hear from parents whose kids participate in duke and other talents and give these tests. My only concern is, hope I do not jeopardize her scoring history.
Thank you all for allaying a mother's anxiety.

Our DD, who is also in 5th grade, will take the EXPLORE in January. We received a packet recently (though I haven't opened it yet) and I seem to recall from our older DS's experience that there are practice questions in the packet. So I'll have DD review those questions and we'll talk about timing/pacing + any other issues or concerns she may have prior to the test.

Based on our older DS's experience, I don't believe ACT retains EXPLORE scores for more than a year and - if they do - those scores are not reported to colleges along w/the student's ACT score in high school. So even if the score is low, I'm not sure it matters (though others may point out something I'm missing).

Our DD is taking the EXPLORE through Duke TIP. I don't know what the downside would be, unless your DD has considerable anxiety or adamantly does not want to test. Our DD would obviously prefer not to take this test, but she has seen how her older brothers became familiar w/these types of tests - over a period of several years - and it really has paid off for them so far. Oldest son is a National Merit Scholar on a full-tuition college scholarship (via the PSAT & SAT) and high-school brother is working toward that goal by preparing for the PSAT right now. We tell our kids that "slow & steady wins the race," which I personally believe to be true.

For our DD, we've told her that her EXPLORE score is not even a concern at this point. We just want her to become familiar with what it's like to take a test of this kind: Preparing to the extent she can (which means reviewing the EXPLORE pamphlet in this case), getting up early, eating a good breakfast, standing in line at the test center, locating the bathroom before the test & using the bathroom first (before anything else) during breaks. Watch for air vents - you don't want to be sitting under an air vent during any test. Does your chair wobble back & forth? If so, raise your hand and ask the proctor for a new chair! Are your pencils sharpened and your snacks packed the night before? How well do you do with timing on the test? How can you improve your pacing? ALL these small factors are important when it comes to actual PSAT/SAT/ACT testing...so DD is learning about those things now, and the test itself will be what it will be. That's what we stress, so I really don't think DD is nervous or anxious about it at all. Just a learning experience, among many.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I personally would not worry about scores at all right now, and makes sure your DD views this as a chance to see what future testing will entail. It's a shame that so much rides on testing, but it does.

Best of luck to you & your DD!

ACT does not retain the EXPLORE score, or if they do, it does not show up on the ACT account when the kid is in HS. In any case, the HS student only sends scores from 9th grade on to colleges - colleges are not typically interested in earlier scores.

Based on my experience with a kid who took EXPLORE in 3rd grade and the ACT in 11th grade, and is now a college junior.

OP,

Jewel offers some great tips above, especially the sharp pencils, good night's rest and a healthy breakfast. Our DD uses mechanical pencils so they are always sharp (just remember to fill the magazine/hopper) which is one less worry/distraction. Bathroom breaks are also a good tip as 'needing to go' does not help with focus on the task at hand.

We had our DD take it through using Duke Tips to give her exposure to tests of this sort and to learn exam technique. We were not overly worried about the longevity of any scores because, as NotSoGifted says, they are not retained.

Good luck!

Thank you all so much.Jewel you motivated me enough. All your inputs: not so gifted and madeinuk helped me a lot.
I will be sending my daughter for the test.She read all your posts and wants to go now and try it out. Thank you guys...
God bless and Wish you all a Very Happy New Year.

Thanks

Jane, I'm so glad my post was helpful to you & your DD. Once the test is behind her, she will probably feel happy & proud of herself that she undertook the challenge! At this point, the score itself should not matter, because it's all about learning the ins/outs of testing itself.

And, true story: I had read somewhere about not sitting in a chair that wobbles or is uneven, because that can be very distracting. I've always reminded my older boys about this. Right before he took the PSAT (which is the gateway to National Merit), my oldest DS realized his chair wobbled back & forth. Now, he's fairly shy but he knew what he had to do. He stood up and told the proctor he needed a new chair...and he got one! He made the NMSF cut-off exactly...no points to spare...so I can only imagine what might have happened if he had not known to ask for another chair. He felt confident in the testing situation, having taken the SAT and ACT before on a few occasions, and knew what he needed to do!

What helps is to have everything packed up the night before - sharpened pencils, protein snacks, small bottle of water, kleenex, lip balm, watch for timing, admission ticket & ID - so your DD feels completely ready to go. She should bring a sweater or jacket always. She should know where the restrooms are and always head there first during a break. After a few tests like this, she will feel very good about knowing what to pack & what she needs to do.

We will obviously stay at the test center during the EXPLORE, since our DD's just 11, so your DD may want you to do the same. Most test centers have places you can wait.

My older boys were no big fans of testing, but they knew it was important to work at it over time and I'm grateful they were willing to approach testing positively. At younger ages, it's just about learning what to expect and how to manage the testing environment.

Good luck to your DD and Happy New Year to your family, as well.

Do the practice questions sent in the packet accurately depict the difficulty of the actual exam questions?

Just trying to prepare DS for what to expect on Saturday.

I am waiting to hear about this as well for both my DD's. They will take it on Feb. 20.
I look forward to hearing from those who take the test in Jan. and early Feb.

It's hard to say because as parents we obviously don't get to see the actual exam questions. I was trying to find a good sample test for my DD10 last fall, mostly because I wanted to let her have a feel of what it's like taking a very long test and practice filling in bubbles. But I was not able to find any good full-length test. So we just let her do the sample questions that came with the brochure and sent her in like that. Luckily she did well.