I need advice. My son was tested a couple years ago using the WiSC-V test. He qualified as gifted but his visual spacial score was only high average percentile. This was due to the fact that they used puzzles by hand to test. Online tests his scores are exceptionally high. The lower score in this bracket puts his full score, although still in the 99 percentile, not high enough to get help from Davidson. Is there a test I can take to get the visual spacial online or would you recommend having him take another test such as the ACT or SAT. He is entering the 7th grade. Thank you.

He can also qualify based on two index score in the 145+ range, such as VCI and FRI. Check those scores.

Also, there are other excellent GT resource organizations in addition to DYS, such as JHU's SET, for which the criterion is a score of 700+ Math or 630+ Critical Reading on the SAT before age 13 (or incrementally higher scores for each month of age past the 13th birthday). It's also free, and includes parent supports, consultation, and peer interaction opportunities. As an entering seventh grader, this is a perfect time to plan for the SAT for that purpose. You don't even have to register for it through them, or pay an additional fee beyond the standard College Board fees. Just send them a score report when you register for the test.

What are you trying to accomplish by taking either test?

I'm not clear on what you mean by "Is there a test I can take to get the visual spacial online". There are no online tests that are going to be accepted as a substitute for a real evaluation by DYS. Or JH, or anyone else, probably.

If you're just trying to get him into DYS/etc, I'd suggest the SAT, as it also serves as an admission score for SET, TIP, and others.


I haven't checked, but I assume the ACT and SAT score cutoffs for DYS are the same, percentile-wise. Some do better on one test than the other, but I don't think there's a way to tell without taking both. I guess they both have practice tests, you could try those.

If your DS is fine with it, do the SAT or ACT through a talent search. If your goal is DYS, the ACT has a "lower" threshold if you compare percentile scores necessary to qualify.

AEH, the Crirtical Reading (CR) score threshold hasn't been 630 since they re-centered the SAT in the 1990's. 700 on CR after that re-centering corresponds to the previous 630, which is partly why the SET threshold was adjusted. Of course, the current SAT that was adopted in March 2016 is a totally different beast. The last I heard, SET is no longer relying on just the Reading score but has adopted the new EBRW score, which combines the Reading and Writing scores, but left the threshold at 700. Is it your understanding that SET is lowering the threshold to 630 for EBRW?

Nope. Just having a momentary throwback whatever-day-of-the-week-that-was to the '90s! I'm going to go check the volume of my hair now.

Yes, I confirmed last year with CTY that the SET score cutoffs remained at 700 for the two 800 scale scores on the "new" SAT - EBRW and Math (effectively lowering the threshold by about 30 points).

I also noted elsewhere that the ACT percentiles at DYS seemed significantly lower than those for the SAT, but the ACT can't be used for SET or TIP.