Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Duke tip 7th grade talent search ACT/SAT?

Hi
I am trying to enroll my son in Duke tip 7th grade talent search. He has appeared in previous duke tip exams like Explore and 5-6 the grade talent search.
For the 7th graders we have option to appear for ACT or SAT exam. I am not really sure which one to choose. I just know that SAT is given in high school for under grad college admission.
The Duke tip website does not recommend any test. Only below facts are given on the webSite.

ACT SAT
3.5 to 4 hours long 3.75 hours long
4 sections�English, 3 sections�Critical Reading,
Mathematics, Reading, Mathematics, Writing (includes essay)
Science
36 possible points on each section 800 possible points on each section

Which one should we choose ? ACT or SAT?


thanks
eagerparent

My DD actually did both tests. This was beneficial in that it exposed her to both tests and also allowed us to see the differences in the tests. The interesting thing was that she qualified for awards in every area except math on the ACT and on the SAT only qualified with her math score. Obviously we will keep this in mind when it is time for her to take the tests in high school.

If you just want to expose a child to a test and do not care about qualifying for something, it is cheaper and easier to just have her take one of the released tests (they are available for both the SAT and ACT) at home.

The ACT math section covers more math, such as trigonometry, than the SAT math section, so your daughter's relative underperformance on the ACT math may simply indicate unfamiliarity with some tested concepts.

As I said, she did qualify for something with both tests, and I never said that exposure was the only purpose. Also, taking a release test at home is no where near the same as taking a test under testing conditions. I simply was sharing our experience and pointing out that you have an option of having your child take both.

My dd has opted to take the SAT. She has taken the EXPLORE twice and really maxed out her scores when she took it in January so this year she wants to try the SAT. I think it was a good choice on her part so that she gets exposure to it and understands what is expected with that test as well.