Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Who's doing talent search testing this yr?

So who's doing SAT, ACT, EXPLORE, SCAT? Are you going through the talent searches or independently? Are you prepping? Fall or Spring testing?

My kids will be doing SCAT just for the heck of it. DD needs the practice with tests and I'm curious to see how DS will do. I don't expect we'll qualify for classes let alone awards. Prepping? Not really...I'll probably let them work on the sample tests a few weeks prior to the test date.

DS took ACT and SAT last year in 6th grade. He had fun with the ACT and happily went into the SAT a few months later. When I asked him if he wanted to do either test again, he said no way. I think the two tests last year burned him out. Of course, I'm disapointed because I really wanted 7th grade scores! WAAAH

But since his scores from last year will qualify him for anything he he would want to do over the summer, including THINK, I don't see any reason to push him. Who knows, he might not test again until his Jr. year. DS has already taken more college entrance exams than I did LOL!(I took the SAT once in the fall of my Sr. year and that seemed to be enough).

Hi Dottie,

Can your DS still qualify for SET if you don't go through the talent search?

Current thought for us is DS10 will take SAT and ACT (can't decide which to do fall v. spring) even though he's a 6th grader. My state doesn't have awards through any talent search, so it's more to see how far he can go. DS12 will do both as well, but I'll have him test the opposite tests as DS10 so there's no competition at the time. DS7 did SCAT last year and probably won't do EXPLORE till next year. DS14 will probably take ACT "for real" in spring.

Hi Cathy,

Remind me how old your kids are. SCAT is a fun, short one--good choice for intro test.

Hi acs,

BUT test scores are only good for 2 yrs (I thought) for summer institute qualification, so if he doesn't test again in 8th grade...did he already qualify for SET, 'cause that's another reason to test again.

How funny to see this question! Just registered ds 3rd grade today for scat in Nov; I figured I shouldn't set it so far in the future that I forget about it completely!!
(We are doing way too much other stuff this fall, it is going to be a doozy - I don't know who I think we are!)

No major expectation of qualifying for anything, just wanted to see how he does and it is pretty low cost. Going through jhu-cty.
The only prep I plan is to go over the concept of analogy a bit and how the test will be administered. Pretty much what they tell you in the pamphlet.

For the SCAT through JHU-CTY, when it says "take the test by March 1" do you go to any of the testing centers and take it any time or all kids registered taking the test on the same day at a testing cetner.

My kids are 9 and 5.


DD9 took the SCAT last year and barely missed qualifying for CTY classes on the verbal section. DS5 is in 2nd grade. He's never taken any kind of test before so I have no idea how he'll do. He would be tested with the second graders, I assume.

You make an appointment with the testing center. They are not testing en masse.