Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Explore test questions

DD, who just turned 9 will be taking the Explore test in January. I read on the Talent Search website that calculators are allowed. DD wants a "real" calculator for Christmas, and I wonder which kind are allowed for the Explore test. I don't want to buy a fancy calculator that wouldn't be allowed (even though she may not know how to use all the functions).

Also any tips on what to expect? Should DD try to answer all questions or will there be a deduction for wrong answers? DD is a perfectionist and getting her to understand that she will not know every single thing on this test will be difficult. Any advice how to explain the purpose and design of the test to her? I don't want her to be nervous, I would like her to feel prepared for what to expect.

Jen

Thanks Dottie. I haven't received our testing materials, not sure how early those are sent. Since DD wants a "real" calculator fr Christmas, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone.

My goal for the Explore test is true assessment for class placement, not so much maximizing a score. But with a perfectionist DD I would need to inform her that she is not likely to finish the test in the alloted time. What would happen though if a child picks on the math portion all the algebra questions (for example) and leaves trigonometry unanswered, would that affect the score negatively? I could see DD doing that not because of skill but preference.

Thanks again for your help.

J

Thanks again Dottie,

After doing some more reading, it seems that the TI 83 would do the job for us. It is ok for the SAT/ACT so I would think the Explore would be find with it also. DD has a very simple (read: cheap) basic calculator and saw her babysitters graphing calculator, which I think started this. I told her how expensive they can get and she asked for it as a gift.

I used the TIs in college as well and I think they are considered the preferred calculator for our middle school and high schools.

J

If you go to the ACT Explore website, there is a sample booklet you can order. It is a full length test and I think costs $5. You will be sent a booklet called "Getting Ready for EXPLORE" a couple weeks before the test, but it's only a sampling (not full length). I bet your DD would like to have both.

Thanks for the info cym. I don't know where to go for this booklet though. We are supposed to get a short sampling of types of questions. It would be nice to have a full length test to reduce anxiety from the unknown. Right now DD knows about the test and isn't concerned about it and I'd like to keep it that way:)

J

My D got her admission ticket yesterday. No other info whatsoever. No sample questions, no info how to order them.
I checked the website and there is nothing there either. They do talk about the "packet" you can order, but there is no indication that this "packet" contains any sample questions.
http://www.act.org/explore/order.html

When my S wrote PLUS two years ago we did receive a sampling, much like SAT brochure.
Cym, can you post a link to what you have found out, please.
Dottie, when did you receive your"sampling"?

I called their offices but they are closed today due to inclement weather.

http://www.act.org/explore/ests/preview.html

Here it is.

Thanx, why didn't we get it with the admission ticket?
This looks like "samping", Cym mentioned the whole test.

While I agree that no prep should be done for a test like that, I think that giving her a brochure explaining what types of questions and how to approach them would be very, very helpful.
For example, I would have never, never guessed that calculators are allowed, if it was not for above posts (mind you that I do not believe in calculators at this level, but that is totally different issue).
At this time we are not even familiar with the test format. Should she guess or will she be penalized for wrong answers? I think you get what I mean.

Interestingly, while we are on a subject of keeping kids informed. Yesterday while talking about one of the teachers< Ghost started ranting about how unfair she was last year during science. Kids were building wooden bridges, to be tested for which one was the strongest - could support most weight. Ghost was asking this teacher several times HOW the bridges are going to be tested, each time she replied that this should not be a concern of his (YOU DO NOT GIVE AN ANSWER LIKE THAT TO A GIFTED CHILD), and that he should just concentrate on building the strongest bridge possible. So his group decided, based on Ghost observations during science olympiad, that the test will consist of suspending weight at the middle of the bridge. They build a solid product and did it fast, at the end decorating it with some straw railing. To his surprise (more shock!), the test consisted of placing books on top ofthe bridge! Gues whose bridge was the first to collapse under pressure???
He was madly going about it last year at some point, I just ignored it and switched my listening off. Only found out the details yesterday.
So yes, I am all for keeping kids INFORMED.

Thanks for the link for the practice test in a previous post. I was wondering why calculators were allowed in this type of test to begin with. Depending on the questions I was thinking she may not even use it. I would imagine if I didn't explain and inform DD about the types of questions and structure of the test, she would probably have a negative experience regardless of scores. Now she knows that this test is for older kids and the purpose is not to necessarily finish everything but to see how far she can go. She thought it was funny when I said this isn't a test you can fail.