Test taking strategies for slow processors

[lewber]

DS is very slow at taking tests. This doesn't show up much in public school because the material is usually easy enough to him to get through it in time. This week he took a math contest qualifying test and he could only really get through about half of it. He got 13 of the 15 questions that he made it to correct, but couldn't get to the rest of the test before time ran out. He hasn't taken a lot of other "difficult" timed tests.

 

I'm probably borrowing trouble, but I'm afraid when he gets to SAT and ACT he won't be able to finish in time. Are there ways to figure out why he is slow? Strategies to help him? I thought about having him take the ACT and SAT this year when he's still in 8th grade just to see what happened? I know there are test taking strategies for those, but this type of math test doesn't have anything like that. 

 

His WISC IV processing speed was 50%. My gut is that it is a focus issue, but I definitely don't know for sure. 

[brownie]

How old is he? My oldest tested somewhat below average at 6 years old but when he took the WISC at 12, he was 2%ile processing speed. He still does ok on tests...usually. He did fine on the SATs in 7th grade. So I would say if he's middle school and it's 50%, the processing speed is not the main issue. However, I would watch him take a test and see where he gets bogged down. I tell my math students that if they're slower, they might just be deep thinkers. This is part of the issue with my son...he's a more creative, global thinker and not detail oriented. It's a gift in many ways...just not all ways.  Plus my understanding is that on the processing speed and working memory, gifted kids are just as average as everybody else (in other words, they follow the same normal curve).

[Arcadia]

My DS10 WISC IV processing speed was also 50th percentile. He did okay on the ACT in June 2016, and will take the SAT in November 2016 (he pick the date). He did okay for AMC8 in November last year too even though he did not complete. There are test strategies for AMC but my kids took it cold last year for the fun of it.

 

If you sit with your child while he does the SAT and ACT practice tests, it is possible to figure out why he is slower.

 

My DS10 is slower because his reading speed is slower and he is more meticulous. My DS11 is much faster at reading but he is careless at times. So DS10 gets all correct on what he finished while DS11 finished all the questions and get some wrong. DS11's processing speed and working memory are in the >95th percentile.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Arcadia

[JoJosMom]

DS is very slow at taking tests. This doesn't show up much in public school because the material is usually easy enough to him to get through it in time. This week he took a math contest qualifying test and he could only really get through about half of it. He got 13 of the 15 questions that he made it to correct, but couldn't get to the rest of the test before time ran out. He hasn't taken a lot of other "difficult" timed tests.

 

I'm probably borrowing trouble, but I'm afraid when he gets to SAT and ACT he won't be able to finish in time. Are there ways to figure out why he is slow? Strategies to help him? I thought about having him take the ACT and SAT this year when he's still in 8th grade just to see what happened? I know there are test taking strategies for those, but this type of math test doesn't have anything like that. 

 

His WISC IV processing speed was 50%. My gut is that it is a focus issue, but I definitely don't know for sure. 

 

I don't know that a math contest exam is a realistic proxy for SAT math, honestly (I suspect the contest problems to be more difficult.)  FWIW, I had DD take the PSAT last year as an eighth grader to get a pre-high school baseline, and it was fine.  You could do the same with either the SAT or ACT.  If he doesn't particularly like to test, you could simply administer a practice test at home and see how he does.  Once you get a baseline, you can go from there.