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SAT for CTY


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My ds 12 got accepted into the CTY program based on his Maryland State Assessment scores from the 5th grade, but it's basically probationary because he needs to take the SAT's. I'm going to register him for the Spring test. For those who have children that have taken it, is the test one grade level ahead? (he is currently in the 7th grade) Did you do anything to prepare them for the test? I'm a little concerned that I may not have been as rigorous as I should have been (I pulled ds out of school after the 5th grade).

 

TIA,

 

Catherine

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For those who have children that have taken it, is the test one grade level ahead? (he is currently in the 7th grade)

This is the SAT that colleges use for admissions. It's generally aimed at 11th and 12th graders.

Did you do anything to prepare them for the test? I'm a little concerned that I may not have been as rigorous as I should have been (I pulled ds out of school after the 5th grade).

It's not actually "probationary"... if he was invited to take the test, he has been invited to join CTY. The only effect of good test scores is that he could take summer classes or whatever... he's not going to get kicked out or anything.

 

So... since the risk is actually relatively low, I wouldn't suggest any extreme prepping. (You also have a second shot at it in 8th if necessary.) What you really get out of out-of-level testing is an idea of how well they do with only what they already know - not how much someone can cram.

 

BUT on the other hand, the SAT is a tricky test. I think it is worth taking a look at something -- what's on their website is probably sufficient -- just to see what they're asking for. One other site I like is www.number2.com. It's free, and the questions are pretty good.

 

Don't go overboard with prepping -- you really are just trying to see how he does on a test that's meant to be over his head. But I don't think he has to go in completely cold, either.

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The SAT is a college entrance exam usually taken by high school juniors and seniors.

My DD took it in 7th grade. We got one test prep book from the library and spent a few weeks familiarizing her with the test. That was sufficient and she did very well.

The hardest thing is that it is so long, 3.75 hours.

 

I suggest you look at a test prep book. For the math section, he needs a bit of algebra (not a whole lot) and some geometry. For English it helps if you have gone through a practice test in order to understand what exactly they want you to do for the different types of questions - you don't have the time to figure that out during the exam.

Edited by regentrude
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Yes, half the battle of surviving the SAT as a young student is the length of the exam. And though the exam is already almost four hours long, you need to factor in waiting time, breaks, etc. Around here you need to drop the kids off around 7:30 am; they aren't finished till 12:30 pm. My kids were put in rooms with older students (it isn't like that everywhere), it was noisy both inside and outside the classroom, bathroom breaks are fast and crowded. It's a long day for them!

 

If you are testing through CTY, you now have a choice of either SAT or ACT for the talent search. You might want to consider the differences in the exams prior to signing up. The SAT has a mandatory essay, which is always the first thing on the exam. The ACT has an optional essay, and it comes last. Kids not writing the ACT essay can leave beforehand. The SAT breaks the math, verbal, and grammar sections up into smaller pieces, and the order of the sections is random. The ACT always does English, math, reading, and science sections in that order. The science section on the ACT is different from any of the SAT sections.

 

I'd follow regentrude's advice and go to your library and look at the test prep books there. That's what we did the first time to familiarize our son with the test (and it also worked quite well).

 

~Kathy

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