Should we apply to Stanford and Johns Hopkins programs?

[sgrcn77]

I have looked at those programs ans well as Duke and I'm terrified of the tests. I know I'm not the one taking them but my daughter did REALLY well on The IBST. Much better than I thought. The thing is, it was at her grade level. She did test 2, sometimes 3 grade levels above where she was but, I still don't want her to take these tests and bomb. Suggestions? Encouragement? Warnings?

[JenneinCA]

You can do the Talent Search tests if you want. I haven't found the information useful for teaching and the classes that you are allowed to take (with qualifying scores) are far too expensive for us. I don't think anything bad could happen for taking the tests, just nothing helpful either.

 

I hope that helps.

[EKS]

I have looked at those programs ans well as Duke and I'm terrified of the tests. I know I'm not the one taking them but my daughter did REALLY well on The IBST. Much better than I thought. The thing is, it was at her grade level. She did test 2, sometimes 3 grade levels above where she was but, I still don't want her to take these tests and bomb. Suggestions? Encouragement? Warnings?

 

What will be more informative is what her percentiles were. It depends on what grade level she is at, but in looking at an old 4th grade ITBS my son took, two grade levels above (as compared to 4th graders) is at about the 73rd percentile and three grade levels up is at about the 80th percentile.

[Crimson Wife]

The SCAT, which is what CTY uses, I find to be a very uninformative test. The verbal section is easily prepped for (which I did inadvertently as my DD loves the Critical Thinking Think Analogies workbooks) and the math section is just odd. DD scored much lower on that than she has on any other standardized math test (EXPLORE, EPGY aptitude test, ITBS, CogAT, California STAR test, etc.) because she found it confusing. No other GATE program accepts SCAT scores so I don't know why CTY insists upon it.

 

I found the EXPLORE to be much more helpful in providing useful information and for being more widely accepted.

[elizabeth]

You can do the Talent Search tests if you want. I haven't found the information useful for teaching and the classes that you are allowed to take (with qualifying scores) are far too expensive for us. I don't think anything bad could happen for taking the tests, just nothing helpful either.

 

I hope that helps.

Agree wholeheartedly. They are not useful to us and I must say that Singapore Math led us to the best possible scores on the tests that really count. However, what matters is what works for each family. Ours could do far more with our dollars by not using EPGY and instead using the Intensive Practice books by Singapore. Your experience might be different than ours. Look at Hoagies Gifted online and you can find plenty of information about both the Talent Search and what it might bring to your home education process. Hello by the way!!!

[sgrcn77]

Thank you ! We will invest in one "test" this year and do the open enrollment for the remaining school year.

[mathwonk]

My kids took the SAT test apparently about 1986 for TIP. I still have the data from TIP about the results for all TIP applicants to the Talent Search that year. Bear in mind that the SAT scores have been "recentered" since then (essentially raised).

 

There were 27,233 reported scores, 14,034 females and 13,199 males. The average SAT-M (math) score for females was 365, and 392 for males. The average score for college high school seniors that year was 452 for females and 499 for males.

 

The middle 50% of TIP scores ranged from 310-410 for females and 330-440 for males. There were scores as low as 200 (minimum), and as high as 770.

 

The verbal scores for males and females were about the same, average 342, ranging from 200 to 720, with the middle 50% ranging from 290-390, compared with an average of 431 for college bound high school seniors.

 

I don't recall doing any kind of prep work at all for the test. We just wanted to see where they came out.