Halcyon Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I thought i was fine, but i feel nervous! It's his first time taking a "non-mom-adminstered" standardized test....at least nervous energy=clean house! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 He'll do great! And so will you ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 The tough part for me isn't the testing... it's the WAITING for the scores. We're testing through Duke's TIP this year (did Northwestern last year). Sounds like Duke is the slowest at getting score reports out. Don't know why.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 Oh, so you can tke the test more than once, Dana? For some reason I thought your child could only take it once. Huh. Anyway, he is taking it through Duke TIP--I am actually not worried about the scores at all. I just wanted his experience of taking the test to go smoothly....and it did! Just picked him up, and he seemed happy with his performance, and relaxed. Here's what he said about the test, for those who are interested (perhaps others want to share their child's experience today?) "The test wasn't hard except for math. There was lots of hard algebra which I couldn't do fast, and so I left about 10 questions blank. The English wasnt hard and the Reading COmprehension was pretty easy. The science was the 2nd hardest part of the test but I think I did well on it. I only left two questions blank on the English section, but I couldn't go any faster on the math." I asked if he had had time to guess on the Math questions, and he said no because the teacher only gave a 5 minute warning, but she didn't actually SAY anything, just wrote it on the board, and he didn't notice. So he said all of a sudden she said "pencils down" and he wasn't done. Overall, a really good experience for him, and I am glad he did it. ETA: When I questioned him again about the so-called "algebra" questions, he said "Well. there were a lot of n's and stuff instead of actual numbers." :glare: So that's not exactly algebra.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 He'll do great! And so will you ;) Thanks ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I bet he did awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 My son said math was tougher this year than last. There were some problems he had to guess on. You can take it multiple times. Northwestern sent multiple emails reminding us we could register, but we used Duke this year. Duke TIP really only does the Explore once in 5th grade. Northwestern starts as early as 3rd, I think, and suggests it annually until moving up to SAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 What is the math level on the Duke TIP Explore? Are there sample tests? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 What is the math level on the Duke TIP Explore? Are there sample tests? They don't have sample tests. They do provide a brief overview/practice when you register (10 problems from each test). That's available on their site. Math goes prealgebra and below with some algebra, I think. Students can use a calculator, so computation isn't as important as concepts. Sounds like math was extra tough this year as I hear more about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 Yep, I agree Dana. It was definitely harder than the sample test for SURE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 About the test & sample questions. We sign up through the different talent searches. So... 30 math questions. Sounds like my son left 6 blank & guessed on 5. Yikes! :) He thinks he did well on the other sections. Now the waiting begins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Mousie Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 I'm envious of parents who actually hear details from their children! :p Every year, all I hear is that the test "went pretty well" and I always get a synopsis of the best (usually funniest) reading comprehension stories. This is our last year doing Explore. Next year I'll sign him up for the ACT - which will have me far more nervous than Explore ever did, probably because I remember my own ACT score and have a better understanding of what a score means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 About the test & sample questions. We sign up through the different talent searches. So... 30 math questions. Sounds like my son left 6 blank & guessed on 5. Yikes! :) He thinks he did well on the other sections. Now the waiting begins! My son guessed on 5 and left 6 blank. Ah well. I knew timing would be an issue on the math portion. I have no idea how this test is even graded. What is considered a "good" score? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Scores range from 1-25. They're scaled scores. Last year we got a "guide to understanding explore results" along with the scores. It included: Average Test Scores Earned by Fall-Tested Eighth Graders in the National Sample: English: 14.7 Math: 15.5 Reading: 14.6 Science: 16.6 Composite: 15.5 Our test results also included a comparison with national percentile of testers - compared to the eighth graders. I don't know what we'll get from Duke. NUMATS let us log in online and see comparison to other kids in the same grade & percentiles, so that was more useful. You can also see the scores Davidson Young Scholars takes for acceptance here. These would be really good scores on the Explore :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Thanks dana. I dont think he will hit the Davidson levels lol. But thank you for clarifying the scores. THat helps a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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