My daughter has been asked to take her SAT’s by the teacher at her school involved in TAG (Talented and Gifted). The SAT’s are then sent to Johns Hopkins University for grading and evaluation.
This is pretty cool considering my daughter is only 12 years old.
I talked with Em tonight and she’s really interested and excited about it all. This could open up some good opportunities for her.
So my question. I’m wondering if she should go in dry or study? I’m back and forth on it and there aren’t any rules or guidelines one way or the other. Most high school seniors spend time studying for their SAT’s and often have pre-SAT classes and pretests to get them familiar with the format and questioning. But, Johns Hopkins is looking for children with raw brain power, gifted kids, and they spend a fair amount of money and time doing it. So would study or taking pretests for SAT’s sway those results.
Well, it’s just a dry run, right? Maybe good stuff if she scores high, nothing lost if she doesn’t? Probably more interesting to see how she does without studying, and if she’s been recommended for it at only 12 she’ll doubtless do better than expected.
I don’t really think there’s that much you can do to study for the SAT anyway, is there? Well, the math you can probably study up for, but on the verbal… if you don’t have a good vocubulary and reading comprehension and logic skills by that point, what can a cram course really do for you?
I did exactly the same thing at her age- same TAG program and whatnot. I did very well, considering that I hadn’t been taught much of the material in school yet. John Hopkins sent all of the “high scorers” nice little plaques. I still have mine somewhere… (Now I have to go look for it.)
Don’t have her study. I didn’t and did just fine. The other kids in my class didn’t either. They were okay, too. IMHO, it will probably only make her nervous. I know it would have made me nervous. Chances are, she won’t learn the things she doesn’t already know well enough to make a difference, come test time. Make sure you let her know ahead of time that her score will be fine with you, no matter what it is. My biggest fear going in was disappointing my parents.
And for what it’s worth, taking the SATs at that age didn’t do much for any of us, aside from that nice little plaque. (Not that we didn’t do alright for ourselves. It just had nothing to do with the test scores.) Colleges gave it a nod, but they were way more interested in my 11th grade score.
Still, it’s fun to say that I took the “big test” at such a young age. And congrats on your intelligent offspring! You must be doing something right.
It sounds like John Hopkins doesn’t want her to study. Just tell her it’s a dry run of what she will be doing in a few more years, and although she should do her best, not to worry too much about the results.
I would definitely not have her prepare unless she really wants to. Too much pressure at this age when there doesn’t seem to be anything riding on the result except pride (her own, I mean).
When she’s in high school there will be plenty of time to prepare for the real SAT.
Congrats to Em!
I have a second grade son who is in TAG, when I went to confrences this past week, I found out he was reading at the 5th almost 6th grade level. I knew he was reading well above his level but I didn’t know how far above his level.
I have worked at a “learning center” (actually, more like the American equivalent of a cram school) that required twelve-year-olds to take the SATs. I’d recommend 1) that she not study; 2) that you treat it as a fun experiment and de-emphasize any possible implications for her future; 3) that you tell her in advance that she is not going to be able to answer (or even understand) all the questions, and that’s OK, since most high school students can’t either. Frankly, they should really be using the SSAT, since the SAT isn’t an age-appropriate test for twelve-year-olds. In my experience, it leads to a lot of stress and hurt feelings. Taking a test where many of the questions are way over your head is a demoralizing experience, even for adults.
I don’t mean to sound discouraging; of course, if your daughter wants to do this and the expectations of the test administrators are reasonable, it’ll probably be a good thing for her. Just be aware that treating it as a Big Important Thing where her score matters is the wrong way to go.
I did Duke’s TIP program, which is just like JHU’s program. I didn’t study for the test and I did quite well. I knew quite a few other people who did prepare a lot and it didn’t seem to make a difference aside from providing a familiarity with the test format. In the end, it really won’t matter all that much. Yeah, the ceremonies are cool and taking the SAT was kinda fun, but all I have left from my experience with TIP (aside from the memories from the summer program I went to…but that’s another thing entirely) are a handful of papers in a box at my mother’s house. So, y’know, it’s not deciding anyone’s future any time soon. Don’t bother with preparing unless Em wants to do it.
Fretful Porpentine, I’m not familiar with the SSAT (I did a search and it says it’s a secondary school admissions test, so I guess it is geared towards lower grade levels), but I do know the point of giving the SAT in programs like Johns Hopkins’s and Duke’s is that it’s out-of-level. It’s not age-appropriate, but that’s what they want. The idea is to differentiate between kids who are all scoring at a high level on regular standardized tests and theoretically adjust the curriculum to match them…since it’s hard to tell if a student has maxed out their knowledge on the grade level tests or just run out of questions to answer. Raise the ceiling, you can find out.
But using it for every 12 year old like it determines their future is ridiculous. That would be a demoralizing experience for sure. It has its uses, but everybody does not need it and it certainly should be optional.
I was a teacher. Although I have a friend who prepares students for the SAT, I don’t recommend it in this case. At age twelve she is just getting her toes in the water. Let her enjoy the thrill of having her gifts recognized as they are. Goal-oriented studies can come later if she chooses.
Like Jess, I participated in Duke’s TIP program and took the SATs in 6th grade. Did good enough on the verbal to win a book as a prize. Honestly, taking the test at such a young age did nothing for me. Taking a test on a Saturday was a drag; there was a very boring and long awards ceremony; and it didn’t land me in any more advanced classes.
You should be proud of your kid, Seven, but don’t expect this to be a huge deal. Sounds like your daughter has the raw materials, which is great, but it’s up to her to decide how she want to use them. Please don’t turn this into a “You’re brilliant and must become an academic wonder!” thing.
I did that too, in 7th grade, age 12. Got a nice little plaque, nothing else happened. I had fun with it. As I recall, I did fine on the verbal but terrible on the math, since of course I knew nothing of algebra or geometry. But yeah, don’t expect this to be any big thing.
I did the same thing in Jr. High. I don’t remember if it was the same program or what, but I remember taking the SAT about 5 years early and it had something to do with Johns Hopkins.
Nothing became of it, and that’s probably why I don’t remember much. This post just kinda unlocked that memory. Weird…
I did the same thing, through the program run by Northwestern U, and took the SAT when I was 12. I qualified to take special intensive college courses during the summers, which I did at various college and universities each summer until I was 17. I loved the experience, but I don’t recommend putting any special emphasis on the process and certainly no pressure on your kid. No study courses or books… just see how it goes.
Incidentally, my best friend’s 12-year-old son is about to take the test, too, and he’s excited as can be. His mom is a little worried about the potential for added stress/pressure on him, but he’s thrilled.
I guess I should say she really wants to do this. I’ve not put any pressure on her at all. I was advanced a grade in school and I hated it. I was then sent to another school filled with future NASA rocketmen, I hated that more. I decided I’d just not do anymore school work until I was returned to my proper school, proper grade, with my friends. It worked.
So I really don’t want to push her into thinking she HAS to do anything outside of what is normally expected.
The idea on the study would be to get her to know the question styles. The first time you take an IQ test might seem a bit strange because of how questions are asked. I think everyone does better on the 2nd one because you know what to expect.
Study for her would just be taking the test a few times so she knows what it’s all about. Knows the style.
We just had him review some of the sample questions so as to know what to expect, and had him eat well and get a good night’s sleep before.
We keep getting notices showing the different classes he can take on weekends or during the summer. He has no desire to spend his free time taking classes. The classes are not cheap either.
He might do one over the winter, tho, on writing for publication.
Doubt I’d do it again - my youngest kid was asked to take the test. Unless she’s dying to, we certainly won’t urge her to.
