Any hints on prepping for the SCAT test?

[Anonymous]

I'm not talking about a "program of study" to teach my kid what he doesn't know, but really just material to make sure he is comfortable with the test and does his best on the day.

Any leads?

Oh, we're talking MATH.

[Anonymous]

It's analogies. Both sections. The booklet they send is really all you need. I'd also explain that analogies are directional, i.e. dog is to puppy as cat is to kitten NOT as kitten is to cat.

Maybe I'm stupid as a brick, but I never realized this until I was an adult and somebody told me.

[Anonymous]

Too many "doodly dee bop bop pow kazaw yeah yeah yeah"s will probably hurt his score.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 19:37. He's going to tank the English section regardless, and I doubt you are quite as stupid as a brick

[Anonymous]

19:37: The math measures aptitude, not achievement, so if he's a mathy kid, and at a stage in life where he likes tests, and in the right mood, he'll do well. It's less about having learned algorithms than having a knack for perceiving mathematical relationships.

You take the test on a computer, which some kids like.

If he doesn't do well, don't assume it doesn't mean anything. My most mathematical child isn't the one that scored highest on the SCAT. It's the one that likes math.

[Anonymous]

19:40 - Took me a bit to realize you weren't being obnoxious and were actually quite funny. I think my denseness is because I was stuck thinking they'd named the test for cat poop and not for a jazz style. Either way, thanks for the giggle.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I didn't mean to be either.

I MEANT to say if he doesn't do well, don't assume that it means anything.

I was trying to say that when kids do well on something like this, it can mean something,. On the other hand, there are so many reasons why a kid might do badly, that it doesn't mean so much.

Also, I believe that liking math is a better predictor of success in later years than natural aptitude.

[Anonymous]

This is the test for Johns Hopkins? I learned that its best to take the test very close to the end of the school year. My son took it in february, and missed the math by one point (did fine in English)> They told me that it was testing ThROUGH the grade he was in, so he retook it in June and did fine. And also, as an aside, they told be that if the higher grade would stick, so even if he had done poorly in the english part the second time, the better/first score would be the one that counted. So my advice, if you can wait, test toward sthe end of the school year.

[Anonymous]

Pp here- but get confirmation on the dates, because at some point during the summer, he will be counted as being in the NEXT grade, and be tested on material he has not yet been presented.