TJ Test Prep?

[Anonymous]

etutorszone.com also provides individual instructions to the students. There teachers are very experiences and they focus on the week areas more. We are very happy with there services.

[Anonymous]

You may want to look at"A Consumer's Guide to Selecting the Best TJ Prep Program" http://t.co/g6ythG4wWa

[Anonymous]

I would not bother with test prep.
Instead I would encourage my child to continue with the educational activities she already enjoys and also make sure she has lots of interesting books to read. Some STEM-focused kids don't read as much as humanities-focused kids, so reading a broad variety of fiction and non-fiction can help with comprehension and writing ability. I think the child who is good at math and science *and* can write well will stand out in the application group. The best way to improve one's writing is by reading. Your child's English teacher or your local librarian might be able to suggest a list of good literature that a young teen would enjoy.
Add up the number of hours you'd be willing to put in for test prep and ensure that your child reads good works of literature during that time and you will have a child who is well on her way to a great education- whether she goes to TJ or not.

From another thread, but good all around advice. I have a child at TJ who did no prep classes before the test. Worked hard in school and earned straight As, while also working hard at a time consuming sport out of school. My child was so busy with real activities that there was no time for a prep class!

Kids need to be involved with activities they have chosen and love while getting great middle school grades- that's the way to have a good shot at TJ admission! Much more impressive than time spent in a prep class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some good TJ Test Prep classes are Fairfax Collegiate (Summer Course), Best Academy in Springfield VA, and TJ Diversity course (for Eighth graders taking the test)

They do offer in English. I went there to visit and I will use them for my son. They just having issues to change website.

[Anonymous]

This is a very easy test. Check out the sample questions on the TJ admissions website to see what the format is like. Kids who have paid attention in school will do more than fine on the test. After school activities are important: math and science groups are good, but are usually only once a week. Being involved in a sport that practices most weekdays shows that the child has good time organizational skills- very important at TJ.
Use the money you might have spent on a prep course to buy gas to drive your child around to activities that he can actually write about on the SIS- writing about a taking a TJ prep course will not impress the admissions committee.

[donalan]

Whoever thinks being smart will get you into TJ is deluded. My son is straight A's, all AAP, taking Honors Geometry in 8th grade tested in the top 25% of the finalist test for TJ and did not get in. You need to go to prep classes where adults train the kids to memorize the answer type the admissions wants. Also you need to pad your child's resume years in advance so they pass the 'STEM Passion' qualifiers.

Know that your child, however hard working and smart, will be compared to hundreds of kids that have been professionally prepared by trained adults for the TJ test literally for years of their young lives. Again, not saying this is good or bad but it is reality. My son would have loved TJ (we didnt care if he went or not but he wanted to go), we failed to understand the competition.

[Anonymous]

donalan wrote:Whoever thinks being smart will get you into TJ is deluded. My son is straight A's, all AAP, taking Honors Geometry in 8th grade tested in the top 25% of the finalist test for TJ and did not get in. You need to go to prep classes where adults train the kids to memorize the answer type the admissions wants. Also you need to pad your child's resume years in advance so they pass the 'STEM Passion' qualifiers.

Know that your child, however hard working and smart, will be compared to hundreds of kids that have been professionally prepared by trained adults for the TJ test literally for years of their young lives. Again, not saying this is good or bad but it is reality. My son would have loved TJ (we didnt care if he went or not but he wanted to go), we failed to understand the competition.

This is utter nonsense, obviously overblown by someone disappointed their kid didn't get in.

[Anonymous]

I agree that this is nonsense. My child did no prep and did none of those resume-padding activities. His main out of school activity was a sport that took up 15+ hours per week. He was very successful at TJ and his take was that the kids who adjusted to the pace there most easily were the ones who did not prep because they were accustomed to doing their work without a lot of outside help. Also, many of the kids who had to leave for academic reasons were kids who had done those years of TJ prep. It is much better for a kid to get in on their own merits.

[Anonymous]

You need to know Algebra 1 and a quarter of geometry to score well on the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

donalan wrote:Whoever thinks being smart will get you into TJ is deluded. My son is straight A's, all AAP, taking Honors Geometry in 8th grade tested in the top 25% of the finalist test for TJ and did not get in. You need to go to prep classes where adults train the kids to memorize the answer type the admissions wants. Also you need to pad your child's resume years in advance so they pass the 'STEM Passion' qualifiers.

Know that your child, however hard working and smart, will be compared to hundreds of kids that have been professionally prepared by trained adults for the TJ test literally for years of their young lives. Again, not saying this is good or bad but it is reality. My son would have loved TJ (we didnt care if he went or not but he wanted to go), we failed to understand the competition.

This is utter nonsense, obviously overblown by someone disappointed their kid didn't get in.

NP. Wouldn't you be disappointed if your child had all As in AAP and scored in the top 25 percent of finalists on the test and wasn't accepted? It would seem like less objective factors are used to determine the final cut. I can see where that would be frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

donalan wrote:Whoever thinks being smart will get you into TJ is deluded. My son is straight A's, all AAP, taking Honors Geometry in 8th grade tested in the top 25% of the finalist test for TJ and did not get in. You need to go to prep classes where adults train the kids to memorize the answer type the admissions wants. Also you need to pad your child's resume years in advance so they pass the 'STEM Passion' qualifiers.

Know that your child, however hard working and smart, will be compared to hundreds of kids that have been professionally prepared by trained adults for the TJ test literally for years of their young lives. Again, not saying this is good or bad but it is reality. My son would have loved TJ (we didnt care if he went or not but he wanted to go), we failed to understand the competition.

This is utter nonsense, obviously overblown by someone disappointed their kid didn't get in.

NP. Wouldn't you be disappointed if your child had all As in AAP and scored in the top 25 percent of finalists on the test and wasn't accepted? It would seem like less objective factors are used to determine the final cut. I can see where that would be frustrating.

Top 25% won't cut it for TJ; I know that going in. The kid probably just missed out.

[Anonymous]

donalan wrote:Whoever thinks being smart will get you into TJ is deluded. My son is straight A's, all AAP, taking Honors Geometry in 8th grade tested in the top 25% of the finalist test for TJ and did not get in. You need to go to prep classes where adults train the kids to memorize the answer type the admissions wants. Also you need to pad your child's resume years in advance so they pass the 'STEM Passion' qualifiers.

Know that your child, however hard working and smart, will be compared to hundreds of kids that have been professionally prepared by trained adults for the TJ test literally for years of their young lives. Again, not saying this is good or bad but it is reality. My son would have loved TJ (we didnt care if he went or not but he wanted to go), we failed to understand the competition.

What "finalist" test? Are you talking about the SIS? Those results are not given at the end of the admissions cycle, only test results from the initial TJ test are released at the time of acceptance/denial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

donalan wrote:Whoever thinks being smart will get you into TJ is deluded. My son is straight A's, all AAP, taking Honors Geometry in 8th grade tested in the top 25% of the finalist test for TJ and did not get in. You need to go to prep classes where adults train the kids to memorize the answer type the admissions wants. Also you need to pad your child's resume years in advance so they pass the 'STEM Passion' qualifiers.

Know that your child, however hard working and smart, will be compared to hundreds of kids that have been professionally prepared by trained adults for the TJ test literally for years of their young lives. Again, not saying this is good or bad but it is reality. My son would have loved TJ (we didnt care if he went or not but he wanted to go), we failed to understand the competition.

What "finalist" test? Are you talking about the SIS? Those results are not given at the end of the admissions cycle, only test results from the initial TJ test are released at the time of acceptance/denial.

Top 25% is not very high.

[Anonymous]

Ignore the sour grapes poster. She has posted elsewhere and has received the same replies. Many do not prep, including my DD. Top 25th of the first test is not very high. And we don't know what "finalist test" she is talking about since essay results aren't distributed.

[Anonymous]

Prep, not prep, your kid, your decision. Not sure about other places. Best Academy is what we are considering. I think their TJ classes are two nights per week. We will see if it will fit with our son's schedule. He has 3 nights per week commitment for sports, not including Saturdays.