If your child got into MS magnet program

[Anonymous]

How much test prep did they do?

I'm curious because I remember the thread last fall about prepping for the magnet test and wondered if it made a difference.

[Anonymous]

I have the same question. Also curious in context of kids that are already in HGC.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids tested for this coming year.
3rd grader in HGC and 5th grade for TPMS.

We bought two books from Amazon CogAT hoping they would be familiar with the test.

5th grader got score back way below the accepted median so did not get in.

3rd grader is still waiting for the result coming in March.

Based on what they said about the test -- too hard for them -- or too short time for them to think the problem over.

I would guess preparation won't make much difference unless the kids are competitive enough in fast/deep thinking --- may score a few points higher.

You really can't train a kid to become highly gifted/talented --- of course I am only speaking of mine own kids.

[Anonymous]

My children both went to the HGC, TPMS magnet, and Blair math/science/CS magnet.

No test prep.

[Anonymous]

Child #1: No prep, Got into HCG, Eastern magnet, and CAP.

Child #2: No prep. Waitlisted for HCG, Eastern, just got into HS magnet.

I'm guessing that test prep doesn't help all that much, particularly since our kids are (sadly!) pretty familiar with standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

DC reviewed what they had on MCPS website once and that was about it. Accepted at both TPMS and EMS. Test scores were just below median of accepted students in all but one category (raven)

[Anonymous]

Frankly speaking - we have been doing enough enrichment from the time my kids were born that they probably do not need the test prep. We have spend a lot of time with our kids so that they are well rounded in academics, EC, socialization etc.

However, apart from a very enriched environment at home, we also enrolled them in a test prep course. Did that help? I don't really know. Since 2nd grade - my DC2 (who is in HGC) was testing very well. Scores in Raven, TN2, InView were off the charts. Now in 5th grade - scores in Map-M and R are also extremely high. DC2 scores very well in IQ and Raven kinds of tests.

DC2 is not a hard worker though and being in the prep course forced at least a few hours of work every week. DC2 is an extremely good test taker. Top 1 %.

DC1 is a hard worker - also a magnet HS kid - but a poor test taker. Still gets good scores, but is not the top 1% on tests.

I think the prep can help to increase the score somewhat and gives an edge. But it is just that - an edge. It is not the whole enchilada. The content still has to be learned and they also have to be avid readers by themselves to score well in reading comprehension.

I was using some college textbooks (Math 101) to teach Math at home for quite sometime, and that helped too.

Do I recommend the prep classes? Yes. Will that guarantee that someone gets in? I don't think so.

[Anonymous]

I believe that any test prep, any education, any practice you do, will help you sooner or later in life. Gaining knowledge is never a waste of time. So, I will always suggest test prep. However, along with the test prep course that my DC took, there was also prep that my DC was doing since 4th grade at home.

I think everything helped. Including a good amount of plain LUCK. I do not think any child who was at the exam center to take the test was in anyway less brainy or less hardworking than my DC. They were then and remain now, extremely strong competitors for my DC.

[Anonymous]

DC was at HGC and is now at TPMS. No prep at all aside from looking at the booklet that came home from the school.

[Anonymous]

DC attends small private and looked at the sample questions in the information packet. No other prep.

[Anonymous]

We made some timed SCAT-like tests that child did. Also did the test prep that the county sends out.

Child (currently at HGC) has issues with slowness, so practice was really geared towards him understanding how to manage his time for the tests.

Got into Takoma. Rejected at Eastern (but had to be based on something other than the test, as he scored high on the test).

He also took SSAT, as we've been considering private options, too. Did not do any prep for the SSAT and scored super high on that. So, don't know that the test prep changed anything.