Reply to Prep for HGC and MS magnet tests

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[quote=Anonymous]I have had 3 kids go through MCPS magnet programs. HGC, MS Magnet and HS Magnet.  They also went to A-Plus prep classes before the magnet exams, and they also went each year for academic camps with A-plus and Montgomery College.  Infact, my children have always done intensive review classes for Math at Montgomery College each year at all grade levels.  Since, no one knows what the tests will contain (MCPS identifies at least one test as COGAT now, I believe),  the test prep centers  were shooting in the dark when it came to test prep.

Most kids who came to the prep classes were similar to my children. They had a solid understanding of Math concepts and were at least a few grades above in Math,  great speed and accuracy in solving Math problems and they were avid readers so they had great vocabulary. I enrolled my kids for prep classes because I wanted them to get used to sitting for the very lengthy exam and get an idea of time management.  There was nothing that A -Plus ever taught that my kids said was familiar on the exam.  On the other hand, my kids also claimed that the A-PLUS prep classes were much harder and covered more content than they saw on the exam. Since A-plus did not know what would come on the exam their curriculum was wide and deep.

Neither A-Plus not Dr. Li, will teach you content in their prep classes.  They will go over content to refresh the memory of the student but they expect you to know the content. What they do best is make you practise a lot.  Lots and lots of drill.  As a result, I have only seen very capable students who take Dr. Li or Aplus get into the programs. Their admission rate is only around 33%.  Also, if the same student gets into multiple programs, they will count it as multiple admissions.

Any student can use Khan Academy or a PSAT book and study for these tests. The problem is that many students and parents do not have the motivation and dedication to do it on their own.  Being in an A-Plus or Dr. Li class forces you to sit for x number of hours and do the work.  In my opinion, the value of Dr. Li and A-Plus is not for test prep at all. Their value is in the Academic Camps that they run through the year and in summer.  That really helps to fill out any gaps in content knowledge.   Depending on where you live, there are many companies that do a good job with Math curriculum.  C2 and AOPS (Art of Problem Solving) as well as the Math Competition prep that are run by Catherine Asaro is pretty rigorous.

Determine what your kid needs.  Tutoring or coaching? I think since the schools are doing such a piss-poor job, you need to give them enrichment and acceleration outside the school day.  You could use a company that does that, or if you have the time and knowledge, you could teach them yourself.

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