Reply to Prep for HGC and MS magnet tests

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kid got into both middle school magnets and Blair, RM and CAP and did not prep beyond looking at the sample questions provided in the application materials.  We did talk about test taking strategy (timing etc.) but I am not sure if this mattered so much because by middle school, my kid was used to taking standardized tests in a school setting.  Although my child did not take a formal test prep course, there is no doubt that my child had spent many years preparing to take these tests.  He is a voracious reader, we did some Singapore Math during the summers after grades 3, 4 and 5 to compensate for gaps in the MCPS ES curriculum and I spent a lot of time taking him to museums, plays etc.  We stressed education, spent a lot of time at the library and paid close attention to how he was doing in school in elementary school in particular.  
fwiw there are some kids in the magnet programs whose parents pay for A+ type courses but most kids don't.  [b]My strong suspicion is that the kids who take "prep" courses and get into these programs would probably get in anyway.  It is not the big edge that promoters of the service purport it to be.[/b]
I think it is similar to SAT prep.  In this case of course old tests are widely available so it would be foolish to walk into the SAT exam without having practiced.  My child purchased a $15 College Board SAT book and did some practice exams before the test.  He has friends who spent a lot of money and time on SAT prep courses at Montgomery College etc.  Again, I strongly suspect they might have done just as well if they had just used the $15 book.  This is especially true for kids in the 98th and 99th percentile imo[/quote]

I agree.  I know for a fact that the students who got in after going to these test prep companies were actually in the 98 and 99 percentile in most of the standardized tests at school ad were considered shoo-ins.  These students had been several grades above their grades in most subjects  for most of their school life.   The average students who took these prep classes did not get much out of it. They would have been better spending their money on individualized tutoring.   
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