Reply to Prep classes for HGC and MS magnet tests

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So - everybody preps in one way or the other. It could be prep classes or enrichment at home or CoGat book.  Out of everyone who applies - a small %age gets in. Nothing is a guarantee.  The end result that everyone hopes for is that the kid gets in - and if they get in - no one cares how they got in.

When you get a 2400 in SAT, it does not matter to the colleges if you studied for 2 months or if you were smoking weed!

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But it could be an indication whether your kid would struggle in a more challenging class environment, as in "your kid doesn't belong there".   You can prep for a test but that won't help you do well in the program, or in college for that matter.[/quote]

Actually, I do not believe that.  How many kids go through these prep classes and do not get in? A big majority in my experience. How many kids get 2400 in SAT after sitting in a commercial prep classe? Very few.

These Prep classes are only useful to make the brightest kids feel reassured, They are not teaching content, they are familiarizing kids to test taking techniques. These kids had a great chance of getting in without prep.

If you want your kid to actually learn something and improve - you should try their tutoring classes or camps. These go on throughout the year and they are like having a tutor in a subject you are not great in. I do not see a single child at my kids HGC who did not deserve to be there or who could not handle the workload and pace - regardless of if they came through prep classes or studied at home. And they all had  parents were involved and education was given a priority in the household.

A weak student cannot prep and get in. Prior content knowledge is assumed in the prep classes.  And even then only 1 in 4 kids taking the prep class gets in (and that is a generous guess - I think that it is even less than that!).
Think of it as sports. A top athlete has to have a lot of raw talent to begin with. Only then a good coach can polish that raw talent.  The best coach cannot help an athlete with no talent.
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