Anonymous wrote:^ Your source is 9 years out of date. The SAT has changed since then. Also, it’s just an opinion piece from one guy.

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Anonymous wrote:Now I feel like a dumb parent... my son took cogat this fall without prepping waiting on results makes me nervous. Looks like everyone prepare their kids.

They don't.

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Anonymous wrote:I can't believe people compare COGAT vs SAT. For SAT you're expected to prepare because it's a knowledge base test. COGAT is an intelligence/IQ test that measures if a child is gifted.

The SAT is an intelligence test. In fact the results correlate almost perfectly with IQ, which is also useful because you need to meet a certain minimum IQ score to succeed in many universities. The COGAT measures fluid intelligence, which is problem solving across novel fields. And that can be prepped easily, but not by doing practice tests. But practice tests will probably be worth a few points just for familiarity with the format.

As a psychologist, I can assure you that the SAT is NOT an intelligence test (nor is the COGAT).

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Anonymous wrote:I can't believe people compare COGAT vs SAT. For SAT you're expected to prepare because it's a knowledge base test. COGAT is an intelligence/IQ test that measures if a child is gifted.

The SAT is an intelligence test. In fact the results correlate almost perfectly with IQ, which is also useful because you need to meet a certain minimum IQ score to succeed in many universities. The COGAT measures fluid intelligence, which is problem solving across novel fields. And that can be prepped easily, but not by doing practice tests. But practice tests will probably be worth a few points just for familiarity with the format.

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe people compare COGAT vs SAT. For SAT you're expected to prepare because it's a knowledge base test. COGAT is an intelligence/IQ test that measures if a child is gifted.

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Anonymous wrote:Wow. I did not prep my kid for the Cogat at all and he got into AAP just fine on his own. People really do this?

Yup. They're that pathetic and desperate to get into a program that matters not at all by the time you're in high school. None of my kids prepped for Cogat. In fact, they didn't prep for SAT's either and all got into great schools. I feel like we saved a lot of money and stress by sitting the prep craze out.

Both of you are very arrogant. Who cares if you prepped your kid or not? Why do you expose your children to things? Do you think that you're not prepping your kids by making them play a million games a day on their electronic devices? All those games are a different version of the test.

And you, the second one are also not only very badly mannered, but also a little off. Why would you read and troll on this forum when your super kids are in/out of college?

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Anonymous wrote:Wow. I did not prep my kid for the Cogat at all and he got into AAP just fine on his own. People really do this?

Yup. They're that pathetic and desperate to get into a program that matters not at all by the time you're in high school. None of my kids prepped for Cogat. In fact, they didn't prep for SAT's either and all got into great schools. I feel like we saved a lot of money and stress by sitting the prep craze out.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. I did not prep my kid for the Cogat at all and he got into AAP just fine on his own. People really do this?

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Anonymous wrote:I attended one of the info sessions beforehand and was told that kids who need to be prepped to get the scores aren't the kids who need the program in the first place.

Someone may have already said this. The problem is that the kid does not get only a numerical score, but also a percentile ranking. So let's say that your kid would score 135 on the NNAT, and be on 98th percentile without prepping (and probably be in the pool). Then 10 other kids, who would score 131 without prepping at 95th percentile, actually prep, scores 136, and are now on the 99th percentile. These kids, will not change your kids score, because 135 does not change, but the 98th percentile may become 96th or 97th percentile. And there, just because some of the other kids prep, your kid does not make the pool, and is not shining anymore.

The percentiles are rankings of scores from the highest to the lowest, and then you see what percentage of kids falls below a certain score. Than that score is associated to that percentile. So, if 99% of the kids taking the test score below your kid, then your kid scored on the 99th percentile, and is screened for the program. If other kids prep, and their score becomes even equal to your kid's score, then that 99% becomes a lower one, lets say 95, 96, 97%, etc. The percentile is not what percent the kid got right, but it is the kid's score ranking with respect to other kids' scores taking the same test.

National percentiles won't change, but otherwise, you're correct. The in-pool cutoff is selected to capture the top 10% of FCPS students. Thanks to prepping, it's not necessarily capturing the correct top 10% of students. Keep in mind that the in-pool cutoff has been steadily increasing. In the past, 130 on any one subtest was enough to fall in the top 10% of students. FCPS kids aren't getting that much smarter in that short of a time.

If enough kids prep the national rankings will get affected. The fact that the cutoff in FX Co. has been increasing from year to year, means that at least for the NNAT the national rankings have been impacted. The CogAT form the kids in FX Co. schools take is FX Co. specific, but that also is measured against national scores, and if that cutoff has been increasing that means that the national averages have had an impact.

From what I know there are unlimited seats in the AAP program, as long as the child is a good fit for the program. (I am not sure that I believe that, but that's what the county claims.)[/quote]

I don't know how it can be true. I know many families who got rejected a spot even with high test scores and gbrs and eventually got in after trying another year or two but not their first try. Also the fact that overall about 50% of the pool or appeal is accepted confirms.