SAT Preparation for Gifted Middle Schoolers
It makes sense to me that preparing for any test can only improve one’s chances of earning a higher score. It helps to understand the construct of a test—what types of questions and types of knowledge will be included. Understanding these things also gives an individual more confidence, ameliorating test anxiety. It’s a “practice makes perfect” (or at least better) mentality.
Test preparation programs have long been popular for SAT and ACT preparation, but some recent college graduates have come up with a new way of doing this and the program has now been extended to help middle schoolers—and specifically gifted middle schoolers—prepare.
The online prep program is described in the article 'Tweens Study for SAT with First-Ever Test Preparation Designed for 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-Graders. Younger students sometimes need to take the SAT to gain acceptance into special gifted programs run by universities such as Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University. PrepMe has a specific program for gifted students called the Precocious Program. After a student completes a diagnostic test, the results are analyzed and a customized program is created for the child. The student is then assigned a personal tutor from either Stanford University or the University of Chicago. Each of the Precocious Program tutors has received special training on working with gifted students.
An article at
CNNMoney.com, tells about the initial launch of the PrepMe company in January 2005. The company was started with $20,000 in prize money from a business plan competition at the University of Chicago.
Unlike the giant SAT prep companies that teach a single test-taking methodology, PrepMe offers several ways to work with students. First it gives the student a diagnostic exam to identify his or her weaknesses. Then it uses relevant, repetitive drills to conquer those weaknesses. PrepMe also provides 20 to 60 hours more preparation material for about the same price as the larger companies. In addition, it offers live essay coaching via e-mail, instant messaging, and phone.
The company's curriculum is based on the test-taking approaches of top scorers and the use of tutors close in age to their target customers.
The original
PrepMe version for high schoolers was founded by three very bright students from the California Institute of Technology/Oxford University, Stanford, and University of Chicago. The founders have won numerous awards for the program, including a business plan contest at the University of Chicago, the Fortune Small Business first prize of $35,000, as well as SAP Business One and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2004 Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
PrepMe bills itself as a premium college admissions and test preparation service that not only emphasizes the material on standardized tests, but also how to best prepare for the tests mentally and physically. The company prides itself on employing college students who have scored high on the SATs and were admitted to premier colleges.
Because the Precocious Program was only launched yesterday, it does not have a track record; however, the concept is certainly worth considering.