Additional information
by Pre-K Lab (Author)
It's important for parents to understand the intent and content of the Gifted and Talented (G&T) test to best prepare their child for the entrance exam. Some exams may even consist of several components such as the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 2 (NNAT2), and the Cognitive Abilities Test (COGAT). Below outlines what each test covers.The OLSAT tests students' Verbal Comprehension and Reasoning Skills - such as their ability to follow Multi-step Oral Directions. It also tests students' abilities to Think Abstractly and Make Connections Using Verbal Cues. The NNAT2 tests students' nonverbal problem-solving skills such as: Abilities to perform Spatial Visualization, Serial Reasoning, Pattern Completion, and Reasoning by Analogy. The COGAT test measures students' Reasoning Abilities in the three areas that are linked to academic success: Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.How to PrepareThere are two sets of challenges your child will face when taking the G&T exam. The first and most important one is the test of their problem solving abilities and their knowledge of foundational concepts. The second challenge they face is being able to perform their skills in an unfamiliar setting and format. Test preparation booklets can only familiarize your child with the exam format. That is why at Gifted and Talented Test Preparation we believe success on the test is not a result of cramming before the test, but a result of a continued successful commitment in a child's education. Investing in early childhood education pays huge dividends for getting students in the G&T program in school.How this book can Prepare your Child for the Gifted and Talented TestThe book's programs help to cultivate creative problem solving abilities and invest your child with knowledge needed for the test. Our programs not only teach foundational concepts - such as sequence ordering, pattern completion, and similarity and difference identification - but they also reinforce these concepts throughout every subject, allowing students to learn these skills in new and exciting ways. Our program also seeks to expose children to a wide variety of objects, people, jobs, and situations and is proven to increase children's vocabularies. Such exposure to multiple life scenarios and world cultures as well as the development of children's vocabularies are important for G&T Testing as the exam may ask a child to identify unfamiliar public figures, items, or concepts. We advise parents to pay attention to the development of childhood social skills that helps to cultivate children's confidence in their answers and their understanding of appropriate classroom behavior. This helps children avoid wrong answers based on poor attention or shaky confidence.A long-term investment in increasing your child's vocabulary, ability to follow oral directions, and problem solving skills is especially important for the exam because of changes in the scoring system. Previously, student's verbal scores were only weighted as 35% of the over-all percentile: now, however, the verbal will be weighed at 50%. This means that your child's ability to perform verbal reasoning and problem solving will be more important than it was for previous classes.Our G&T Preparation book Familiarizes your Child with the Test FormatAfter having developed the necessary foundational knowledge and skills through our other programs, our book will help familiarize your child with the test format and teach him or her how to best apply his or her knowledge and skills on the test. This approach keeps children's attention fixed and ensures that students who learn differently understand each concept fully. Our Book is also designed to teach children to sit and pay attention for the test's full length.
