question(s) about taking ACT through Duke TIP

[Hoggirl]

Ds will be in grade 7 this year and has qualified to take the ACT (or SAT) through Duke TIP. Here are my questions:

1) Can a student who takes this test through Duke TIP take it at any testing
site or are there only designated testing sites?

2) Any general words of wisdom about good or bad experiences with doing
this? Codes used? How long until scores received? Just some generic
info about what to expect would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[KAR120C]

1) Can a student who takes this test through Duke TIP take it at any testing site or are there only designated testing sites?
I think you can do any site -- that's how the Explore worked when we did it through a talent search. I think they may restrict you to particular dates, but I think the sites are whatever is available.

2) Any general words of wisdom about good or bad experiences with doing this? Codes used? How long until scores received? Just some generic info about what to expect would be appreciated.
DS did the ACT independently this June, and the scores were back (online!) in two weeks. That was excellent. :) I'm not sure if going through a talent search slows it down any... but the ACT online registration without a talent search was super-easy, and I could pick the option to have the full report sent (a month later), with the actual test questions and his answers... which I find more useful than just a score, when he's so far out of the age range. (I can see, for instance, that he only got halfway through the science section, which is at the end of the morning when he was already really tired, and that he finished the math section but missed several questions because of silly mistakes, which says "rushing" to me...)

Hope this helps!

[Beth in Central TX]

Hi Cynthia,

My oldest son could have taken the ACT at any site listed on the Duke TIP application. We chose a local university rather than a nearby high school.

He took the test on Feb. 7th, and we received his results on Feb. 20th. I was amazed! He did well and was recognized by Duke TIP for his score. The only test prep he did was to work through (1) the sample test that came from the College Board and (2) Dr. Gary Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids (grades 7-9). My husband also went over some basic algebra concepts because my son only had pre-algebra at that point. With the math your son has had, he will do fine.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions. I'm happy to help!

Take care,
Beth

[Truscifi]

It was many years ago, but I did the TIP test and took several of the classes. I didn't do any test prep, and as I recall I was able to take it at any site I chose. You might want to find a site where other younger kids are testing though. Maybe it was just my experience, but some of the high school students taking the test at the same site were hostile to 'the little kid'.

The scores took a lot longer to get to us back then because they weren't emailed, but I understand they come back in 2 weeks or so nowadays.

I greatly enjoyed the TIP programs I did, but I and my parents were upset to find that despite what the TIP people said, most colleges would not give credits for them. I don't know if TIP still promises that or not.

[MariaT]

My son took the ACT last February through CTD. He took the test at a nearby private school that we chose because it was close and he was familiar with the building from previous events.

I thought the talent search kids would all be together, separated from the high school kids. But it turned out that although the talent search kids were kept together, there also were high school students in the room as well. This was not as bad as I thought. My son was not intimidated by the high schoolers at all. THEY were probably MORE intimidated by this kid, whose legs couldn't reach the floor, taking the test with them.

It was a pretty good experience for him, even though my oldest does not like taking these kinds of tests. He got a nice medal from CTD for doing well. And it gives us a baseline for planning.

My only advice: Keep your child's test scores private.

I was very, very careful to tell NO ONE that he was taking the ACT--no one in his Scout troop, no one from tae kwon do, no other homeschoolers, not any of our relatives, except my parents. (at the time we had not yet joined a homeschool support group.) I wanted him to focus on the test in privacy, without unwanted attention from well-meaning but misguided adults. And I did not want him to be the topic of gossip.

But, in the months that passed, I happened to mention to 3 people who I thought would be well-meaning that he had taken the ACT. (these people are not homeschoolers, and not in the gifted community, although they are mentors for my son.) I REALLY regret mentioning anything to them.) IMMEDIATELY they wanted to know his scores so they could compare his scores to the scores of their own children who were high school juniors. I told them I could not remember his scores (not a lie, since I could only remember one score, the highest one.) One dad really pushed. I refused, and said that the scores were private and I was not going to tell him because it would not be fair to my son or his daughter. But the braggart in me couldn't resist and told him what percentile he was among kids his age who took the test. That got him off my back.

I still wish I had kept my big mouth shut. It is hard enough for him to be in a Scout troop as the only homeschooler and one of the very, very few gifted kids.

Regards,
Maria

[Hoggirl]

I am glad to hear that we will have several choices as to where to test.

And, Maria, thanks for the wisdom about keeping test scores private. That may be a challenge. My niece took the ACT when she was a 7th grader, and I am already concerned about comparisons. She will be a senior next year, and, while I do not think ds's score will surpass her current score, I think it is likely that his 7th grade score will be better than hers was if for no other reason than the fact that he is farther along in math than she was at that point. My mil and sil are both public school educators so they are aware of that option and that he will be taking it. I will think about how to best deal with it.