Here are a few tips on helping your child solve those very tricky OLSAT test questions
For analogy questions on the OLSAT:
- Think of a rule that describes the relationship between the 2 items on top.
- Apply the rule to the figure or picture on the bottom.
- Test the rule with each answer choice – if you choose it, will the items on top be related to each other in the same way as the items on the bottom?
- If more than one choice fits the rule, then look for a more specific rule that describes the relationship between the items on top.
For solving classification questions on the OLSAT:
- These are similar to analogy questions, except that you should think of the reason why the items on top belong together in one group. What’s the same about all of them that they belong together as a unit?
- Test the reasoning with each answer choice – if you choose it, will all 4 items belong together in a group for the reason you identified?
- If more than one item or if no item fits with the items on top for the reason you identified, look at the items on top again and re-think why they belong together in a group.
When practicing for the OLSAT test:
- Environment
- Make sure your child is working in a quiet, well-lit area where he or she will not be disturbed.
- Give your child one set of questions at a time. First go through the warm-up questions in the set.
- When doing the actual practice test, read the instructions and questions exactly as they are written. Do not paraphrase.
- Give your child breaks as needed – ideally, take a break between each practice sub-test.
- Once the practice test starts, don’t give your child feedback or help during the practice test unless he or she is confused about what to do. Go over answers after your child completes the practice test.
Try some fun and colorful NNAT2 sample test questions!
NNAT®-2 and 3 – Reasoning By Analogy
Parent, tell your child this: “Look at this puzzle. Do you see how the two shapes on top go together?” Point to the bottom left box and say, “Look at the shape in the bottom box.” Point to the answer choices and say, “Which of these shapes belongs with the shape on the bottom so that two the shapes on the bottom will go together the same way the shapes on top go together?”
NNAT2 questions to ask your little one for the upcoming NYC G&T test
Discover your child’s strengths and weaknesses for the NNAT2 test.
Answers:
Q1: D (all are same)
Q2: D (rows are the same)
Ready to prep? Here are some test prep tips for the OLSAT and NNAT-2 tests!
The purpose of preparing your child for the NYC G&T test to give you a general idea of your child’s strengths and weaknesses with respect to the different types of questions that will be asked on the actual tests. Here are a few tips to take into consideration while your prepare.
- Seat your child comfortably at a desk where he can work. The room should be well lit. Make sure he isn’t hungry, tired, or missing out on his favorite TV show. Don’t describe what you’re doing as a test or assessment. Just refer to these as “brain games” where you’ll get to do some fun, practice school activities.
- BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO PRACTICE QUESTIONS: Sign-up for free practice questions from the TestingMom.com website. Go through this entire instrument without telling your child whether his answers are correct. This instrument is for your benefit only – first, to show you where your child needs help and then to show you the progress he has made.
- Give your child a break between different sets of questions if that is needed. Remember, with the Pre-Assessment your goal is to find out which types of activities your child does well and which present a challenge for him. Once you understand his strengths and weaknesses, you can work on the areas that are hard for him. The actual OLSAT test has 30 questions and the NNAT-2 has 48 questions for a total of 78 questions. The Assessments have 45 – 60 questions each. Don’t get frustrated if you need extra time to get through all the material, especially when doing the Pre-Assessment (before your child has built up any “test stamina”).
- Based on how your child does, you will know which types of questions to focus your efforts on when preparing. Work with your child over a period of time using the practice questions and games on the TestingMom.com website.
- For the Assessments, whether your child is applying to kindergarten or 1st grade, he should attempt to answer the first 15 questions in each section. If your child is applying to 2nd or 3rd grade, he should attempt to answer all 20 questions in each section. [Questions generally go from easy to harder.]
- between the 1st and 2nd set of scores will vary depending on how much practice you have done with your child and how well she has mastered the concepts.
- Your goal is to see significant improvement between the two sets of scores your child earns doing the Pre-Assessment (without preparation)…and the Post-Assessment (with preparation).
Start preparing for the upcoming ELA and math tests for New York!
The common core state tests for New York State are just around the corner and if you’re a parent of a NYC 4th grader or 7th grader now is the time to panic! As you know, these tests are used for middle school and high school admissions for many selective schools within New York City. The state has released teachers guides to the upcoming common core testing (aka PARCC tests) that are available for everyone to review. Here are some highlights on how the test will be administered this year according to the guide:
- For the ELA test
- The 2018 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts Tests consist of two sessions that are administered over two days.
- Students will be provided as much time as necessary to complete each test session.
- On average, students in Grades 3–4 will likely need approximately 60–70 minutes of working time to complete each of the two test sessions. Students in Grades 5–8 will likely need approximately 80–90 minutes of working time to complete each of the two test sessions.
- For the math test
- The 2018 Grades 3–8 Mathematics Tests takes place over two days and consist of two sessions.
- Students will be provided as much time as necessary to complete each test session. In other words, no time limit.
- On average, students in Grade 3 will likely need approximately 55–65 minutes to complete Session 1 and 60–70 minutes to complete Session 2. Students in Grade 4 will likely need approximately 65–75 minutes to complete each of the two test sessions. Students in Grade 5 will likely need approximately 80–90 minutes to complete Session 1 and 70–80 minutes to complete Session 2. Students in Grades 6–8 will likely need approximately 80–90 minutes to complete Session 1 and 75–85 minutes to complete Session 2.
Looking for practice questions? Review what they have to offer at Testing Mom!
Tips and tricks on helping your child overcome test taking anxiety
As the NYC Gifted and Talented Test drawers near tensions will run high in your household. Even if you look calm, cool and collected your child will pick up on your own nervousness as the time for the OLSAT and NNAT-2 comes near. Here are a few tips to help you and your child to manage the stressful process as it comes to the taking the big test.
Get prepared! There’s nothing like knowing what to expect to anything in life, especially when it comes to taking the test. Making sure your child is fully prepared will put your child in control of anxiety. That’s why your using resources available to like programs like Testing Mom.
Here are some things you’ll want to do for maximum performance on the test.
- Exercise – make sure you get lots of outdoor time with your child in the weeks and months prior to test. This helps reduce stress by pumping endorphin in your child’s system. It increase the oxygen supply so your child will be able to perform his or her best on test day. Chose an activity that your child really likes within moderation. Playing at the park or walking around the neighborhood are great activities for your little one.
- Diet – first and foremost, cut out all the junk food and save it for after the test. Your child’s body needs a balanced and nutrition diet for peak performance. Make sure your child eats plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with appropriate proteins. Research shows that foods that have high levels of lecithin (i.e. fish, beans) are known as “brain foods”. If you plan on changing your child’s diet to be more healthy make sure you do it weeks or months in advance of the test.
- Rest – now is not the time to experiment with your child going to be at all hours of the night. Keep your child’s bed routine the same during the week and weekends for the month prior to the test. It’s extremely important that this schedule is strictly enforced since you don’t want your child to show up on test day grumpy from not getting enough sleep. If your child is more of a morning person then schedule your child’s test during the morning hours or if your child is an afternoon person then schedule the time after lunch.
Make sure your child aces the OLSAT and NNAT tests
Many months prior to the big test you’ve prepared your child and now you’re both ready! You’ve practice with flash cards, workbooks and sites like TestingMom.com. You’ve developed test taking strategies to teach your child to focus, listen and sit still for a whole hour! Now that deserves a big award! With all that being said, your child is much more prepared than the vast majority of kids taking the NYC G&T test so give yourself a big pat on the back. Now your child will walk into the test room with comfort and ready to succeed. Here are some quick final preparations for the test day:
- Getting to the test site
- Make sure you’ve done a “dry run” if you are using public transportation or driving
- Date of exam
- Departure time from your home
- How long will it take you to get to the exam site?
- Night before the test
- Clothes your child will wear
- Proper ID for when you’re checking in
- Make sure you bring a book or toy (non-electronic) for your child to play with in the waiting area.
You’re set!
Getting your child to take the OLSAT and NNAT tests!
Filed under: tests | Tags: NYC Gifted and Talented, OLSAT test, test anxiety
Taking any test can be tough, especially if you’re 4 years old
First, the bad news. Preparing a young child for the NYC Gifted and Talented Test takes works, lots of work! And if you want your child to get admitted to a citywide or district gifted program, your child must receive a qualifying score. There are many pitfalls and obstacles that can stand in the way of your child getting a top score on the OLSAT and NNAT-2 tests:
- Being unfamiliar with the types of questions on the test
- Test anxiety and not being able sit still for an hour with a stranger
- Leaving preparing your child for the test to the last minute
- Not preparing at all
- Not knowing basic test taking skills like process of elimination and guessing
One of things most parents experience is test anxiety even though they aren’t the ones taking the test! You want to make sure you don’t transfer your anxiety onto your child. You want to make sure your child is prepared and that will help eliminate the anxiety for both you and your child.
Here are a few tips to help eliminate test anxiety:
- Teach your child to breathe slowly during test and stretch if they need to.
- Tell your child it’s ok to ask the test proctor (teacher) to take a break to use the restroom during the test.
- Make sure you visit the testing facility PRIOR to test day so your child is familiar with the school and you can tell your child you’ll be returning to speak to a teacher “who wants to know everything a 4 year old knows!”
Once you’re in the final stretch with test day is within 30 days make sure you make a 30-day plan to really get your child prepared for the test.
- Do a mock exam from sites like TestingMom.com where you can get a good gauge of where your child is at in knowing the concepts on the OLSAT and NNAT-2 tests
- Do not change your child’s schedule and make sure you keep a solid routine with diet, bedtime and anything to keep the schedule normal. Now is not the time to go on vacation, change your child’s diet (unless it’s unhealthy) or change bedtime or wake time in the morning.
Filed under: tests | Tags: hunter college elementary school, hunter test results
NYC Moms and Dads Up in Arms!
After waiting for weeks (and in some cases months) NYC parents received their notices from Hunter College Elementary School test results. This year they decided not to give the parents the actual score from the Stanford-Binet but rather a “yes” or a “no” that their darling daughter or son made the cut-off to round two. Here’s the actual email a parent received from Hunter College Elementary when they found out their talented tot didn’t make the cut.
Dear <PARENT>,
Thank you for having <CHILD> participate in the Hunter College Elementary School (HCES) admissions process for Academic Year 2018-2019. We appreciate your interest in our school and learning community. However, it is with regret that we inform you that <CHILD> will not be advancing to Round 2 of the process.
This fall, 1640 children applied to Hunter College Elementary School for the fifty available seats, and all of these children participated in Round 1 of the process. We are aware that the Round 1 evaluation captured only one day of your child’s capabilities. Like <CHILD> , we know that our applicants are bright, dynamic children who will achieve academic success in the future. We simply do not have the ability to advance every student to the second round (R2).
We know that our admissions process is time-consuming and we recognize and value the effort you have put forth on <CHILD> ‘s behalf. The next entry point to the Hunter College Campus Schools is in grade seven, for Hunter College High School. We encourage you to check our seventh grade admissions criteria as soon as <CHILD> enters grade six.
We wish you and your child the best in finding the best fit for Kindergarten.
Sincerely,
Sabra S. Pacheco
Director of Admissions and Outreach
High-order thinking needed for the NYC Gifted and Talented Test
The definition of cognition states that it is “the mental faculty or process by which knowledge is acquired.” When a child combines aspects of cognitive skills to evaluate what he sees, hears, and reads, and then makes decisions, reaches conclusions, or solves problems based on analysis of information, he is using “higher-order thinking.” Kids naturally use these skills, often getting it wrong, but only because they are just beginning to understand the laws and rules governing the world. For example, they might surmise that since you grew tomatoes from seeds, why couldn’t you plant a steak bone and grow a cow?
This “higher-order thinking” was explained and is still relevant today by Russian author Korney Chukovsky in his 1928 book, From Two to Five. He demonstrated through observations that children’s higher-order thinking process takes shape in this way:
- Observing and asking questions – watching and listening begins their exploration.
- Sorting, classifying, and comparing for conceptual thinking – children then sort the information that has been gathered into groups and classifications.
- Reasoning – they now start to make sense of concepts or form opinions. (I always liked the story of the little boy who witnessed his grandma remove her dentures who said, “Wow, now take out your eyes, Granny!”.….out of the mouths [and minds] of babes!)
- Hypothesizing – they can now use reasoning skills to predict what might happen next.
- Problem Solving – children will eventually realize with experience that situations can be changed. And, using creative thinking, they can generate ideas, look for alternatives and try to see beyond the obvious to solve a problem (cheers to Thomas Edison!)
- Critical Thinking – the child will now consider different sides of an issue or a possible solution, while weighing the pros and cons and forming an opinion.
- Decision Making – after examining and evaluating all sides of an issue or the options on the table, he makes the best choice he can.
And, it’s been proven that children who grow up using higher-order thinking become more creative, flexible and persistent because they know how to generate, critique and choose from an assortment of ideas and don’t become flustered when they hit a dead end, because they know how to seek out alternatives.
As a parent, you can foster your child’s higher-order thinking skills by doing the following as you prepare for the OLSAT and NNAT-2 tests for entry into the NYC Gifted and Talented Program:
- Promote questions: Yes, I said it….keep the barrage of questions coming, no matter how painful they may be! And, offer up answers that will encourage his desire to explore deeper, engage in conversation on the topic and expand the discussion.
- Don’t Solve Problems for your child: If you solve your child’s problem for him, you’re taking away an opportunity for her to use her own problem-solving skills. Plus, if a child is constantly directed on how to do things, she will look to you for the answers rather than try for herself.
- Encourage experimentation: Teach your child that there is rarely one correct way to solve a problem and praise and applaud her even if it doesn’t work.
- Teach adaptability: If, after using problem-solving, your child’s decision didn’t work, simply show your child that you can go back, reevaluate and try something else. This ability to roll with change is critical to succeeding in our dynamic, ever-changing world.
- Let go of control: This is the hard one, but it’s known that parents who constantly exert control over their children squash their creative spirits. So, next time there’s a mud pie bake off, BACK OFF and let the baking begin, because this is where your child gets to experiment, explore, think and try out her ideas. The value of play is the play itself, not what is produced, although a Fruit Loop mud pie is enticing!
Is your child taking the NNAT-2 test for the New York City Gifted and Talented?
If your child is going to be taking the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability test, or NNAT any time soon, you’re probably a little worried. What is this test like? How will my child do? What if my child isn’t good at spatial reasoning, or puzzles?
The NNAT is a visual spatial reasoning test that is used as one of the two tests to screen kids for the NYC Gifted and Talented Program. The test takes about half an hour. It’s multiple choice and no reading is required. For each section of the test, children start out with easier questions and they keep going until they miss four, or five in a row.
A pattern completion question that we would expect a second, or third grader to be able to answer. Here, the child has to figure out which square belongs in the empty box to complete the puzzle. The answer is D.
Can you imagine asking a young child to handle a question like this for the very first time on a test where the results are so important? Practice really helps.
For older children, the NNAT-2 questions are much harder, because kids need to figure out what a design on the bottom will look like when folded and then rotated like the design on top. The answer is C.
If your young child is taking the NNAT test and you’d like to learn more about the kinds of questions that will be asked visit TestingMom.com for free practice questions.
NYC Gifted and Talented Program and Testing 