SAT for 8th graders?

Parents Forum
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<p>For score increases, see </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=40823%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=40823&lt;/a> </p>

<p>and </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=78732%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=78732&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Those threads in some cases mention what the test-takers thought about the experience. It was pretty low stress, mostly.</p>

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<p>my kid got a better score than I did when she was in 7th grade and i was in 12th 25 yrs ago.</p>

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<p>From National Public Radio: </p>

<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5383634%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5383634&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Here's one more link: </p>

<p><a href="http://www.educationnews.org/writers/michael/An_Interview_with_Kristen_R_Stephens_PhD_About_Dukes_Talent_Identification_Program.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.educationnews.org/writers/michael/An_Interview_with_Kristen_R_Stephens_PhD_About_Dukes_Talent_Identification_Program.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>i'm one of those kids who took the SAT in 8th grade and i would definitely suggest doing it, even if it's not part of a talent search type of program. This definitely gives you an advantage when you get to high school. you have taken the test under the real circumstances without the score following you thru high school. i would suggest not studying before the test. this might sound counter intuitive, but if you don't study, then when you get it back, you'll have a true idea of the places that you need to work on and this may later on affect some of your child's course choices or extra studying.</p>

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<p>My daughter took the SAT through JHU in 7th grade. She fortunately scored very well (had the highest combined scored nationwide of any 7th grader in JHU program) and was able to contact College Board to have the score remain on her permanent record. We are homeschoolers, so high SAT scores are very important to us for college entrance, scholarships, etc. Having high SAT scores also allowed her to take (while still in high school) a number of math and science courses at a university near our home. She also received a substantial scholarship for a summer JHU residential course; however, I found that for the cost of a single JHU summer science course she can take three science courses at our local university, and each of those courses is (in my opinion) far superior to the cursory treatment received in the three-week JHU course. </p>

<p>Since SATs are a significant part of the college admission process, I do not see any big down side to taking it early. But I only think it is worth taking if a child preps at least somewhat in advance. Otherwise, you might as well just buy a book like the Ten Real SATs. If you take it through JHU or another talent search program, it does not have to show in the permanent record, so it can only help.</p>

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<p>I think it is worthwhile to encourage your child to take the test if you have reason to believe that your child will do well and your child wants to take it. I don't think there is the need to prepare beyond taking a practice test just so your child knows what to expect. JHU CTY has a nice Celebration of Talent at a college, and it is good for middle schoolers to hear that they should be proud to be smart. All the talent searches offer a variety of programs that might be of interest to your child.</p>