When a child of any age submits to a test, they naturally want to know what material the test will cover. They may even want to see practice or sample questions. This isn’t possible with gifted testing because advance knowledge of the material or access to sample questions defeats the purpose of the test. Advance knowledge of the questions is also considered cheating, and test administrators take careful steps to ensure that no child goes into the testing process with an unfair advantage.
This means that you can’t really prepare for gifted tests the same way that you might prepare for a science test. The goal is to see what your child already knows while judging their propensity for creative and analytical thinking.
Luckily, this doesn’t mean that you have to throw your child into the gifted testing process totally unprepared. You can encourage them to continue learning, exploring their passions and polishing their talents so that they’re as ready as possible for any question that comes their way. You can also take the following steps to prepare them for the experience in general.
Perseverance Under Pressure
Unexpected things happen when you’re stressed or anxious. A talented violinist makes repeated mistakes during her first performance in front of a crowd. An actor freezes on stage although he knows his lines thoroughly. A bright, confident child starts to doubt himself while testing for admittance into a school for the gifted.
It happens, and that’s why you should talk to your child about ways to stay calm and mentally focused even if they’re nervous or if they think that they’ve made too many mistakes. There are a variety of relaxation techniques that your child may use prior to going into the test or even during the test if they feel their nerves are interfering with their concentration.
You may also want to tell your child that they should continue with the testing no matter how much pressure they feel in the moment. Encourage them to focus on answering each question to the best of their ability and then letting it go instantly. If they can visualize pushing the question away, they can focus on the next question without obsessing over potential wrong answers already given.
Controlling Perfectionism
Many gifted tests are designed to start with easy questions and escalate to extremely difficult questions. If your child has a perfectionist mentality, they may get more tense and unfocused if they don’t know the answer to every question. The first time that they have to take a guess, they may want to quit altogether.
You can help your child by explaining that they probably won’t know the answer to every question asked, and that’s the way the test is designed. Instruct them to use their sense of logic and the process of elimination to come up with the best possible guess. If they can mentally release that question after giving the answer, it might not interfere with their ability to answer the next question to the best of their ability.
Take the Easy Questions Seriously
Finally, tell your child that they should give sincere answers to every single question, even when it seems silly or absurdly simple. If they give a sarcastic answer or come up with a silly response, it’s possible that the question will count against them even though they knew the answer.
You may also want to tell your child that you love them regardless of the outcome of their gifted testing. This will take some of the pressure off, allowing them to perform to the best of their ability without worrying that they might disappoint you.
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