The Importance of Testing and How LearningRx Can Help

Some of the most important skills your child will need during their primary, secondary and college years (and likely beyond!) are solid test-taking skills. When these skills are lacking, students are easily frustrated with school and teachers and parents can wrongfully assume that they aren’t grasping the information they’re being taught. However, test taking requires a different skill set than learning and absorbing information. Tests are used to measure learning and enhance learning by challenging students to apply their knowledge.

Test-taking skills are critical

When students take tests, they have to coordinate a variety of skills under pressure. To be a successful test taker, they must be able to do these things well:

• Use their time wisely and keep on-pace
• Accurately recall information
• Articulate in-depth responses to problems or questions
• Implement problem-solving strategies

In addition to classroom tests, there are several tests your child will be exposed to during their years of formal education. For each of these tests, strong test-taking skills are imperative. Common standardized tests include:

JATP: Children who are seeking admission into one of many Metro-Atlanta private schools need to complete the JATP (Joint Admissions Testing Program) test. This standardized test measures cognitive functioning.

CogAT: The Cognitive Abilities Test consists of a verbal battery, quantitative battery, and nonverbal battery. Each battery is a separate section of the test containing 3 different types of questions that cover unique cognitive abilities, commonly used by schools to identify giftedness.

*ACT: A standardized U.S. college-admissions test, the ACT tests students on their English, math, reading and science reasoning skills. Some schools require the writing component as well.

*SAT: A standardized U.S. college-admissions test, the SAT tests students in evidence-based reading and writing and math. Some schools require the essay portion as well.

*The purpose of both of these tests is to assess a student’s readiness for college. College admissions officers look at the results of these tests in addition to your student’s high school GPA, list of coursework, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, personal essays, and admissions interviews. How heavily these tests are weighed depends on the college or university.

Test taking requires strong cognitive skills

Seven basic cognitive skills are required for learning and test taking and a weakness in one or more areas can affect the whole process. Necessary cognitive skills include:Attention: This skill allows your student to focus for an extended period of time.

Short-term/working memory: This skill allows your student to follow step-by-step instructions and remember what they just read.

Long-term memory: This skill allows your student to recall stored information and apply it to the current task.

Logic and reasoning: This skill allows your student to solve problems and brainstorm new ideas.

Auditory processing and word attack: This skill allows your student to recognize and interpret, blend and segment sounds which assists with reading fluency and comprehension. It also helps students decipher the meaning of a new word by studying it in context, common on the ACT and SAT standardized tests.

Visual processing: This skill allows your student to make sense of what they see, which assists with reading and following directions. It helps your student interpret diagrams, graphs, geometry and trigonometry.

Processing speed: This skill allows your student to perform tasks, such as tests, in a timely fashion via visual and auditory cues.

How LearningRx can help!

While LearningRx doesn’t take the place of test-prep courses, when your child works with one of our Certified Cognitive Skills Trainers, we can provide you with a baseline of your student’s ability to process and understand new information (i.e. their strengths and weaknesses). Then, with that information, we create a customized plan to help your child improve those skills. Once their cognitive skills are strong, test prep and test taking are easier, faster and less frustrating and lead to better results.

If you’re interested in learning more about our services and how we can help, click here to take our free Brain Quiz or fill out our contact form. We’d love to get in touch with you!