How do you know if your child is smart enough to pass a school entrance exam?
Many parents think that their child is a genius, a little Einstein or the next Tchaikovsky. In some ways it’s quite natural to believe that your child possesses something so remarkable and special that they are far beyond their peers intellectually.
However, when it comes to school entrance exams such as the 10+, 11+ or 13+, believing that your little one is a genius isn’t enough to guarantee that they’ll pass.
Before embarking on the entrance exam process it’s worth sitting down and assessing whether your child is a good fit.
How do you do that? Read on to find out.
1. Be Objective.
It’s easy to look at your child through your own eyes and make the judgement that they’re perfect for an entrance exam at a top school. However, it’s important to remember that your child will be assessed by either a computer or a complete stranger (i.e. a teacher that doesn’t know them). It’s therefore vital that you observe your child not from your own perspective but from one that’s completely separate.
For instance, ask yourself whether your child currently outperforms their peers when it comes to exams at school.
2. Think Ahead.
When speaking to clients, I usually recommend that their child is about two years ahead academically. Thus, if they’re in Year 4 then they should be able to answer some questions that are taught at Year 6 level. This might seem a bit ridiculous but one of the most effective ways of maximising your child’s chances of passing.
3. Test.
Once you’ve decided to go ahead, the next step is to go for an assessment. You can either do this by booking them in for a mock exam, asking an independent tutor to assess them or by purchasing exam papers and assessing them yourself. Once you do, make note of your child’s scores and identify the exact topics and areas that they need help with. Then create a plan for improving their scores so that they’ll be well-prepared for the exam.
As with most things, early preparation can make a tremendous difference so the sooner you action the above steps, the better.
With regards to early preparation, are there things you can do to help increase your child’s chances of being ahead of the curve academically? There’s a lot of debate around the topic of whether some children are born with higher levels of intelligence or whether intelligence is based on a child’s environment. It’s a huge topic and far too complex for us to delve into now. However, research from a variety of studies and organisations points to the following:
Infants who receive higher levels of face-to-face (or in-person) interaction from adults such as parents or grandparents, outperform children who don’t. In other words, if you want to boost your child’s chances of excelling academically, interact with them constantly from an early age. Don’t let the screen do that for you. Your child learns best from interactions with you.
“The infant’s best toy is you.”
(Building Baby’s Intelligence: Why Infant Stimulation Is So Important, California Childcare Health Program)
Encourage play - research also highlights how important play is for children of all ages. Whether your child is under one or over nine, playing provides several tangible benefits and can dramatically boost your child’s cognitive skills and creative thinking abilility.
“Early stimulation contributes to brain development gains.”
(Source: The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, January 2017)
As a tutor, I often come across children who struggle to think imaginatively and this really affects them when it comes to creative writing. Such children can’t come up with story ideas on their own, will stare at a blank paper for hours on end and can’t use their own gumption to think imaginatively. It’s a real shame and it honestly breaks my heart when I come across a child who wants to do better, wants to score higher marks but can’t do the very thing needed to do that. Every time your child plays, runs, hops, jumps, leaps, sings or dances, they’re forming the foundation needed to think independently, imagine new scenarios, come up with interesting ideas and ultimately, express themselves and their imagination. I can’t stress how important it is to encourage your child to play.
“Playing is learning.”
I’ll be sharing some more tips on how to help your child boost their intellectual ability and academic potential in another blog post so keep an eye out for it. If you haven’t already, stay up-to-date with our articles and free resources by signing up to our newsletter. Click here to do that.
Finally, if you need any help with the exam preparation process, fill in the contact form on our website and a member of our team will be in touch to help.
Here’s to your child’s success.