Practice

"Live! From the Eliza Jane household, we're here on the scene as LM takes his first practice SAT test. Ms. Jane told us earlier that this practice session has been planned now for several days."

"When we found out about the SAT requirement last Tuesday, we immediately put together a plan for evaluation, study and practice. We just want to make sure that LM is as prepared as possible to do his best on the test."

"Ms. Jane, are you at all nervous about the outcome of his scores?"

"I'm only nervous that he won't really try his best. If LM does the best he can do then his scores are the best he can get. If he doesn't meet the requirements for the Gifted Program, we'll know that it's because he's not academically at that level, not because he just wasn't prepared."

"For this practice session, what are you most concerned about?"


"I really wanted to get this one under our belt so that LM knows exactly what the test is like. As we go forward and work on specific examples, he'll have a better idea of how these problems directly relate to those on the exam. My main concern this evening is that LM will buckle under the strain of four hours of testing."

"Did you ever consider dividing it up into shorter segments? This is, after all, only a practice test."

"Since one of my main concerns about the actual testing is LM's ability to focus and concentrate for the duration, I want to give him several opportunities over the next few weeks to test under similar conditions. His endurance is as much part of what's being tested as his mathematical and verbal acumen. We need to practice that as well."

"How are things going so far?"


"Not as well as I had hoped, to be honest. We've completed the first section, there are ten altogether, and he was finished with several minutes left to go. It was the essay section and he didn't spend the time going back over his work, proofreading, adding details or reworking the organization at all. I don't see any indentations demarking paragraphs and I don't see any signs of revision, meaning he just wrote in a stream of consciousness. We have our work cut out for us in this area."


"Ms. Jane, we appreciate your candor. We'll check back in as the evening progresses to see how LM is holding up under the strain."

As the fourth section winds to a close...

"Ms. Jane, how is LM progressing? Do you see any initial signs of strain?"

"No, LM appears to be holding up well. He has to be reminded, however, that he can't talk, can't whisper, can't hum, can't stand, can't tap his pencil, can't throw his pencil in disgust, can't yell at the cat..."

"How do you think he'll hold up under the extreme real-life testing conditions when he sits for the duration flanked by high school students?"

"I'm not sure. I worry that he'll come out beat to a pulp for being a distraction during their testing. We're going to have to work on it."

"Other than that, how does LM seem to be doing?"

"As we approach the dinner break, I'd say he's doing fairly well. I'll have a quick discussion with him over dinner and I'll have a better impression for you after that."

"Excellent. Again, we thank you, Ms. Jane for this inside-look at the pre-testing affects on an eleven year old as he prepares to take the SAT in two months. We'll check back in after dinner. Back to you, Roarke."

Following the Dinner Break:

"Ms. Jane! Ms. Jane! How was he? Does he show signs of fatigue? Is he visibly changed from the pressure? How is he holding up?"

"We just finished the dinner break. I asked LM how he thought it was going. He said there was some terminology in the Reading and the Mathematical sections that he was unfamiliar with."

"That's it? He didn't cry? Did he eat or did the stress affect his appetite?"

"LM ate as usual. A crab cake, small piece of chicken, a few devilled eggs and some fruit. He wasn't visibly upset, although, he did seem rather concerned when he found out the testing would take place on a Saturday morning. That news he didn't like hearing at all."

"Ms. Jane, tell us, do you think your Mother-of-the-Year status is in jeopardy?"

"I'm certain that without a significant rally on my part during the latter part of the year, my reign as MOTY will be short-lived. However, LM's birthday is in May, following the testing dates, and there might be opportunities over the summer for me to try to make up for lost points. The best tactic I could take would be to make his summer so memorable that he forgets about this testing altogether."

"What happens if he gets the scores needed but then absolutely loathes the program and curriculum in the fall?"

"Well, then you'd certainly see my MOTY award go up in smoke! We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, I need to get back to the test and make sure we're plugging along with the last five sections of the test."

"There you have it, straight from the mother herself. We'll check in at the end, one last time, to see how LM is holding up. We're going to try for an interview with the student, but his mom has told us the interview is dependent upon his physical and mental condition at the completion of the practice test. Oh, and also on how far it is past his bedtime. We'll keep you updated and we'll cut in with any breaking news. Roarke, back to you in the studio."

Breaking News...

"We have just learned that LM has completed the practice test. We're trying to get a statement from Ms. Jane....LeRoy, see if you can get the camera over by that door - Ms Jane! Ms. Jane! Channel 10 News! Ms. Jane!"

"Yes?"

"How is LM? Did he survive the practice test?"

"LM is fine. His breathing is normal, his heartrate seems to be normal. There is no indication that he has suffered any major physical ailments from the stress. He seems, well, normal."

"Are you saying he came through his first SAT practice session completely unscathed?"

"Well, I do think he's tired. And he was asking for a snack, but otherwise, yes, I think he's really just fine."

"Did he say anything about the test itself? Any comments at all on the content, the difficulty level, the length, anything?"

"He said that it felt long, especially right towards the end of the four hours. He said sections 7, 8 and 9 seemed especially difficult but that overall, he thought the test was actually easier than he had anticpated."

"Easier?! Are you sure you heard him correctly, Ms. Jane?"

"Well, I assure you, we won't be assuming that the test really was easy for LM until we have scored the test and see how well he performed."

"Do you know what scored you are aiming for, Ms. Jane?"

"Yes, the Gifted Program did share with us the general guidelines for admission. We're aware of what numbers we need to hit for acceptance. We'll just have to see if he's reasonably close to any of them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get LM a snack and then get him off to bed. He's had a long night."

"Ms. Jane, one last question. What's the next step in the process?"

"We'll score the test and see if there are any specific areas that stand out as trouble areas. We'll spend time each evening going over information and example problems. It will just take some time to get LM comfortable with the logical process to answering many of these questions. We have 5 weeks to prepare. I think we have plenty of time."

"Ms. Jane we thank you again for your candor. We wish you and LM the best during this SAT prep time. We'll check back in and see how he scores on the practice exam as well as the actual SAT on March 1st. For everyone here at Channel 10, this has been Brian O'Donnell with a special SAT report. Goodnight."