More on Admissions Tests

A week or so ago I was doing some research on admissions tests used in private schools. I was amazed to discover that there are almost as many admissions tests as there are schools. Well, not quite, but you get the idea. The tests used are now very specific depending on what the school is looking for. That was not the case 15 years ago.

The primary grades and some schools serving gifted students use intelligence tests. The middle schools and high schools seem to be more interested in what a student has learned to date. So SSAT, ISEE and COOP are widely used. By the time you get to 12th grade and PG years, the schools are quite happy to accept PSAT, SAT or ACT results as well.

Take a look at Private School Admissions Tests. It's not the most exciting title, but it does contain a pretty exhaustive list of the most commonly used private school admissions tests.

If your child will be taking an admissions test this fall, I recommend you do two things:

• Make sure she does several practice tests so she's relaxed when she does the real thing
• Explore my colleague Kelly Roell's authoritative site on Test Prep. She's got plenty of test-taking tips and strategies for you to consider.