Lots of parents worry that their child will choke when it finally comes time to take the CogAT test. They worry that in the high-pressure, time-limited environment of a test, their child won’t be able to finish all the questions. Or, worse yet, that they’ll get nervous and freeze up, becoming mentally paralyzed when it matters most.
These parents worry that their child’s homework won’t adequately prepare them for the CogAT test. After all, the test isn’t like the traditional year-end test that’s basically a review of what the child learned during the year.
Will their child’s homework be of any use when it matters the most? Will they encounter materials on the test that they’ve never seen before?
These are legitimate concerns, and they’re why it’s so important to get your child practicing for the CogAT test as soon as you can. There are a number of ways to do this, and you don’t want to get into the mindset of using a set method for too long. Start with games and other lighthearted, interactive materials: online practice, board games, manipulatives like blocks. Then work your way up to the more “traditional” test prep workbooks and worksheets. Your child likely already has a lot of homework – so don’t pile on more “schoolwork” when they might already be feeling overwhelmed.
The good thing about the CogAT is that it’s possible to prepare for it. Despite the parents who say that your child either has it or they don’t, this is not true. There are lots of kids with test-taking anxiety, attention problems, or any other number of issues that make it hard for them to excel on standardized tests like the CogAT even though they’re plenty smart. These kids just need an extra push, and they need for practice to be fun.
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