Although theoretically you cannot prepare a child for these tests, there is a whole industry around preparing for them. Tutor costs per hour start at $100, materials and past tests can be obtained for large fees, there are schools which prepare for these tests. Obviously, only higher income families can afford this.
There have been articles in the New York Times recently attributing the record high scores in the 99th% this year to these tutoring programs.
Personally, i think its just a statistical fluke.
Im no expert on this area, but it would seem to me, that a child who is bright, will do well on the test, and may have a slight but not significant advantage if tutored. So personally, im not resentful of these cheating parents who prepare their child for a test, hoping to give them an unfair advantage over others. i do think its cheating. But i also understand why a parent would do this and i am not judging them. I know parents who want their child tutored because he is shy around strangers, another because their kid wont sit still.
That slight statistical difference might make the difference between your child getting into the sought after Anderson school, which only accepts 99th percentile. So if you have the time and the money, by all means, pay. I know people who did this, and their child didnt do so well. They are trying again next year.
My son scored in the 99th percentile with no preparation. I dont have the means to pay for these institutes and tutors and the like.
People didnt even believe he wasnt tutored, and some inferred that he was tutored at his preschool without my knowing. Thats New York for you.
There were two things that were different about my son on the day he was tested. The first is, i let him run around prior to the test in the nearby playground. I continued to let him giggle and play with his 20 mth old brother in the gym waiting area. The two of them ran around in circles and had a great time. Other kids were sitting very studiously at tables drawing with crayons. I could never force my son to do this even if i wanted to, and he's not that interested in drawing.
One little girl wanted to play with him, but her father wouldnt let her.
The second difference, my son finished the test early with a big smile on his face. He had a good time.
Maya
ps i dont mean to come off as judgmental towards you for wanting to prepare your child. I totally understand, and know plenty of parents who did this. Its the normal among those that can afford it. But i still think it undermines the system as a whole, and they are thinking of scrapping it for this reason.