Admissions Testing: What Parents Should Know
For parents who want to understand their child’s abilities, prepare for school admissions, or simply keep their options open.
You do not need to have everything figured out
Parents consider cognitive testing for many different reasons. Some are preparing an application to a gifted or independent school. Others have noticed that their child learns, reasons, or approaches the world differently and would simply like a clearer understanding of their abilities.
You do not need to have a school selected—or even know whether you will apply—before pursuing an assessment. Testing can be useful in its own right, and the results can remain available if admissions becomes relevant later.
Six things for parents to know
Testing is not only for admissions.It can help you understand your child before you make any decisions about school.
Choosing the right test.Children under 6 take the WPPSI-IV; children age 6 and older take the WISC-V.
There is nothing to study.Children complete age-appropriate questions, puzzles, and problem-solving activities.
Comfort matters.Time is taken to help each child settle in and show what they can do.
You receive more than a score.The report explains the child’s pattern of abilities, observations, and recommendations.
You decide what comes next.Results remain with the family unless a parent authorizes submission to a school.
What cognitive testing can help you understand
Cognitive testing provides a structured look at how a child reasons, solves problems, remembers information, and works with verbal and visual material. A thoughtful assessment considers the pattern across abilities and what that pattern may suggest about how the child learns, rather than reducing the child to a single number.
Choosing the right test
For children under 6 years old, I use the WPPSI-IV. For children age 6 and older, I use the WISC-V.
What the experience is like for a child
Testing is completed individually and includes engaging tasks such as answering questions, identifying patterns, solving visual problems, working with information in memory, and completing age-appropriate puzzles. It is not a school exam, and there is no studying or special preparation needed.
Testing for younger children is often completed in approximately an hour, while school-age children may need closer to 90 minutes or two hours. Breaks are available when needed, and parents may wait nearby in a private suite.
Helping children show what they can do
A valid assessment depends on more than presenting test materials correctly; a child also needs to feel sufficiently comfortable to engage. I take time to establish rapport and have extensive experience with young children as well as children who are shy, cautious, energetic, slow to warm up, bilingual, or multilingual. Standardized procedures are maintained while responding thoughtfully to each child’s temperament and developmental level.
What parents receive
Parents receive a detailed six- to eight-page report explaining the child’s cognitive profile in understandable language. It includes scores, interpretation of the pattern of abilities, relevant behavioral observations, and recommendations. Reports are generally completed within two days or less and provided directly to the family in a password-protected file.
Using the results now or later
Some families use the assessment to guide educational decisions or better understand the level of challenge their child may need. Others later include the results in a gifted or independent-school application. Nothing is sent to a school without parent authorization; if an application is later submitted through Ravenna or another school portal, I can assist with the required report or scores.
How to get started
Email me directly at drbrad@giftedsupportservices.com. Email receives the fastest response and, for a standard gifted or admissions assessment, your child’s age is all I need to send the appropriate information and a private scheduling link.
I would be happy to speak with you on the phone if you have specific concerns you would like to discuss or are considering additional or more in-depth testing. If so, you are welcome to request a phone conversation in your email.