Parents Fret as Kids Seek “‘Gifted” from the OLSAT Test Results – At Least According to the Wall Street Journal
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlighted the growing pressure surrounding gifted and talented admissions in New York City and the increasing number of families preparing children for the OLSAT. According to the article, there was a 3% increase in students taking the gifted admissions exam in hopes of earning placement in one of NYC’s highly competitive gifted-and-talented programs.
The article also discussed the growing debate around “test prep effects” and whether preparation can influence the number of children achieving top scores, including the highly sought-after 99th percentile. As competition for gifted program seats has increased, many parents have turned to tutoring, practice questions, enrichment activities, and test familiarization to help their children feel more comfortable and confident during testing.
For many families, the NYC gifted admissions process can feel stressful and confusing. Programs often have limited seats, and a child’s performance on a single testing day can significantly impact placement opportunities. This has led parents to search for ways to reduce anxiety, improve focus, and help children become familiar with the types of verbal, quantitative, and reasoning questions they may encounter on assessments like the OLSAT.
At the same time, discussions about gifted testing often raise broader questions: What does it really mean to be “gifted”? How much should young children prepare for assessments? Can test prep unfairly advantage some families, or does preparation simply help children demonstrate abilities they already possess?
Many educators and parents agree that preparation should not be about pressure or memorization. Instead, the goal should be helping children build confidence, listening skills, reasoning abilities, attention span, and comfort in one-on-one or structured testing situations. Exposure to different question formats and practice following directions can help reduce nervousness and allow children to perform closer to their true ability.
The article reflects how competitive gifted admissions have become in some communities and why so many families are seeking guidance throughout the process. Whether parents choose formal preparation, tutoring, or simple learning activities at home, most are simply trying to give their children the best opportunity possible.
Read the article at The Wall Street Journal.
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