IQ test for pre-schoolers as part of entrance exams

[sanchai530]

My 4-yr-old daughter took an entrance exam at a school my hubby and I are thinking of getting her into. Anyway, I had no doubt that my daughter is going to ace it since she already knows the basics (writing letters, letter sounds, counting 1 to 10, color, shape). But after she finished it (about half an hour), the tester told me that she answered everything pretty much above average except the IQ test. I was a bit baffled and blurted out, "IQ test???". She said yes and told me that it was given to measure my kid's readiness for the next grade level (which is kindergarten). But in the end, she just said that she performed quite well overall and that we can enroll her in the school already if we chose to. Now, I'm quite confused if the IQ test really mattered. Or was it just added to impress the parents? I was surprised that kids her age already needs to take tests such as those. I'm not really sure but I think IQ tests are taken at least at 6-7 yrs old (grade 1 level). Now, I'm researching for materials I can review my daughter with to enhance her reasoning/aptitude skills so as to make her ready for tests like that in the future.

Do you think these tests are really necessary to give to pre-schoolers? If yes, why so?

Appreciate your insights in advance. :)

[toron]

diba noon pa itong ginagawa?
yung kuya ko non 80's tinest rin yung iQ niya for enrolling sa preschool kasi bata pa siya (2) so sabi nila gusto nilang makita kung maiintindihan nga niya yon

[moonshine]

how do you test for the IQ of a child who hasn't even gone to school yet? what questions do they ask? i thought the tests were more on comprehension, following directions, matching shapes and colors, that sort of thing. hmm.

[sanchai530]

Actually my daughter already attended nursery, am just transferring her because I feel that she could learn more at another preschool. Anyway, I learned that IQ tests comprise of several intelligence aspects - logic, pattern recognition, etc. - which pretty much sums up everything you mentioned (shapes, colors, etc). What I got furious (or confused) about is that the fact that one of the the problems the tester pointed out as an example is a complicated one. I readily thought that at her age she can't possibly figure that out. I believe it was still complex for a 4-yr-old. She also told us that she will let our daughter take another exam similar to that (reasoning/aptitude) intended for her level. Hearing that made my hubby more confused. He whispered to me, "Why in the h*ll did she gave our daughter a test that is not yet supposed to be given to her level of thinking and expect her to pass it?". I agreed with him but I didn't want any trouble so I just shrugged and let my daughter take the reasoning part test. After that, she told us that she did well and that I can enroll her now, right then and there. Yeah, like we will!

how do you test for the IQ of a child who hasn't even gone to school yet? what questions do they ask? i thought the tests were more on comprehension, following directions, matching shapes and colors, that sort of thing. hmm.

[mrs. taray]

Hi sanchai530! IQ test for Preschoolers will reveal a child's mental ability - his/her level of comprehension, abstract reasoning, verbal and numerical ability, etc... There are IQ Test books at national bookstore... If you will scan the book, exercises/activities are really complicated for their age but we have to face the fact that the standard of teaching now particularly in private schools are in a higher level. To at least give you an idea or share w.ith you something.. my son who just turned 6 last October, a Prep student at the Ateneo Grade School... Math nila is already Problem Solving as in Word problem with cancellation of irrelevant data, tapos sila pa mag-iisip kung addition or subtraction ang method na gagamitin nila (3rd Quarter po yan) Nayon pong 4th quarter, same thing but this time Word problem involving Money saka Fraction... Language - Past, Present and Future Tense with Time expression and Verb Agreement/Form... Prep lang po yan ha at 6 years old pa lang po anak ko... Sabi nga namin ng husband ko, grade 3 na ata nung itinuro sa amin yon. :)

[JdelaCruz]

^Wow. Where is all this leading to? Earlier burn-outs? Instead of hating school at the fifth grade, they end up hating it at the first grade?

I hope that with all the emphasis on early education, today's kids don't miss out on being kids! I think that's still the most important thing of all at this point in their young lives.

[sanchai530]

Thanks for your insight, mrs. taray.
I hope your son will keep up with that learning phase. :)

IMHO, IQ tests measures what the child already understands or knows at that age. Doesn't mean that if a child wasn't able to correctly identify answers for a certain intelligence aspect that he/she can be branded to be not performing as a normal kid at his/her age. I read that if a child performs on a certain intelligence aspect to a level higher than his/hers doesn't mean he/she is thinking already as a matured child. IQ tests are weighed, across all basis of intelligence - logic, pattern recognition, verbal reasoning, etc. He/she can think ahead of kids his/her age on some aspects, some not, some on his level. Most kids fall on this category - so does my daughter. Gifted children are the only exception because they can perform ahead of kids their age on almost all of those aspects.

As for the advancement of learning today, I agree with you. But knowledge learned in school varies from the quality of education, to support of parents and teachers, to the child's capability and willingness to learn. They are supposed to learn things from their teachers as it is their duty to do so. But kids who haven't attended school yet or hardly attended school (2-4 years old) aren't supposed to be expected highly to perform just yet. It will only make them think learning is required and not a fun way of growing and exploring things around them. Kids at that age still need encouragement and stimulation to increase their interest in learning, not make them feel forced to do so. When they finally settled, that's the time they seriously learn more complex activities.

As I previously noted, I think that kids can be given IQ tests starting at age 6. That is the right age to gauge his/her mental capability since he/she might already attained/learned several things that would comprise to the intelligence aspects measured in IQ tests.

But as much as I believe a fairly high IQ is considered, so should be EQ. What's the use of being intellectually stimulated but having no regard for values and ethics? Schools should also consider personality development alongside with academics, reason being I'm quite surprised only IQ tests are highly regarded in admitting a child to school.

Hi sanchai530! IQ test for Preschoolers will reveal a child's mental ability - his/her level of comprehension, abstract reasoning, verbal and numerical ability, etc... There are IQ Test books at national bookstore... If you will scan the book, exercises/activities are really complicated for their age but we have to face the fact that the standard of teaching now particularly in private schools are in a higher level. To at least give you an idea or share w.ith you something.. my son who just turned 6 last October, a Prep student at the Ateneo Grade School... Math nila is already Problem Solving as in Word problem with cancellation of irrelevant data, tapos sila pa mag-iisip kung addition or subtraction ang method na gagamitin nila (3rd Quarter po yan) Nayon pong 4th quarter, same thing but this time Word problem involving Money saka Fraction... Language - Past, Present and Future Tense with Time expression and Verb Agreement/Form... Prep lang po yan ha at 6 years old pa lang po anak ko... Sabi nga namin ng husband ko, grade 3 na ata nung itinuro sa amin yon. :)

[sanchai530]

Right back at yah, JdelaCruz! :)

Learning should be fascinating and exciting, especially at a tender age, to encourage continuous stimulation. I believe schools nowadays concentrate mainly on academics and miss out on character development.

^Wow. Where is all this leading to? Earlier burn-outs? Instead of hating school at the fifth grade, they end up hating it at the first grade?

I hope that with all the emphasis on early education, today's kids don't miss out on being kids! I think that's still the most important thing of all at this point in their young lives.

[mrs. taray]

^Wow. Where is all this leading to? Earlier burn-outs? Instead of hating school at the fifth grade, they end up hating it at the first grade?

I hope that with all the emphasis on early education, today's kids don't miss out on being kids! I think that's still the most important thing of all at this point in their young lives.


JdelaCruz, hindi naman po ***** kasi the school is not taking it with pressure, i mean very light naman yung way ng pagtuturo nila sa mga kids... kung may pressure sa bata, i should say, sa parent na nung bata galing yon probably because of high expectation... Kaya dapat lang ***** natin yung IQ level ng mga anak natin so we wont be expecting much from them. Well, ***** po I’m just lucky for having a bright and smart son na kahit very complicated yung lessons nila in school he can easily cope up with it and get high grades (Math -98% , Language – 98%, Reading – 93% his lowest grade). Ooppsss… di po sa pagyayabang, PROUD mommy lang po. :) :) :)

[mrs. taray]

I believe schools nowadays concentrate mainly on academics and miss out on character development.

I Agree with you sanchai530, maybe because some schools compete on academic standards. :)

[mac_bolan00]

"IQ" is a much abused term these days. students cheat in taking tests. colleges lie about the average IQ of their students, even CEOs drop (white) lies about their supposed IQs.

don't take these tests too seriously, especially when the subject's still a kid. it takes a lifetime to define real intelligence. you have early starters and laggards. the funny thing is, most certified geniuses were late starters. they had difficulty talking and relating up to the age of five. they often failed their basic subjects in elementary up to high school.

[Gabriela]

hay! at least this reassured me of not worrying much for my 4-y/o kid. she seems not to take her academics seriously at this point pero street smart naman sya.

i think it's true that parents are the ones putting the pressure on kids. i'm quite guilty of that. nung una sabi ko kahit hindi sya top student basta passing ang grades. kaso i panicked when her teacher told me that she's lagging behind compared to her classmates (she's only in nursery!). i'm kind of envious of parents who talk about their kids' accomplishment. pero come to think of it, i did not become an honor student until i reached high school.

[mac_bolan00]

among us six, it's the guy who did poorly in elementary and failed the UPCAT who became a lawyer (UP Law).

[jisc]

ako rin minsan naawa sa anak namin, nursery pa lang sya pero yung mga level ng itinuturo sa kanya eh elementary ko na natutunan, like writing, letter sounds, addition, even science, minsan kaming magulang nalilito kung paano ituturo sa kanya, kaya minsan were putting preassure on her na.

so minsan ginagawa namin eh naghahanap kami ng software na laro lang sa kanya pero nagtuturo ito ng lesson nila sa school, kaso puro grand theft auto at mafia nilalaro nya, ngayon naman warcraft 3 pinagaaralan nya.

[Gabriela]

lol at jisc

[krisher]

Hi mommies, iba na po ang panahon natin ngayon, medyo high tech na po tayo ngayon, so kumbaga po, yung itinuturo ngayon, isinasabay lang sa panahon...masyado na ngang advance. My son is also studying in Ateneo at nasa middle school na siya (gr 4) at ang mga itinuturo sa kanila, alam ko nung nasa gr 6 ako ng ituro sa amin yun. At naiintindihan naman ng anak ko, dahil mataas naman ang kanyang mga grade. His only problem is Filipino, & AP. Hindi niya kasi maintindihan yung ibang filipino words, so pag may mga essays and discussion in Filipino hindi *** na kaka- catch up........

[bugstop1]

My 4-yr-old daughter took an entrance exam at a school my hubby and I are thinking of getting her into. Anyway, I had no doubt that my daughter is going to ace it since she already knows the basics (writing letters, letter sounds, counting 1 to 10, color, shape). But after she finished it (about half an hour), the tester told me that she answered everything pretty much above average except the IQ test. I was a bit baffled and blurted out, "IQ test???". She said yes and told me that it was given to measure my kid's readiness for the next grade level (which is kindergarten). But in the end, she just said that she performed quite well overall and that we can enroll her in the school already if we chose to. Now, I'm quite confused if the IQ test really mattered. Or was it just added to impress the parents? I was surprised that kids her age already needs to take tests such as those. I'm not really sure but I think IQ tests are taken at least at 6-7 yrs old (grade 1 level). Now, I'm researching for materials I can review my daughter with to enhance her reasoning/aptitude skills so as to make her ready for tests like that in the future.

Do you think these tests are really necessary to give to pre-schoolers? If yes, why so?

Appreciate your insights in advance. :)

This IQ test was used primarily to identify significant delays in cognitive development. Since your child performed well, then she doesn't need any kind of intervention. I am sure that the school is aware that these IQ tests or the test scores will not be used to make long-term predictions about the student's ability to learn and achieve.

Scores on intelligence tests were originally calculated using a formula that involves division; hence, they were called "intelligence quotient," or IQ, scores. Even though we still use the term IQ, intelligence test scores are no longer based on the old formula. Instead, they are determined by comparing a student's performance on the test with the performance of others in the same age-group.

A Frenchman named Alfred Binet came up with the first (am not so sure) intelligence test. Modern intelligence tests have been designed with Binet's original purpose in mind: to predict how well individual students are likely to perform in the classroom and similar situations. Studies repeatedly show that performance on intelligence tests is correlated with school achievement. Though, intelligence does not necessarily cause achievement; it is simply correlated with it. And also, the relationship between IQ scores and achievement is not a perfect one; there are exceptions to the rule. Plus, it is not a 100% guarantee that students test well every time.

[mrs. taray]

Hi mommies, iba na po ang panahon natin ngayon, medyo high tech na po tayo ngayon, so kumbaga po, yung itinuturo ngayon, isinasabay lang sa panahon...masyado na ngang advance. My son is also studying in Ateneo at nasa middle school na siya (gr 4) at ang mga itinuturo sa kanila, alam ko nung nasa gr 6 ako ng ituro sa amin yun. At naiintindihan naman ng anak ko, dahil mataas naman ang kanyang mga grade. His only problem is Filipino, & AP. Hindi niya kasi maintindihan yung ibang filipino words, so pag may mga essays and discussion in Filipino hindi *** na kaka- catch up........

Hi krisher! yeah right! iba na talaga ang panahon ngayon... my son is also from ateneo grade school, he's in grade 1. alam mo, pareho tayo ng problema, Filipino din hirap yung anak ko kasi very limited yung tagalog words na alam nya...

[grumpybear]

just a question for sanchai...
if the tester instead told you that your kid performed "above average" and answered the complex questions correctly, would you have been livid as you are right now?
let's face it, we do enroll or at least want to enroll our kids in "competitive" schools but the moment we are told that our kids are not up to par with the standards of the school, we suddenly go ballistic and say that there's too much "pressure" on the kid.
a bit hypocritical now, aren't we?

[baalzebub]

We should be realistic on what kids that age are capable of doing. It will even benefit us if we go back to the textbooks and examine that at that age, children still cannot use abstract reasoning and use more organized reasoning. They usually learn through the use of symbolic thought and play. For short, you cannot teach understanding to small kids since they use constructivism, where children make their own understanding.

If I have a child, I will enroll him not in an academically-driven preschool, but to a Piagetian school, where play and imagination are more focused than academics.