All About GEP

[naggo-nitemare]

Dear SharonSharon, I am flabbergasted, speechless, shocked…when I read your appeal for sample test papers. Alao please, for the sake of your child’s self-esteem, do not throw money into these unscrupulous programmes claiming to train children for the GEP tests. All that ChiefKiasu said is absolutely correct.


GEP is no walk in the park. Just like the Sports Sch and the Arts Sch are for kids gifted AND passionate in these areas, the GEP is to cater for kids who relish the challenge of specific academic pursuits, which the mainstream curriculum is unable to provide. If a bright child is trained to successfully pass the GEP selection tests, will he feel he deserves this chance? Will he be happy with the daily rigours of GEP? And more importantly, a more deserving child in lesser financial circumstances will be deprived of a place.

Word of advice- For Linguistics, instil in your child a passion for literature (and i don’t mean the Mr Midnight sort), wordgames/puzzles like scrabble, upwords, boggle etc, puns and wordplay, limericks etc.

For Maths - If your child enjoys mental math stimulation, make available as many types of maths puzzles as possible. Also, books like murderous maths series and the number devil by hans magnus enzeberger are good reads for children passionate about math.

All the above will cost you next to nothing because all are available at our wonderfully well stocked public libraries.

[sharonsharon]

Dear all:
Thanks for you care and kindness. Actually, i also have no idea why i suddenly post that for GEP paper although only happened in Aug this year.
Honestly speaking,I never send my boy to any tuition but he is a very self-displined boy and manage to be the top of class for the past 2 year.I heard that some of wealth family send their kid to GEP course although the kid might not be gifted ,but still get into GEP .Sometimes I just felt a bit unfair for my boy, to us, GEP test is totally blind for us. We knew nothing about it.I am not intend to send my boy to GEP school, just want him to at least know some types of the questions,maybe just 2 questions from math and english at least ,so that we could understand what gep like.

I canno afford to send my son for any GEP course.I just want one or two quesions for him to take a look.ai,maybe because people pay huge amount of it, not willing to share.anyway, thanks for all kindess from all of you.

[csc]

Hi


You may want to check out this thread for samples of questions .. if that's what you need. Those questions are from the 2nd round of screening test.

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

Do take note of the following pointers in the GEP notification letter for the screening test from MOE.

\"The Screening Test questions are usually more difficult than those in school examination papers. Your child should not be unduly worried if he/she cannot answer all the questions.We strongly urge you not to place undue pressure on your child to study for the test.\"

[san76]

Hi Sharon,


Be happy that your kid is doing well and you should be proud of him. Like the rest of the parents said. Read more and do the basic well is more than enough. You seems like wanting to enrol your kid in if you are financially more independant. But did you think of the other aspect, if he didnt do well in the class, how would he feel, pressured? sad? How about your feeling towards him and the money paid out? You will perhaps think, others are so smart, mine… Why make yourself going through the stress.

Since your kid is smart enough to make you proud!!!

[kiasulang]

sharonsharon:

Dear all:
Thanks for you care and kindness. Actually, i also have no idea why i suddenly post that for GEP paper although only happened in Aug this year.
Honestly speaking,I never send my boy to any tuition but he is a very self-displined boy and manage to be the top of class for the past 2 year.I heard that some of wealth family send their kid to GEP course although the kid might not be gifted ,but still get into GEP .Sometimes I just felt a bit unfair for my boy, to us, GEP test is totally blind for us. We knew nothing about it.I am not intend to send my boy to GEP school, just want him to at least know some types of the questions,maybe just 2 questions from math and english at least ,so that we could understand what gep like.

I canno afford to send my son for any GEP course.I just want one or two quesions for him to take a look.ai,maybe because people pay huge amount of it, not willing to share.anyway, thanks for all kindess from all of you.

Hi sharonsharon,

The GEP questions used to be MCQ but last year the questions are 50% MCQ and 50% long questions.

[MdmKS]

kiasulang:

Hi sharonsharon,

The GEP questions used to be MCQ but last year the questions are 50% MCQ and 50% long questions.

Hi Kiasulang,
Could share further as in which subject you are referring to and whether first round or second round? And what type of long question for example.
Thank you.

[millan]

[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]


Hi,

May I should we help to revise GEP's subjects.

ok to leave them alone?

[ChiefKiasu]

millan:

...May I should we help to revise GEP's subjects.


ok to leave them alone?

Hi millan, how to help them revise when you don't even know what kind of questions they will be asking? And if you do the extra bit by signing your kid up for the many GEP preparatory classes out there, ask yourself if you are really helping your child hone his gifted abilities, or if you doing it because you think it is good for him to be in the GEP.

Most Singaporean parents are educated enough to know if their kids are really gifted in languages and math. If we think our child is gifted and sign him/her up for the preparatory classes, would we not be wasting our money since they should be able to do well themselves in the tests? If we think our child is bright but not gifted, why would we be trying to get him/her into a program for gifted children?

That's why, to me, preparing a child for GEP doesn't make any sense at all.

[millan]

ChiefKiasu:

millan:

...May I should we help to revise GEP's subjects.


ok to leave them alone?

Hi millan, how to help them revise when you don't even know what kind of questions they will be asking? And if you do the extra bit by signing your kid up for the many GEP preparatory classes out there, ask yourself if you are really helping your child hone his gifted abilities, or if you doing it because you think it is good for him to be in the GEP.

Most Singaporean parents are educated enough to know if their kids are really gifted in languages and math. If we think our child is gifted and sign him/her up for the preparatory classes, would we not be wasting our money since they should be able to do well themselves in the tests? If we think our child is bright but not gifted, why would we be trying to get him/her into a program for gifted children?

That's why, to me, preparing a child for GEP doesn't make any sense at all.

Hi,

It is true that I really dun know what they are tested, which is why I'm not sure what to do with him. I am educated but i really yet to see how he is so called gifted. So far, he seems ok with his work and is happy abt the curriculum, tho there are times he is stuck and that is when we step in to help.

My colleague, whose son is alo GEP, advised me to buy P5 assessment book for him,which I am not sure if this is ok, as his syllabus is kind of weird kind.

I dun believe in training to enter GEP but looking on more of how to help them. you can be gifted, in chinese saying, genius can be born (xian tian) but they need to hou tian....

I would be glad that I can just leave him alone. I'm am just concerned that I am not doing my part as a parent to help him..

t

[ChiefKiasu]

millan:

... I am educated but i really yet to see how he is so called gifted. So far, he seems ok with his work and is happy abt the curriculum, tho there are times he is stuck and that is when we step in to help...

Actually, my post is not meant as criticism to your request, but really an answer to your question of how to help your child revise for GEP. Assuming that is your objective, the most logical answer is to sign your child up with the \"professionals\" who have, no doubt, a deep understanding of GEP questions and kids who are bright enough can definitely be trained to be exam smart. I have also no doubt that a number of kids currently in GEP have gone through some of these courses. I then tried to explain why going this route doesn't make a lot of sense, and why leaving your child alone is the best approach.

If you wish, a quick way of testing whether your kid is gifted or not is to go to Popular bookstore and buy one of those Math Olympiad test books for P4 and see if your kid has any problems answering them. If he/she can do so without much help from you, then he is pretty much there.