My son is applying to an MCVSD program and the entrance exam is about 6 weeks out. He's a strong math student, usually scoring in the 85-90th percentile on standardized tests, but he's less confident in reading comprehension and written expression. We've been doing about 45 minutes of practice each evening.
Looking at the exam structure it seems like a pretty even split between math and verbal sections. I'm wondering whether the math content goes beyond 8th grade curriculum — he's done pre-algebra and intro geometry but hasn't hit formal algebra 1 yet. Is that a problem?
Any parents or students who've been through this have advice on where to focus? He's been working through a MCVSD practice test that seems helpful, but I want to make sure we're putting his prep time in the right places.
The exam is competitive because you're compared to other applicants, not a fixed passing score. Strong math kids can get surprised because the verbal section weighs heavily. Make sure he's working on both, not just drilling his strengths.
Focus on the written expression section. It's grammar and sentence structure, which students often haven't practiced systematically. 45 minutes per evening for 6 weeks should be enough if he's consistent across both math and verbal.
My daughter took it last year. The math doesn't go much beyond pre-algebra with some geometry — your son should be fine there. The reading comprehension passages were harder than she expected, more analytical than narrative, and that's where she lost most of her points.
I just got my results last month so this is fresh for me. Honestly the reading comprehension was harder than I expected, and I went in thinking it would be my weak spot too. What helped me most was practicing with actual career-related reading passages instead of generic ones — I found some free mcvsd career exploration questions that were way closer to what showed up on the real test. Like the vocabulary and context felt familiar instead of random.
For written expression, it's mostly grammar and sentence structure stuff, not essays, so don't overthink it. Your son's math score is solid enough that he doesn't need to spend much time there. Just make sure he's reading every day in the weeks leading up — even 20 minutes of focused reading with comprehension questions beats an hour of passive stuff. He's got this.
I took the MCVSD exam while working full-time and honestly the biggest thing I'd tell you is not to panic about the reading and writing sections — they're very learnable compared to math. I studied in 20-minute chunks on my lunch break and a bit after dinner, and that consistency mattered way more than cramming on weekends. Since your son is already strong in math he can probably coast on light review there and put most of his energy into reading. Focus on understanding why wrong answers are wrong, not just picking the right one.
For the written expression piece, short daily writing practice helped me more than anything else. Like, just summarizing something he read in a few sentences and checking it over — it sounds basic but it builds the habit fast. I also found free mcvsd career exploration practice questions really useful for getting a feel for how the exam frames things, especially the career-related prompts that show up. Six weeks is plenty of time if he keeps it steady. He's got this.
Honestly I almost pulled my son out of the whole process around week 3 because he was bombing the reading sections and getting really discouraged. We kept at it though, and he ended up passing with room to spare. For the reading comp specifically, the biggest thing that helped wasn't more practice tests — it was slowing down and learning to identify what the question was actually asking before reading the passage. Sounds obvious but it wasn't clicking for him until we really drilled that.
Since your son is already strong in math he can probably ease up there and just do maintenance work. I'd redirect that time toward written expression because it's more coachable than people think, and even small improvements there can bump the overall score noticeably. We used a mix of stuff including free mcvsd technical education practice questions which were actually pretty close to what showed up on the real thing. Six weeks is enough time if he stays consistent — don't let him quit after a rough day.
I went through something similar last year, and honestly the biggest shift for me was stopping myself from just circling the right answer and moving on. What actually helped was going back to every wrong answer and figuring out exactly why it was wrong, not just why the right one was right. For reading comprehension especially, a lot of the wrong answers are designed to sound plausible, so if you don't dissect them, you'll keep falling for the same traps. There's some solid practice material at free mcvsd technical education that I used to drill this way, question by question.
Your son's math score is already in good shape, so I'd lean most of the prep time into reading and written expression. Don't skip the writing section either — it's easy to underestimate. Six weeks is enough time if he's consistent and actually reviews his mistakes instead of just racking up practice reps.
Honestly, I almost quit halfway through my prep because I felt like no matter how much I studied, the reading sections just weren't clicking. What actually helped me turn it around was drilling timed passages every single day, even just 15 minutes, because the pressure of the clock was the real enemy, not the content itself. For your son, since math is already strong, I'd park that and throw most of the remaining six weeks at reading and written expression -- that's where the score gaps usually live.
One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: get your hands on as much real-practice material as you can find, including the free mcvsd technical education questions online, because familiarity with the format matters almost as much as knowing the content. I kept second-guessing myself on written expression until I'd seen enough examples to recognize the patterns they're testing. He'll get there. I thought I was going to fail and ended up passing with room to spare.
The wrong-answer strategy honestly changed everything for me. I stopped trying to memorize patterns and started asking myself "why did the test writers put this answer here?" For reading comp specifically, every wrong answer is wrong for a specific reason — it's too extreme, it's partially true but twisted, or it answers a question that wasn't actually asked. Once your son can spot those traps he'll feel way less guesswork in that section. We used the free mcvsd technical education practice questions and I'd do each one twice: first to answer it, then to explain every wrong choice out loud.
With his math background he's probably fine there, so I'd pour the extra time into written expression. Those questions trip people up because the "wrong" answer often sounds natural in normal speech — the test is looking for formal grammar rules that don't match how anyone actually talks. Same approach applies: don't just mark the right answer and move on. Make sure he can say exactly what rule the wrong ones are breaking. Six weeks is plenty of time if he's drilling that way.