Tip #1: If you can measure it, you can manage it !

There is thumb rule in engineering - "If you can measure it, you can make it better". I came across this almost two decades ago while studying for my engineering. The Management consultants have adapted this phrase for the services driven world of today - "You cant manage, what you don't measure". Unless you measure something you don't know if it is getting better or worse. You can't manage for improvement if you don't measure to see what is getting better and what isn't. The Japanese approach - Kaizen or the more widely used Six Sigma, are all based on continuous improvement by continuous measurement.

This old adage is true even for your child's preparation for the 11+ exams. We all know these exams are all about practice and timing. But, do you know if the preparation approach you have taken (tuitions, home tuitions, bond papers, web sites etc) is having the required effect ? I have asked this question to number of parents who are in a similar situation like myself, and the answer usually varies between a blunt "No!" to a blank look as if my question had suddenly set off chain of thoughts. Most tutors do not collect this data either. Some keep a record of the marks but the time is never recorded.

In essence, just attending tuitions and sitting down every day to do papers is not enough. You have to measure your child's performance. This will help you to adapt your preparation style. There are three variables you need to worry about :

• Time - the tests are timed and most children find this element very stressful !
• Marks - the bottom line.
• Marks breakdown by subject.

The good news is that it is not that difficult!. Simple steps like maintaining a record of the marks every time you give your child a bond paper to solve (other papers are available !) is a good starting point. Every time you start a test, make sure your child is timing themselves using the same wrist watch they intend taking in for the exam. After a week you can get the child to plot these marks/ times on a bar graph (which is good practice because bar graphs are also part of the syllabus). Following these simple techniques gets you the measure you need to manage two of the three variable listed above.

There is no easy way to record and measure the third variable, i.e. breakdown of marks by subject. In many ways this is the most important variable. Are you concentrating on mathematics when your child's Achilles heal may be verbal-reasoning ? There is an easy way to find out ! Click here

Della

http://www.11PlusDIY.co.uk