So, here's my thinking. The goal of the exams is not to find the children who are middle of the pack. The goal of the exams is to find the outliers. The unusually bright.
What I think actually happens is you capture the top 0.1% because they're too smart not to make it, but the other 0.9% of passes is a mixture of highly trained, hard working kids alongside the intended targets.
I guess I always wonder what could be done differently to capture just aptitude. Is that even a good idea? I myself was bright but didn't have much drive, so would have done poorly. I don't think that's a group you want to capture either.
What I think actually happens is you capture the top 0.1% because they're too smart not to make it, but the other 0.9% of passes is a mixture of highly trained, hard working kids alongside the intended targets.
I guess I always wonder what could be done differently to capture just aptitude. Is that even a good idea? I myself was bright but didn't have much drive, so would have done poorly. I don't think that's a group you want to capture either.