Preschool – Middle SchoolParents
Gifted & Kindergarten Readiness Testing
Some parents want to know whether their child is ready to start kindergarten. Others suspect their child needs more challenge than the classroom is offering. One-on-one cognitive testing answers both questions with real information instead of guesswork.
Two big decisions, one clear answer.
The kindergarten question comes first for many families. Virginia lets children start kindergarten if they turn five on or before September 30, which leaves parents of summer- and fall-birthday kids weighing a real choice: start now, or wait a year? Readiness testing shows how your child's thinking, language, social-emotional, and early academic skills compare with the peers they'd sit beside, so the decision rests on your child rather than the calendar.
The gifted question usually comes later. Local school divisions — Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover among them — each run their own gifted identification, and group screening at school doesn't always capture what a parent sees at home. An individually administered ability test, given one-on-one by a licensed psychologist, produces a fuller and more reliable picture. Families use those results to understand their child, to support applications or appeals where their division considers outside testing, and for independent school programs. Testing with us is calm and child-friendly, and the results belong to you — you decide who sees them.
A short process built around a young child
A pre-test consultation
A brief call about the question you're answering — readiness, a gifted program, or both — and what your school or division requires, so nothing is missed.
One-on-one testing
A gold-standard ability measure matched to your child's age, given in a relaxed session built around their attention span. To most kids it feels like puzzles and games.
A score report you can use
Results prepared in the format your program or school asks for, delivered on your timeline.
A parent feedback conversation
A plain-language walk-through of what the scores mean — strengths, relative weaknesses, and what they suggest about readiness or the right level of challenge.
Honest follow-up
Bright children can also have attention or learning differences that hide behind strong ability. If testing raises a question worth a closer look, we tell you plainly and lay out your options.
A clear read on your child's abilities, a report your program or school can use, and a more informed answer to the decision that brought you here.
Frequently asked questions
What does kindergarten readiness testing look at?
Thinking and reasoning skills, language, early academic skills, and how your child handles structured, one-on-one tasks. Most of it feels like games and puzzles to the child. In Virginia, children who turn five on or before September 30 are eligible to start kindergarten, so families with a summer or early-fall birthday often use testing to decide between starting now and waiting a year.
Will gifted testing get my child into our school division's gifted program?
No test we give can guarantee placement — each division runs its own identification process and makes its own decisions. What private testing gives you is an individually administered, gold-standard measure of your child's abilities. Families use it to understand their child better, to support applications or appeals where their division considers outside testing, and for private school gifted programs. During your consultation we help you confirm exactly what your program accepts.
What if my child is bright but still struggling at school?
That combination is more common than most parents realize — strong ability sitting alongside attention or learning differences, each masking the other. If testing points that way, we tell you plainly and talk through whether a fuller psychoeducational assessment makes sense.
How should we prepare our child?
There is nothing to study, and coaching tends to backfire. A normal bedtime, a good breakfast, and a low-key description work best — young kids can be told they're coming to play some “brain games” like puzzles and matching.
Do you test children from around Richmond, and what does it cost?
Yes. Families come to us from Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover, at our office at 5006 Monument Avenue (Suite B), Richmond, VA 23230. We go over fees at your free consultation, and our Insurance & Payment page explains how payment works. Call 804-205-7624 or email mbrinkley@brinkleypsychology.com to start.
Applying to an independent school? Our Private School Admissions Testing page covers testing for applications, and the two often overlap in a single session.
Not sure where to begin?
Reach out for a brief, free consultation. We’ll talk through what’s going on and figure out the right next step together.