Click Study Flashcards above to open the flashcard hub — 100+ CogAT cards you can flip, match, type, or quiz yourself on. Every card is drawn from the three CogAT batteries and the scoring system, so you study exactly what the test measures.[1] Pair them with our free practice test and study guide.
CogAT Flashcard Study Modes
Flip mode lets you move through each card front and back at your own pace. Match turns terms and definitions into a timed pairing game. Type shows the definition and asks you to produce the term, so a card like Stanine has to come back from memory. Quiz builds multiple-choice questions from the same cards for a fast check on what stuck.
Why Flashcards Work for the CogAT
Scoring & Profile is the largest section at 35 cards, and it carries the language of the score report and the test’s structure. You get the foundation terms on cards like CogAT and Battery, the reporting vocabulary behind Raw score and Stanine, and structural details from Subtest, Nine subtests, and the comparison card OLSAT vs CogAT. CogAT level sits here too, tying grade placement to the form a student sees.
Verbal Battery holds 26 cards built around word meaning and word relationships. Relationship terms come from Synonym, Antonym, and Shared category, while the reasoning strategy cards include Context clue and the Verbal Battery card itself. The rest are the words you are expected to know cold, with fronts such as frugal, candid, and benevolent drilling the kind of vocabulary that decides analogy and classification items.
Quantitative Battery covers 23 cards on numerical reasoning and pattern rules. The item-type cards are Number Series, Number Puzzles, and Number Analogies, and Numerical rule names what you are hunting for in each one. Worked pattern fronts give you practice reading a sequence quickly, including 2, 4, 6, 8, … and 1, 2, 4, 8, …, plus 5, 10, 15, 20, … and the trickier Fibonacci series.
Nonverbal Battery rounds out the deck with 22 cards on shapes, spatial change, and figure logic. Item formats appear on Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Odd one out, while the transformation vocabulary comes from Rotation and Reflection. Supporting cards like 2x2 matrix, Matrix rule, and Layer doubling give you the wording for how a figure changes from one cell or fold to the next.
That matters for the CogAT, where comfort with the nine subtest formats and the reasoning rules is what lets a student show true ability.[1] Used alongside our practice test and study guide, flashcards turn review time into measurable progress.
CogAT Flashcards by Battery
The cards are organized by the three CogAT batteries plus a scoring deck. The three batteries are weighted roughly evenly, so study across all of them — a single weak battery pulls down the composite that gifted programs look at:[1]
| Battery / deck | What the cards cover | Reasoning measured |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Battery | Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion, Verbal Classification, vocabulary | Words & meaning |
| Quantitative Battery | Number Analogies, Number Puzzles, Number Series, sequence rules | Numbers & relationships |
| Nonverbal Battery | Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, Figure Classification | Shapes & patterns |
| Scoring & Profile | USS, SAS, percentile rank, stanine, Ability Profile, levels | How to read a score report |
How to Get the Most Out of These Flashcards
- Start with Scoring & Profile. At 35 cards it is the biggest domain, and terms like Battery and Subtest give you the vocabulary the other three sections keep reusing.
- Type-drill the vocabulary cards. Verbal fronts such as frugal and benevolent only pay off when you can produce the word from its meaning, not merely recognize it in a lineup.
- Use Match for the item-type cards. Pairing fronts like Number Series and Figure Matrices with their definitions under time pressure builds the fast sorting the batteries reward.
- Move to the practice test once recall is clean. When Type returns the Stanine and Raw score cards without hesitation, test the same ideas inside full-length question sets instead.
- Keep a steady cadence. With 106 cards, one domain per sitting works well: Flip it through once, Quiz it, then revisit missed cards at the start of the next session.
CogAT Flashcards FAQ
Over 100 free CogAT flashcards, organized across the three batteries — verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal — plus a deck on CogAT scoring and the Ability Profile. They're free to use with no account required.
Yes. Flashcards use active recall — retrieving an answer from memory — which research shows is one of the most effective ways to make information stick. For the CogAT, they're best for locking in the nine subtest formats, the reasoning rules, and how to read a score report, so nothing feels unfamiliar on test day.
All three batteries: verbal (analogies, sentence completion, classification), quantitative (number analogies, number puzzles, number series), and nonverbal (figure matrices, paper folding, figure classification), plus the scoring system — Standard Age Score, percentile rank, stanine, and the Ability Profile.
Mix the modes: flip to learn, type to test recall, match for speed, and quiz to check yourself. Drill the recurring reasoning patterns — analogy relationships, number-series rules, and the paper-folding hole rule — until they're instant, then confirm with a full practice test.
Yes — 100% free, all four study modes, no paywall.
CogAT flashcard bank
All 106 cards, by topic
A reference copy of every card in this deck. Each answer stays hidden until you choose to show it. To study with Flip, Match, Type and Quiz modes and track what you have mastered, use Study Flashcards at the top of the page.
Verbal Battery (26)
- Verbal Battery
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The CogAT battery that measures reasoning with words and meaning — Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion, and Verbal Classification.
- Verbal Analogies
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A Verbal Battery subtest in the form A is to B as C is to ? — find the relationship in the first pair and apply it to the second.
- Sentence Completion
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A Verbal Battery subtest that asks the student to choose the word that best fills a blank based on the sentence's meaning.
- Verbal Classification
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A Verbal Battery subtest giving three words that belong together and asking for a fourth that fits the same group.
- Analogy relationship
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The link that joins the first word pair (works in, part of, young animal, opposite). Name it, then apply it to the second pair.
- Part-to-whole analogy
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An analogy where the first word is a piece of the second — finger : hand, page : book, petal : flower.
- Young-to-adult analogy
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An analogy linking a baby animal to its adult — puppy : dog, kitten : cat, calf : cow.
- Antonym analogy
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An analogy where the pair are opposites — hot : cold, up : down, big : small.
- Object-to-function analogy
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An analogy linking a tool to what it does — knife : cut, pen : write, broom : sweep.
- Worker-to-workplace analogy
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An analogy linking a person to where they work — doctor : hospital, teacher : school, chef : kitchen.
- Maker-to-work analogy
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An analogy linking a creator to what they make — author : book, composer : song, painter : picture.
- Context clue
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A word or phrase near a blank that signals the right answer in a Sentence Completion item.
- Shared category
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The group three classification words have in common (fruits, colors, animals); the fourth answer must belong to it.
- Synonym
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A word with nearly the same meaning as another — big / large, happy / glad.
- Antonym
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A word with the opposite meaning of another — hot / cold, fast / slow.
- Verbal reasoning
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Working with language to see relationships, judge meaning, and group words — what the Verbal Battery measures.
- puppy : dog :: kitten : ?
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cat — the relationship is young animal to its adult, so the partner of kitten is cat.
- hot : cold :: up : ?
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down — the pair are opposites (antonyms), so up pairs with its opposite, down.
- finger : hand :: toe : ?
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foot — the relationship is part to whole, so a toe is part of a foot.
- author : book :: composer : ?
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song — the relationship is maker to work, so a composer creates a song.
- apple, banana, grape — belongs?
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orange — all are fruits, so the fourth word must also be a fruit.
- red, blue, green — belongs?
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yellow — all are colors, so the fourth word must also be a color.
- benevolent
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Kind and generous — a synonym of 'generous.'
- frugal
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Thrifty and sparing — an antonym of 'wasteful.'
- candid
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Honest and frank — a synonym of 'forthright.'
- Naming the relationship first
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Stating the analogy link as a short sentence before reading the choices, so a related-but-wrong word can't trap you.
Quantitative Battery (23)
- Quantitative Battery
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The CogAT battery that measures reasoning with numbers — Number Analogies, Number Puzzles, and Number Series.
- Number Analogies
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A Quantitative Battery subtest showing completed number pairs under one rule, then asking for a new number's partner.
- Number Puzzles
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A Quantitative Battery subtest with a simple equation (often using shapes for numbers); find the value that balances both sides.
- Number Series
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A Quantitative Battery subtest showing a row of numbers under a hidden rule, asking for the next number.
- Arithmetic sequence
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A number series with a constant difference between terms — 5, 10, 15, 20 (adding 5 each step).
- Geometric sequence
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A number series with a constant multiplier between terms — 1, 2, 4, 8 (multiplying by 2 each step).
- Fibonacci series
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A series where each term is the sum of the two before it — 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.
- Decreasing series
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A number series that subtracts a constant each step — 48, 42, 36, 30 (minus 6 each time).
- Interleaved series
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A series made of two simple sequences woven together; split the odd and even positions to find each rule.
- Numerical rule
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The operation that turns one number into the next in a series or analogy — add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
- Balancing an equation
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Keeping both sides equal; in Number Puzzles, substitute known values then solve for the unknown.
- Inverse operation
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The operation that undoes another (subtraction undoes addition) — used to isolate the unknown in a number puzzle.
- Quantitative reasoning
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Spotting and applying numerical patterns and relationships — what the Quantitative Battery measures.
- 2, 4, 6, 8, …
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Next term is 10 — arithmetic sequence adding 2 each step.
- 5, 10, 15, 20, …
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Next term is 25 — arithmetic sequence adding 5 each step.
- 1, 2, 4, 8, …
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Next term is 16 — geometric sequence multiplying by 2 each step.
- 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, …
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Next term is 13 — each number is the sum of the two before it (Fibonacci).
- Model adds 5; partner of 13?
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18 — apply the rule 'add 5' from the model pairs: 13 + 5 = 18.
- Triple the first; partner of 8?
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24 — the rule is multiply by 3, so 8 x 3 = 24.
- star = 3; star + box = 10
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box = 7 — substitute the star: 3 + box = 10, so box = 10 - 3 = 7.
- square = 2; square + square + box = 9
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box = 5 — two squares total 4, so 4 + box = 9, making box = 5.
- Splitting a jumpy series
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Write the odd-position numbers and even-position numbers separately; each often follows its own simple rule.
- Test arithmetic before geometric
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Check for a constant difference (add/subtract) first; if none fits, test for a constant multiplier.
Nonverbal Battery (22)
- Nonverbal Battery
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The CogAT battery that measures reasoning with shapes and patterns using no words or numbers.
- Figure Matrices
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A Nonverbal Battery subtest using a 2x2 grid with one cell empty; find the rule and pick the figure that completes it.
- Paper Folding
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A Nonverbal Battery subtest: picture where holes appear when a folded, hole-punched sheet is unfolded.
- Figure Classification
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A Nonverbal Battery subtest: find the figure that belongs with a set sharing a hidden rule (or the odd one out).
- 2x2 matrix
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A four-cell grid where the top row's rule (top-left to top-right) must be applied to the bottom row.
- Matrix rule
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The change that relates figures in a matrix — number, size, rotation, color, or position.
- Row and column check
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In a figure matrix, the answer must satisfy the pattern across the row and down the column.
- Layer doubling
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Each fold doubles the layers of paper, so a punch passes through twice as many sheets.
- Holes = layers x punches
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The Paper Folding rule: total holes after unfolding equal the number of layers times the number of punches.
- Mirror across the fold
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Unfolded holes appear as mirror images on opposite sides of each fold line.
- Odd one out
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The figure that breaks the shared rule of a set; in classification you may instead pick the one that fits.
- Shared figure property
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The trait a classification set has in common — shape, number of sides, shading, or symmetry.
- Rotation
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Turning a figure around a point; a common change to track in matrices and classification items.
- Reflection
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Flipping a figure to its mirror image; mirror figures are a frequent wrong-answer trap.
- Nonverbal reasoning
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Reasoning with shapes and patterns without language or numbers — what the Nonverbal Battery measures.
- One fold, one punch
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Two holes — one fold makes two layers, and the single punch goes through both.
- Two folds, one punch
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Four holes — two folds make four layers, and the punch goes through all four.
- Two folds, two punches
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Eight holes — four layers times two punches equals eight holes when unfolded.
- Matrix: one dot to two dots
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If the top row doubles the dots, two dots in the bottom row becomes four dots.
- Mirror-image trap
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A figure flipped to its mirror image is a common wrong answer in matrices and classification — rule it out.
- Extra-or-missing-part trap
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Eliminate any figure with one too many or too few parts compared with the pattern.
- Why nonverbal items are fair
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They use no words or numbers, so a student still building English vocabulary can show reasoning ability.
Scoring & Profile (35)
- CogAT
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The Cognitive Abilities Test — a K-12 reasoning assessment by Riverside Insights used mainly for gifted screening.
- Cognitive Abilities Test
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The full name of the CogAT; it measures verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning.
- Riverside Insights
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The publisher of the CogAT; schools administer the test by grade level and the student pays no fee.
- Battery
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One of the CogAT's three main parts (Verbal, Quantitative, Nonverbal); each holds three subtests and is scored separately.
- Subtest
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One of the CogAT's nine smaller tests, three per battery, each focused on a single item format.
- Composite score
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The overall CogAT score combining the three batteries; gifted decisions often use the composite percentile.
- Raw score
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The number of items answered correctly on a subtest — the starting point for the norm-referenced scores.
- Universal Scale Score (USS)
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A continuous developmental scale placing every CogAT level on one ruler, used to derive the norms.
- Standard Age Score (SAS)
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A normalized CogAT score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16, comparing a student with same-age peers.
- SAS mean and SD
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The SAS scale is centered at 100 (average) with a standard deviation of 16.
- Percentile rank
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The percent of peers a student scored at or above; a 95th percentile means at or above 95% of peers.
- Stanine
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A 1-to-9 score band grouping percentile ranks; stanines 7-9 are above average.
- Ability Profile
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A code like 9A or 7B(V+) summarizing the pattern of a student's three battery scores.
- Profile median stanine
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The first number in an Ability Profile — the middle of the three battery stanines, showing the overall level.
- Profile letter A
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In an Ability Profile, A means all three batteries are about the same (no notable strength or weakness).
- Profile letter B
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In an Ability Profile, B means one battery is a relative strength or weakness (a bit different).
- Profile letter C
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In an Ability Profile, C means a contrast — one battery is much higher and another much lower.
- Profile letter E
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In an Ability Profile, E means an extreme contrast between batteries.
- Battery tag (V+/Q-/N+)
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An Ability Profile tag naming the standout battery: V verbal, Q quantitative, N nonverbal; + strength, - weakness.
- Norm-referenced
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Scored by comparing a student with peers rather than a fixed passing mark; the CogAT has no pass/fail.
- Gifted and talented
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School programs for advanced students; the CogAT is a common tool for identifying candidates.
- CogAT level
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The age-based form a student takes, from Level 5/6 (youngest) to Level 17/18 (high school).
- Reasoning ability
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Seeing relationships, finding patterns, and solving new problems — what the CogAT measures, not taught facts.
- No passing score
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The CogAT is not pass/fail; districts set their own gifted-program cutoffs (often near the 95th percentile).
- OLSAT vs CogAT
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Both are gifted screeners; the OLSAT (Pearson) reports a School Ability Index, while the CogAT (Riverside) reports an SAS and Ability Profile.
- Nine subtests
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The CogAT has nine subtests — three in each of the three batteries.
- Three batteries
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Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal — each measuring a different kind of reasoning.
- Grade range K-12
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The CogAT spans kindergarten through grade 12, with age-based levels from 5/6 to 17/18.
- About 10 minutes per subtest
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Upper levels (9-17/18) are timed at roughly 10 minutes per subtest, about 90 minutes total.
- Lower levels untimed
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Levels 5/6 through 8 are administered untimed, with picture-based items for young students.
- SAS 100 is average
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A Standard Age Score of 100 sits at the middle of the scale — the average for a student's age.
- SAS ~125 gifted range
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Many gifted programs look for a composite SAS around 125 or higher (roughly the 95th percentile).
- School administers the CogAT
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Schools and districts give the test by grade level; families do not register or pay a fee.
- No guessing penalty
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The score is based on correct answers, so a student should answer every question.
- Practice builds format comfort
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Familiarity with the item types and pacing helps a student show true reasoning ability on test day.
References
- 1.Riverside Insights. “CogAT — Test Descriptions.” Riverside Insights. ↑
- 2.Riverside Insights. “CogAT Assessment for K-12 — Cognitive Abilities Test.” Riverside Insights. ↑
- 3.Institute of Education Sciences (U.S. Dept. of Education). “Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (Practice Guide).” What Works Clearinghouse, IES. ↑
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