This free CogAT study guide teaches the — the K-12 reasoning assessment schools use to measure how students reason with words, numbers, and shapes, most often to help identify candidates for programs.[1] The test is built from three batteries with three subtests each, so success means getting comfortable with all nine item formats.
It’s interactive, not a wall of text: every battery has a built-in checkpoint quiz, hover-able glossary terms, worked examples, labeled diagrams, and concept questions, so a student learns by doing.
Work through the three battery modules, test yourself at each checkpoint, then round out your free CogAT prep with our practice questions and flashcards. Taking a different gifted screener? Compare it with our OLSAT resources.
CogAT Exam Snapshot
| Detail | CogAT |
|---|---|
| What it is | A K-12 reasoning (ability) test for gifted screening |
| Publisher | Riverside Insights |
| Structure | 3 batteries × 3 subtests = 9 subtests |
| Batteries | Verbal, Quantitative, Nonverbal |
| Grade range | Kindergarten through grade 12 (Levels 5/6 to 17/18) |
| Timing | Lower levels untimed; Levels 9-17/18 about 10 min per subtest (~90 min total) |
| Scores | USS → SAS (mean 100, SD 16) → percentile ranks → stanine → Ability Profile |
| Passing score | None — norm-referenced; districts set gifted cutoffs |
| Cost to student | None — the school administers it |
The most important thing to understand about the CogAT is that it is : it reports how a student compares with same-age peers, not a percent correct, so there is no pass/fail line.[3] It measures — seeing relationships, finding patterns, and solving new problems — which is why familiarity with the formats, not memorized facts, is what helps a student show true ability.[1]
Every CogAT level is built the same way: three batteries, each with three subtests, for nine subtests in all. Each battery measures a different kind of reasoning and is scored separately, then combined into a composite.
- Verbal Analogies
- Sentence Completion
- Verbal Classification
- Number Analogies
- Number Puzzles
- Number Series
- Figure Matrices
- Paper Folding
- Figure Classification
Verbal + Quantitative + Nonverbal → one CogAT composite score
This guide teaches all nine subtests, grouped into the test’s three batteries. Each battery is scored separately and then combined into a composite, so a rounded score depends on reasoning across words, numbers, and shapes. Exact item counts vary by level, but a full upper-level administration runs to roughly 170-180 items split across the three batteries:
The three batteries are weighted roughly evenly, so don’t neglect any one of them — a single weak battery pulls down the composite that gifted programs usually look at.[2]
1 · Verbal Battery
The Verbal Battery measures reasoning with words and meaning. It does not test spelling or grammar — it tests whether a student can see how words relate, what a sentence means, and which words share a category.[2] Its three subtests are below.
Worked example: Puppy is to dog as kitten is to ___? Name the relationship first, then apply it. The same four steps work for every analogy.
- 1. Read the complete first pairThe first two words are a finished example: e.g. "puppy : dog." They show the relationship you must copy.
- 2. Name the relationship in your own words"A puppy is a young dog" — a young-animal-to-adult relationship. Say it as a short sentence before you look at the choices.
- 3. Apply the same relationship to the third word"Kitten is to ___" → the young form of what animal? A kitten is a young cat.
- 4. Pick the choice that fits the exact linkChoose the word that completes your sentence. Reject choices that are topically related but break the relationship (milk, paw, bird).
Answer: cat
Verbal Analogies
A takes the form A is to B as C is to ? The skill is to name the relationship in the first pair, then apply that exact relationship to the second pair before you look at the choices.
| Relationship | Example pair |
|---|---|
| Young → adult animal | puppy : dog |
| Part → whole | finger : hand |
| Maker → work | author : book |
| Opposite (antonym) | hot : cold |
| Object → function | knife : cut |
| Worker → workplace | doctor : hospital |
Sentence Completion
items give a sentence with a missing word and ask the student to choose the word whose meaning best fits — using the context, not just the grammar.
Verbal Classification
gives three words that go together and asks for a fourth that belongs to the same group. Decide what the three share — a category, function, or property — then test each option against it.
| Three given words | Shared category | Belongs |
|---|---|---|
| apple, banana, grape | fruits | orange |
| red, blue, green | colors | yellow |
| dog, cat, horse | animals | cow |
| one, three, seven | odd numbers | nine |
Checkpoint · Verbal Battery
Question 1 of 10
On the CogAT Verbal Battery, the Verbal Analogies subtest asks a test-taker to do which of the following?
2 · Quantitative Battery
The Quantitative Battery measures reasoning with numbers and relationships. It is not a math-facts test — it asks the student to spot a numerical rule and apply it.[2] The numbers are kept simple on purpose so reasoning, not computation, is what counts.
Number Analogies
A shows completed number pairs that all follow one rule, then a new first number whose partner you must find. Work out the rule from the model pairs, then apply it to the new number.
Number Puzzles
A is a simple equation with an unknown — often with shapes standing for numbers — and you find the value that makes both sides equal. Substitute the known values, then solve for the unknown.
Number Series
A follows a hidden rule and asks for the next term. Test for a constant difference (add or subtract the same amount) first, then a constant multiplier, then a growing step or two woven patterns.
| Series | Rule | Next term |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 4, 6, 8, … | +2 each step (arithmetic) | 10 |
| 5, 10, 15, 20, … | +5 each step (arithmetic) | 25 |
| 1, 2, 4, 8, … | ×2 each step (geometric) | 16 |
| 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, … | each = sum of the two before it | 13 |
| 48, 42, 36, 30, … | −6 each step (decreasing) | 24 |
Checkpoint · Quantitative Battery
Question 1 of 10
On the CogAT Quantitative Battery, the Number Analogies subtest asks a test-taker to do which of the following?
3 · Nonverbal Battery
The Nonverbal Battery measures reasoning with shapes and patterns using no words or numbers.Because it doesn’t rely on language, it gives a fair read on students still building English vocabulary.[4] Its three subtests are below.
Figure Matrices
A is a 2×2 grid with one cell empty. Find the rule that turns the top-left figure into the top-right figure — a change in number, size, rotation, color, or position — then apply that same rule to the bottom-left figure to predict the missing one.
Paper Folding
shows a sheet being folded and hole-punched and asks where the holes appear once it is unfolded. The whole subtest rests on one rule: each fold doubles the layers, and a punch goes through every layer.
The whole subtest rests on one rule: each fold doubles the layers, and every punch goes through all of them. Holes after unfolding = layers × punches. The holes also appear mirrored across each fold line.
Holes = layers × punches. One fold and one punch = 2 holes; two folds and two punches = 8 holes.
Figure Classification
shows figures that share a hidden rule and asks for the figure that belongs with them (or, in odd-one-out form, the one that does not). Identify the shared property — shape, number of sides, shading, or symmetry — then test each choice against that single rule.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Find the rule | Decide what changes or what is shared: number, size, rotation, shading, position |
| Check both directions | For matrices, the answer must fit the row rule and the column rule |
| Mirror the folds | For paper folding, unfold one crease at a time and mirror the holes |
| Ignore the noise | Compare only the property the set shares; ignore color or size if they don't matter |
| Eliminate | Drop choices with the wrong count, orientation, or an extra/missing part |
Checkpoint · Nonverbal Battery
Question 1 of 10
On the CogAT Nonverbal Battery, the Figure Matrices subtest asks a test-taker to do which of the following?
CogAT Scores Explained
The CogAT does not report a percent correct. Each subtest’s raw score is converted, step by step, into the norm-referenced scores families see on a report.[3] Understanding them is the key to reading a score report.
The CogAT does not report a percent correct. The raw score is converted, step by step, into the norm-referenced scores families actually see on a report.
- 1. Raw scoreThe number of items answered correctly on a subtest. Not reported on its own — it is the starting point for the norm-referenced scores.
- 2. Universal Scale Score (USS)A continuous developmental scale that places every level on one ruler, so growth can be tracked across grades. The USS is used to derive the norms.
- 3. Standard Age Score (SAS)A normalized score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16, comparing a student with same-age peers. The score most programs use.
- 4. Percentile Rank (PR)The percent of peers a student scored at or above (age and grade percentiles). A 95th percentile means the student scored at or above 95% of peers.
- 5. Stanine (1–9)A coarse 1-to-9 band that groups percentiles. Stanines 7–9 are above average; the digit in an Ability Profile (e.g. "9A") is the composite stanine.
The is the one most gifted programs use: it has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16, comparing a student with same-age peers. show the percent of peers a student scored at or above, and group those into a 1-to-9 band.
The SAS compares a student with same-age peers on a scale centered at 100. These interpretive ranges are common guidance, not official cut scores — each district sets its own program threshold.
Many gifted programs look for a composite near the 95th–98th percentile (SAS ≈ 125+), but the only target that matters is the one your district publishes.
Each student also receives an — a short code such as 9A or 7B(V+) — that summarizes the pattern of the three battery scores, not just the level. Here is how to read it:
Each student gets an Ability Profile that summarizes the pattern of Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal scores — not just the level. It has three parts: a number, a letter, and (sometimes) a battery tag.
So 7B (V+) = an above-average student (median stanine 7) whose verbal reasoning is a relative strength.
How to Use This Study Guide
A study guide is a map, not the whole territory — use it alongside timed practice and our free tools. Because the CogAT measures reasoning, the goal is comfort with the item types, so a student walks in unsurprised and can show true ability.
- 1
Learn the nine subtests
Work the three battery modules so every format — analogy, number series, figure matrix, paper folding — is instantly familiar.
- 2
Take the checkpoint
The quick check at the end of each battery exposes the formats that didn't stick.
- 3
Drill the gaps
Send the weakest subtest straight into the free practice questions and flashcards.
- 4
Rehearse the pacing
Upper levels are timed at about 10 minutes per subtest, so practice a steady, move-on rhythm.
CogAT Concept Questions
The kinds of reasoning the CogAT actually measures — at least one per battery. Tap any card for a short, exam-ready answer backed by an official Riverside Insights source, then test yourself on them as flashcards.
CogAT Glossary
Quick definitions for the terms you’ll see most across the CogAT:
- Ability Profile
- A short code (such as 9A or 7B(V+)) that summarizes the pattern of a student's three battery scores — the median stanine, whether the batteries are even or contrasting, and which battery stands out.
- Battery
- One of the three main parts of the CogAT — Verbal, Quantitative, or Nonverbal. Each battery contains three subtests and is scored separately before being combined into a composite.
- CogAT
- The Cognitive Abilities Test — a K-12 reasoning assessment published by Riverside Insights that measures verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning, most often to help schools identify students for gifted and talented programs.
- Cognitive Abilities Test
- The full name of the CogAT. It measures reasoning ability — how a student sees relationships, finds patterns, and solves new problems — rather than memorized knowledge.
- Composite score
- The overall CogAT score that combines the Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal batteries. Gifted-program decisions often use the composite percentile.
- Figure Classification
- A Nonverbal Battery subtest that shows figures sharing a hidden rule and asks for the figure that belongs with them (or, in odd-one-out form, the one that does not).
- Figure Matrices
- A Nonverbal Battery subtest using a 2×2 grid with one cell empty — find the rule that relates the figures and choose the figure that completes the pattern.
- Gifted and talented
- School programs for students who show advanced ability. The CogAT is one of the most common tools used to help identify candidates for these programs.
- Level
- The age-based form of the CogAT a student takes, labeled from 5/6 (youngest) to 17/18 (high school), so the item formats match the student's developmental stage.
- Nonverbal Battery
- The CogAT battery that measures reasoning with shapes and patterns using no words or numbers. Its three subtests are Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Figure Classification.
- Norm-referenced
- A test scored by comparing a student with a reference group of peers rather than against a fixed passing mark. The CogAT is norm-referenced, so there is no pass/fail.
- Number Analogies
- A Quantitative Battery subtest that shows completed number pairs following one rule, then asks for the partner of a new number under that same rule.
- Number Puzzles
- A Quantitative Battery subtest that presents a simple equation (often with shapes standing for numbers) and asks for the value that makes both sides equal.
- Number Series
- A Quantitative Battery subtest that shows a row of numbers following a hidden rule and asks for the next number in the sequence.
- Paper Folding
- A Nonverbal Battery subtest that shows a sheet being folded and hole-punched and asks the student to picture where the holes appear once the paper is unfolded.
- Percentile rank
- The percentage of peers a student scored at or above. A 95th percentile rank means the student scored at or above 95% of the comparison group.
- Quantitative Battery
- The CogAT battery that measures reasoning with numbers and relationships. Its three subtests are Number Analogies, Number Puzzles, and Number Series.
- Reasoning ability
- The capacity to perceive relationships, recognize patterns, and solve unfamiliar problems. This is what the CogAT measures, as opposed to taught facts or vocabulary recall.
- Riverside Insights
- The publisher of the CogAT. Schools obtain the test from Riverside Insights and administer it by grade level; the student does not register or pay a fee.
- Sentence Completion
- A Verbal Battery subtest that asks the student to choose the word that best fills a blank based on the meaning of the sentence.
- Standard Age Score (SAS)
- A normalized CogAT score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16 that compares a student with same-age peers. The score most gifted programs reference.
- Stanine
- A 1-to-9 score band that groups percentile ranks. Stanines of 7-9 are above average; the stanine appears as the digit in an Ability Profile.
- Subtest
- One of the nine smaller tests inside the CogAT — three per battery. Each subtest focuses on a single item format, such as Number Series or Paper Folding.
- Universal Scale Score (USS)
- A continuous developmental scale that places every CogAT level on one ruler so growth can be tracked across grades. The USS is used to derive the norms.
- Verbal Analogies
- 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 complete the second pair.
- Verbal Battery
- The CogAT battery that measures reasoning with words and meaning. Its three subtests are Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion, and Verbal Classification.
- Verbal Classification
- A Verbal Battery subtest that gives three words that belong together and asks for a fourth word that fits the same group or category.
Free CogAT Study Materials & Resources
Everything you need to prepare for the CogAT is free here — no paywall, no sign-up. This guide is the foundation; pair it with the rest of our free CogAT study materials for active recall and timed practice:
- CogAT Practice Test — realistic questions across all three batteries, with explanations.
- CogAT Flashcards — active-recall decks for the subtest formats, the score types, and the reasoning rules.
- OLSAT Practice Test — if your district uses the OLSAT instead, compare its verbal/nonverbal clusters and SAI scoring.
CogAT Study Guide FAQ
The CogAT has three batteries. The Verbal Battery (Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion, Verbal Classification) measures reasoning with words. The Quantitative Battery (Number Analogies, Number Puzzles, Number Series) measures reasoning with numbers. The Nonverbal Battery (Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, Figure Classification) measures reasoning with shapes and patterns using no words or numbers.
There are nine subtests — three in each of the three batteries. Each subtest focuses on one item format, such as Number Series or Paper Folding, and is scored separately before the batteries are combined into a composite.
The CogAT reports norm-referenced scores, not a percent correct. The raw score becomes a Universal Scale Score (USS), then a Standard Age Score (SAS) with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16, plus percentile ranks and a 1-to-9 stanine. Each student also gets an Ability Profile that summarizes the pattern of the three battery scores.
No. The CogAT is norm-referenced and not pass/fail. It compares a student with same-age and same-grade peers. Each district decides what score qualifies for a gifted or talented program — commonly a composite around the 95th to 98th percentile (an SAS of about 125 or higher) — so there is no single national cutoff.
The Standard Age Score is a normalized CogAT score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16 that compares a student with peers of the same age. An SAS of 100 is average; many gifted programs look for a composite SAS around 125 or higher, but the threshold is set by each district.
An Ability Profile summarizes the pattern of the three battery scores. The number is the median stanine (1-9), the letter shows whether the batteries are about the same (A), a bit different (B), a contrast (C), or extreme (E), and a tag like (V+) names the standout battery — V verbal, Q quantitative, N nonverbal, with + a relative strength and - a relative weakness.
Both are K-12 ability tests used for gifted screening, but they differ. The CogAT (Riverside Insights) has three separate batteries — verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal — and reports a Standard Age Score plus an Ability Profile. The OLSAT (Pearson) groups items into verbal and nonverbal clusters and reports a School Ability Index (SAI). Check which test your district uses before you prepare.
Work through the three battery modules — Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal — and the nine subtests inside them, take each checkpoint to find weak formats, then drill those with our free practice questions and flashcards. Because the goal is comfort with the item types, focus on the reasoning behind each answer, not memorizing.
Yes — the full guide, the checkpoints, the glossary, the practice questions, and the flashcards are 100% free, with no account required.
References
- 1.Riverside Insights. “CogAT Assessment for K-12 — Cognitive Abilities Test.” Riverside Insights. ↑
- 2.Riverside Insights. “CogAT — Test Descriptions.” Riverside Insights. ↑
- 3.Riverside Insights. “Types of Scores (CogAT).” Riverside Insights. ↑
- 4.Riverside Insights. “Overview of CogAT for Parents.” Riverside Insights. ↑
- 5.Riverside Insights. “CogAT: Testing Time, Number of Items per Subtest and Completion Criteria.” Riverside Insights. ↑
Sources for the concept answers
Every answer in the CogAT concept questions above is drawn from an official primary source:
Career Employer
Career Employer is the ultimate resource to help you get started working the job of your dreams. We cover topics from general career information, career searching, exam preparation with free study materials, career interviewing, and becoming successful in your career of choice.
All PostsCareer Employer’s Editorial Process
Here at Career Employer, we focus a lot on providing factually accurate information that is always up to date. We strive to provide correct information using strict editorial processes, article editing, and fact-checking for all of the information found on our website. We only utilize trustworthy and relevant resources. To find out more, make sure to read our full editorial process page here.