CogAT Test Subsets Explained

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - September 28th, 2011

For younger children who aren’t reading (Kindergarten, first grade and second grade), the CogAT questions are read to them and the answer choices come in the form of pictures.  Sections on the Cognitive Abilities Test for younger children Include:

CogAT Verbal Questions

Oral Vocabulary – The student is asked to look at a group of pictures and select the picture that represents the word the test administrator asks about.

• Example:  Choose the picture of a horse.
• Choices:  Student sees pictures of a cow, dog, zebra and horse.

Verbal Reasoning – the student is shown pictures of items, one of which will be the answer to a question that a child must use reasoning skills to identify.

•  Example: Point to the picture that shows which part of the body someone will use to eat dinner.

• Choices: Student sees pictures of eyes, nose, mouth, feet.

CogAT Quantitative Questions

Relational Concepts – the student is shown a group of pictures, one of which will be the answer to a question that a child must understand relativity or relational concepts to identify.

•  Example: Point to the picture that shows something empty.
• Choices: student sees picture of a glass of water, a bowl of fruit, an empty jar, a drawer that is overflowing.

Quantitative Concepts – the student is shown a picture of one or more items.  Next to that are four answer choices that are either more, less or equal to the first picture.  The child must choose the answer that reflects what the question is looking for in comparison to the first picture.

•  Example: student is shown a picture of 3 circles.  For answer choices, there are 2 circles, 3 circles, 4 circles, 5 circles.
• Question – Point to the picture that has 1 less circle than the first picture.

CogAT Non-Verbal Questions

Figure Classification – the student is shown a picture of 3 shapes.  Next to that are 4 answer choices that are also shapes.  The student must determine what is the same about the first 3 shapes and choose 1 shape from among the 4 that is the same as the first 3.

• Example: Student is shown a picture of 3 shapes divided in half by a line.  For answer choices, there are 4 shapes that have a line through them.  Only one has been divided in half by that line.  That is the answer.

Matrices – the student is shown a box divided into quarters.  There are two shapes in the top two boxes that are the same in some way.  There is a third shape in the bottom left box and 4 answer choices.  The child must choose the shape that goes with the third shape in the same way the top two shapes go together.

•  Example: Student is shown a matrix with a big circle in the top left box and a small circle in the top right box.  There is a big square in the bottom left box.  Answer choices are: triangle, small circle, small square, large square.  Answer is small square.