My Child did Poorly on the CogAT…Now What?

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

There are several reasons why a child may score poorly on a cognitive abilities assessment such as the CogAT (cognitive abilities test). The obvious reason (and the one which many parents fear) is that the child has fallen behind their peers. If this is the case, try not to panic. Often, a few supplemental classes are all that’s required to bring the student back up to speed.

Another very common reason for scoring poorly on the CogAT is test anxiety. Very different from a normal, healthy desire to do well, test anxiety is a debilitating condition in which the student becomes almost phobic about test-taking. This can show itself in many ways, including distraction during testing, over-thinking questions to the point of distortion, and the inability to concentrate on the test because they are so worried about performance.

If you suspect test anxiety, don’t wait for it to resolve itself. Studies show that in most cases, it only gets worse. Therapy is extremely helpful, as are classes in test-taking skills. If you feel that your child did poorly on the CogAT because of test anxiety, contact their school and ask about re-testing.