NYC gifted and talented test for OLSAT and NNAT-2

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - November 19th, 2014

Is your child getting ready for the NYC gifted and talented test for OLSAT® and NNAT®-2?

If so, here are some practice questions your child might expect to see. Can you believe they ask these questions of 4-year-olds? Oh my! These are difficult for most adults to answer correctly, let alone a little child.

If your child is applying for entry to a citywide or district wide Gifted and Talented program in New York City, he or will be given verbal questions from the OLSAT® test questions and non-verbal questions from the NNAT® test.

Practice Questions for the OLSAT Test

The verbal OLSAT test section includes questions from the following categories:

•     Following Directions – Following directions questions are some of the simplest on the OLSAT test. That doesn’t mean they aren’t sometimes tricky, but rather that the aim of the questions is straightforward: your child’s task is to listen carefully, remember what has been asked, and follow the instructions given to him as best as he can.  Following Directions questions cannot be repeated, so the skills of listening and remembering is part of what is being assessed
•     Aural Reasoning – Aural Reasoning OLSAT questions assess a child’s ability to listen to a question and then, using the information provided and reasoning skills, visualize and select an answer. The answer choices are given in a visual multiple-choice format.
•     Arithmetic Reasoning  – Arithmetic Reasoning OLSAT questions require children to listen to a verbal math problem and apply math reasoning or calculating skills to solve it. These questions may cover counting, adding, subtracting, simple fractions, and relativity, along with concepts of quality, more than, less than, double, half, and more.

Question 1: Ask your child: “The pictures in the boxes on top belong together in a certain way. Look at the picture in the bottom box. Now choose the picture on the side that belongs with the bottom picture the same way the pictures on top belong together.” Answer: 3 (Lines outside the middle figure come together and move from vertical to horizontal)

Following Directions – OLSAT practice test questions
Question 2: Ask your child “Mark the picture that shows this: Something you eat is between something you throw and something you read.” Answer: bottom right.

 Like these questions? Get tons more on our free app on the Apple Store (for iPhone and iPad) or the Google Play Store (for Droid).

Practice Questions for the NNAT-2 Test and NNAT Test

The non-verbal NNAT-2 test section includes questions from the following categories:

• Pattern Completion Pattern Completion is considered to be the easiest section of the NNAT-2 test. For that reason, there will be fewer and fewer of these question as your child’s grade level increases. With pattern completion questions, a child will be shown a large square with a smaller empty box inside. The large square will have a pattern in it, sometimes incredibly simple (one color) and sometimes more complicated. The child will then have to select from several answer options, only one of which belongs in the empty box, in order to complete the pattern.
• Reasoning by Analogy The best way to solve these questions — as was the case with Pattern Completion — is to establish what the “rule” governing the change between the two shapes is. In this case, it is fairly simple. The shape stays the same and changes color. Here, the clear answer is number 1. At this age, many children are still just learning about the concept of matching, and instinctively they may want to select one of the other answers, because that shape is already there. While these questions seem very simple to us, to a child who is still in the early stages of cognitive development, these questions require a great degree of skill.
• Serial Reasoning Serial Reasoning problems make up the third type of question on the NNAT test. Here, children are shown a series of geometric shapes that are modified across the row as well as down the columns, throughout the overall design. Generally (though not always), the result is that each shape appears once in each row and once in each column. To solve these visual “puzzles,” the child must recognize the change(s) that happen in the sequence and the characteristics of the figures presented. Serial Reasoning items become progressively more difficult as additional changes are introduced to the shapes in more complex designs and patterns. Changes to look for include shifts in size, number, color, rotation, and more.
• Spatial Visualization Spatial Visualization questions are another form of non-verbal question on the NNAT test.

 Like these questions? Get tons more on our free app on the Apple Store (for iPhone and iPad) or the Google Play Store (for Droid).

Serial Reason Practice Question – NNAT-2 test
Question 3: Parent, tell your child this: “Look at this puzzle.” Point to the empty box and say, “Something is missing.” Point to the answer choices and say, “Which of these answer choices goes here?” Point back to the empty box when you say “here.” Answer: 4

Spatial Visualization Question – NNAT test
Question 4: Parent, tell your child this: “Look at this puzzle.” Point to the empty box and say, “Something is missing.” Point to the answer choices and say, “Which of these answer choices goes here?” Point back to the empty box when you say “here.” Answer: 3

Like these questions? Get tons more on our free app on the Apple Store (for iPhone and iPad) or the Google Play Store (for Droid).

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