Understanding the Requirements of the Cognitive Abilities Test

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - April 16th, 2013

Learning that your child must undergo IQ assessment exams like the Cognitive Abilities Test, or CogAT, can be a daunting prospect, especially since you know so much rides on their performance on the Cognitive Abilities Test and other assessment tests. The CogAT is among the battery of tests that schools use to determine admission to gifted and talented programs, after all.

Now, given all of these factors, it’s understandable that you get a bit nervous about your kids having to take the Cognitive Abilities Test, but by learning more about the exam and educating yourself on the kinds of questions that will appear on the test, you can put your own mind at ease and devise a plan for helping your son or daughter prepare for the Cognitive Abilities Test.

Of course, you don’t want to put too much pressure on your kids either. A bright child can be affected by your nervousness and not do as well on the Cognitive Abilities Test as a result. Keeping things light, fun and engaging is the best plan of action when using CogAT test prep activities.

It’s also important to find out which form of the CogAT your child will take. There are two forms of the CogAT – the Form 6 and the Form 7. The Form 6 is used by both public and private schools to place students into gifted and talented programs. It is typically given to children ages 5 to 8 to measure their overall intelligence and rational thinking ability.  The Form 6 is segmented into 3 sections comprised of quantitative, verbal, and non-verbal reasoning skills. Each of these subsections, in turn, has 3 subsections of its own – meaning that the overall test has 9 subsections in total.

The Form 7, by contrast, measures children’s potential and overall academic performance. It is used for admission to gifted & talented programs, as well as private school enrollment.