CogAT Form 7 study guide
CogAT Form 7 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test), Form 7 is a K–12 cognitive abilities assessment published by Riverside Insights. Rather than measuring what a student has already been taught, it measures reasoning - the publisher describes it as the only assessment that measures verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning to reveal a complete picture of student potential. Schools use it most often for gifted and talented identification and fair placement, and the publisher states it is the most widely used cognitive abilities test. Because the three domains draw on different skills, preparation should be balanced rather than concentrated on one section: verbal analogy and classification-style reasoning, quantitative reasoning with number patterns and relationships, and nonverbal reasoning with figures, matrices, and spatial patterns. Topics on this exam: Verbal reasoning, Quantitative reasoning, and Nonverbal reasoning. The CogAT Form 7 study guide has 3 sections and about 1,149 words.
01Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal battery of CogAT Form 7 tests reasoning with words rather than isolated vocabulary. At Levels 9–17/18 it contains Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion, and Verbal Classification; at primary levels the same reasoning appears with picture support and read-aloud directions. Each item asks you to find a relationship, not just a definition. Verbal Analogies: Complete A : B :: C : D.
375 words, about 2 min02Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative battery of CogAT Form 7 assesses numerical reasoning through Number Analogies, Number Series, and Number Puzzles. The items are designed so that arithmetic alone is not enough: you must infer the rule that generates the numbers and apply it. Number Analogies: Two complete pairs establish a rule; apply the same rule to the third pair. The rule can be one step (add 4, multiply by 3) or two steps (add 2, then double).
375 words, about 2 min03Nonverbal Reasoning
The Nonverbal battery of CogAT Form 7 measures reasoning with figures and spatial patterns, with minimal reading or arithmetic. It contains Figure Matrices, Figure Classification, and Paper Folding. The challenge is to identify the rule that connects shapes and to ignore surface details that do not matter. Figure Matrices: In a 2×2 or 3×3 grid, track changes across each row and down each column.
399 words, about 2 min