CogAT Kindergarten study guide
CogAT Kindergarten · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) is a cognitive abilities assessment from Riverside Insights, used across grades K–12. Riverside describes it as "the only assessment that measures verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning to reveal a complete picture of student potential that can better accelerate growth." Those three reasoning batteries are the core of the exam, so preparation should be balanced across all three rather than concentrated in one. The test is typically administered by schools, and results are used for gifted and talented identification, equitable placement, and strengths-based instructional planning. Riverside states that CogAT is "up to 4x more accurate in identifying qualified students" than identification models relying heavily on achievement assessments, and that multilingual learners with limited English proficiency are "5 to 10x more likely to score average or above on CogAT than on an achievement assessment." In the kindergarten context, a child sits the Level K materials, which rely on picture-based reasoning rather than reading and writing. The CogAT Kindergarten study guide has 3 sections and about 1,169 words.
01Verbal Reasoning: Picture Analogies, Sentence Completion, and Picture Classification
The Verbal Reasoning battery on CogAT Kindergarten measures how a child listens, understands spoken words, and uses relationships among ideas. At this level the teacher reads the directions and answer choices aloud, and the child responds by choosing a picture, so the test is designed to measure verbal thinking rather than reading.
381 words, about 2 min02Quantitative Reasoning: Number Analogies, Number Puzzles, and Number Series
The Quantitative Reasoning battery measures early number sense: counting, comparing quantities, part–part–whole thinking, and simple addition and subtraction. At the Kindergarten level the items use pictures, dot groups, and numerals, and the teacher reads the directions aloud; the child chooses a picture or numeral, so no written computation is required.
386 words, about 2 min03Nonverbal Reasoning: Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Figure Classification
The Nonverbal Reasoning battery measures reasoning with shapes, positions, and spatial patterns rather than words or numbers. At Kindergarten the teacher reads the directions, but the problem information is visual, and the child answers by choosing a picture.
402 words, about 2 min