CogAT Grades 9-12 key terms

A comparison that states a relationship between one pair of ideas and asks you to find a second pair with the same relationship, such as part to whole or cause to effect.

A short sentence you write to name the link in an analogy, like 'A finger is part of a hand,' so you can test each answer choice against the same wording.

The category of link between paired words, such as synonym, antonym, part-whole, category-member, cause-effect, function, degree, or sequence. Naming it narrows the answer choices quickly.

A word with nearly the same meaning as another, such as 'brief' and 'short.' Synonym pairs are one of the most common analogy relationships and also appear in sentence-completion items.

A word that means the opposite of another, such as 'scarce' and 'abundant.' Opposite relationships often appear in analogies and in questions asking which word does not belong.

A verbal task that gives several words sharing a hidden category and asks you to choose which of the answer words also belongs to that category.

A task in which all but one item in a group share a feature; you identify the item that does not fit. Also called exclusion or 'does not belong' items.

A verbal item with one or two blanks in a sentence; you choose the word or word pair that makes the sentence read logically and grammatically, using context clues.

Information inside a sentence that hints at a missing word's meaning, such as a contrast word like 'although' or a definition phrase like 'that is.'

The positive, negative, or neutral feeling a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning. 'Thrifty' and 'stingy' describe similar behavior but differ sharply in tone.

The literal dictionary meaning of a word, separate from any emotional shading. Choosing between close answer options often requires checking denotation first, then connotation.

A relationship in which one item is a component of the other, such as 'petal' to 'flower.' The direction matters: the part is usually named first in the prompt pair.

A relationship in which one word names a broad class and the other names a specific example, such as 'instrument' and 'violin.' Watch which word comes first.

A number pattern in which each term is produced from earlier terms by a consistent rule, such as adding a fixed amount or multiplying by a fixed factor.

A sequence that changes by adding or subtracting the same amount at each step, as in 4, 9, 14, 19, where the common difference is 5.

A sequence that changes by multiplying or dividing by the same factor at each step, as in 3, 6, 12, 24, where the common ratio is 2.

A strategy of subtracting consecutive terms to reveal a hidden rule. The differences themselves may form a simple sequence, such as 2, 4, 6, 8, which points to a rule.

A sequence that uses two or more rules in turn, such as odd positions increasing by 3 while even positions decrease by 1. Splitting terms into two lists exposes it.

A quantitative item presenting two related numbers and asking for the number that relates to a third in the same way, such as doubling, squaring, or reversing digits.

Any of the basic combining processes on numbers: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation. Number puzzles often combine two operations in a fixed order.

The conventional sequence for evaluating expressions: parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

A statement that two expressions are equal, often containing an unknown value. Solving a simple equation is a frequent step in quantitative comparison and word-problem items.

A letter or symbol standing for an unknown or changing quantity. Recognizing what a variable represents helps translate a word problem into an equation.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as 3/4 = 9/12. Proportions are the standard tool for scaling recipes, maps, and similar quantitative puzzles.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written with a colon. Ratios let you reason about relative size without knowing exact amounts.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred. Percent problems usually ask for a part, a whole, or a rate, and setting up the relationship as a proportion keeps the parts straight.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are, also called the mean. Many quantitative items hinge on how adding a value shifts the average.

An average in which some values count more than others. Multiply each value by its weight, add the results, then divide by the total weight.

An item that gives two quantities and asks which is larger, whether they are equal, or whether too little information is given. Avoid computing when a shortcut comparison works.

A statement comparing quantities that are not necessarily equal, using symbols such as greater than, less than, or not equal to.

Approximating a value to save time. Rounding numbers before computing often eliminates answer choices fast enough that exact calculation is unnecessary.

A quantitative item wrapped in a short story or scenario. The main skill is translating the described relationships into an equation or proportion before solving.

A nonverbal item showing a pair of related figures and asking which figure relates to a third figure in the same way, using transformations such as rotation or shading change.

A change applied to a figure, such as rotating it, reflecting it, resizing it, or altering shading. Identifying the single transformation in a pair is the core nonverbal skill.

Turning a figure around a fixed point by a certain angle, such as 90 degrees clockwise. Track both the angle and the direction, since a mirror image is not a rotation.

Flipping a figure across a line so it becomes a mirror image. A reflected figure cannot be produced by rotation alone, which is a common trap in answer choices.

A property in which a figure looks unchanged after a flip, turn, or slide. Counting lines of symmetry helps classify and compare shapes in classification items.

A nonverbal item showing a sequence of figures that change step by step; you pick the figure that continues the pattern, such as one more side added each time.

A spatial item describing a sheet folded, sometimes punched, then unfolded. You choose the pattern of holes that would result from the described folds.

The ability to mentally rotate, fold, and assemble objects without physically handling them. It underlies paper-folding, cube, and figure-rotation items.

A nonverbal item arranged in a grid where figures change across rows and columns by consistent rules; you select the missing cell that satisfies both rules.