CogAT Grades 9-12 study guide
CogAT Grades 9-12 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a K–12 cognitive abilities assessment published by Riverside Insights. It is not a subject-matter achievement test and it is not a pass/fail credential; instead, it measures how students learn by sampling reasoning across three domains: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. Because the battery spans kindergarten through grade 12, the Grades 9–12 band is the upper end of that range, and schools typically use it for gifted and talented identification, fair and equitable placement, and strengths-based instructional planning. Riverside describes CogAT as an assessment that reveals a complete picture of student potential, and states that it is up to 4x more accurate than identification models relying heavily on achievement tests at identifying qualified students. Topics on this exam: Verbal reasoning, Quantitative reasoning, and Nonverbal reasoning. The CogAT Grades 9-12 study guide has 3 sections and about 1,373 words.
01Verbal Reasoning
The Verbal battery on CogAT Levels 13–18 (grades 9–12) contains three subtests: Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion, and Verbal Classification. All three reward precise vocabulary - including secondary meanings of familiar words - and the ability to state exactly how two words are related, not a vague sense that they 'go together.' Format: A : B :: C : ?. Build one bridge sentence in the A→B direction, then reuse it for C. Name the relationship before you open the answer choices: synonym, antonym, degree (warm : hot), part–whole, category–member, function (scalpel : surgeon), cause–effect, characteristic, sequence, or object–user.
445 words, about 2 min02Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative battery on CogAT Levels 13–18 has three subtests: Number Analogies, Number Puzzles, and Number Series. The arithmetic is deliberately simple - the score reflects how reliably you find the underlying rule, not how fast you compute. Battery results are reported as a Standard Age Score (mean 100, standard deviation 16) and an age stanine (1–9); the three battery scores also combine into a composite and an ability profile letter (A = flat profile, B = one score deviating, C = two, E = two deviating in opposite directions). Two complete pairs establish a rule; apply it to the third pair.
458 words, about 2 min03Nonverbal Reasoning
The Nonverbal battery uses geometric shapes and figures rather than words or numbers, so it measures reasoning about form, position, and transformation. At Levels 13–18 the three subtests are Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Figure Classification. The core habit is analytic: break each figure into separate attributes and track them one at a time. A 2×2 or 3×3 grid with one cell missing.
470 words, about 2 min