Reference
CogAT glossary: the terms parents meet
A quick reference for CogAT words: a battery is one of the test’s three reasoning areas, a level is the version for your child’s grade, and the composite is the overall score that combines the three batteries. Every term below gets a short, plain definition.
Key takeaways
- The CogAT has three batteries, Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal, each made of three subtests, for nine subtests in all.
- A level is the version of the test for a grade, from Level 5/6 in kindergarten to Level 11 in 5th grade; Form 7 and Form 8 are the current forms.
- A raw score counts correct answers; the publisher converts it into percentile ranks, stanines and Standard Age Scores.
- The composite is an overall score that combines the three batteries; the ability profile sums up their level and pattern in a code such as 8B (V+).
- Age scores compare a child with children of the same age, and grade scores compare them with children in the same grade.
On this page
How the test is built
Battery
One of the three parts of the CogAT®, each built around one kind of reasoning: Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. Each battery has three subtests, and a report can show a score for each battery.
Form 7 and Form 8
The two current forms (versions) of the CogAT. Both have the same three batteries and nine subtests, with the same number of questions per subtest at each level. Your school decides which form it uses.
Level
The version of the test for a grade, from Level 5/6 in kindergarten to Level 11 in 5th grade. At Levels 5/6 to 8 (K–2), the teacher reads every question aloud and the subtests are untimed; from Level 9, children read on their own and each subtest is timed at 10 minutes. Our page on how long the CogAT takes has the details.
| Grade | Usual CogAT level | How it is given |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Level 5/6 | Questions read aloud, picture-based, untimed |
| 1st grade | Level 7 | Questions read aloud, picture-based, untimed |
| 2nd grade | Level 8 | Questions read aloud, picture-based, untimed |
| 3rd grade | Level 9 | Children read on their own, 10 minutes per subtest |
| 4th grade | Level 10 | Children read on their own, 10 minutes per subtest |
| 5th grade | Level 11 | Children read on their own, 10 minutes per subtest |
Nonverbal battery
The battery of reasoning with shapes and figures: Figure Matrices, Paper Folding and Figure Classification. It keeps the same picture format at every level and gets harder with age.
Quantitative battery
The battery of reasoning with numbers and amounts: Number Analogies, Number Puzzles and Number Series. In K–2 the questions are picture-based; from 3rd grade they use number pairs, equations with a missing number and rows of numbers.
Screening Form
A shorter version of the CogAT with three subtests only: Verbal Analogies, Number Analogies and Figure Matrices. Some schools use it as a first step. See our Screening Form guide.
Subtest
One section of a battery, made of one kind of question. The CogAT has nine subtests, three per battery, and the number of questions in each grows with the level.
Verbal battery
The battery of reasoning with words and ideas: Verbal Analogies, Sentence Completion and Verbal Classification. In K–2 it uses pictures and read-aloud questions, so no reading is needed; from 3rd grade children read words and sentences on their own.
The nine subtests
Each name links to a full guide to that question type.
- Verbal Analogies: pairs linked by a relationship, shown as pictures in K–2 and as words from 3rd grade.
- Sentence Completion: a question read aloud with a picture answer in K–2; a written sentence with a missing word from 3rd grade.
- Verbal Classification: find what a group has in common and choose the one that belongs, with pictures and then words.
- Number Analogies: pictures of amounts in K–2, pairs of numbers from 3rd grade.
- Number Puzzles: picture puzzles in K–2, equations with a missing number from 3rd grade.
- Number Series: a pattern on a bead abacus in K–2, rows of numbers from 3rd grade.
- Figure Matrices: work out how shapes change and find the missing one.
- Paper Folding: a sheet of paper is folded and holes are punched through it; pick how it looks when opened.
- Figure Classification: find what a group of shapes has in common and choose the one that belongs.
Scores on a CogAT report
Age norms
The comparison with children of the same age. The Standard Age Score, age percentile ranks and age stanines are all based on it.
Age stanine and grade stanine
The same stanine scale applied two ways: compared with children of the same age, or with children in the same grade. For a child who is young or old for their grade, the two can differ.
Composite
An overall score that combines the three batteries. It is a useful summary, but the battery scores often say more about where a child is relatively strong.
Grade norms
The comparison with children in the same grade. Grade percentile ranks and grade stanines are based on it.
Percentile rank
The percentage of children in the comparison group (same age or same grade) who scored at or below your child’s score, from 1 to 99. It is not the percentage of questions answered correctly.
Raw score
The number of questions answered correctly. Because levels and subtests differ in length, the publisher converts it into scores that compare your child with other children.
Standard Age Score (SAS)
A score that compares your child with children of the same age, with an average of 100 and a standard deviation of 16, reported from 50 to 160. It is not an IQ score.
Stanine
Short for “standard nine”: nine broad bands from 1 to 9. CogAT describes stanine 9 as very high, 7–8 as above average, 4–6 as average, 2–3 as below average and 1 as very low. See CogAT stanines, explained and what a good CogAT score is.
The guide to CogAT scores shows how these terms fit together on a real report, and what to ask your school.
The ability profile
Ability profile
A short code on CogAT reports, such as 7A or 8B (V+), that sums up the level and the pattern of the three battery scores. Our ability profile guide decodes it with examples.
Median age stanine
The middle one of the three battery age stanines. It is the number at the start of the ability profile.
Profile letters: A, B, C and E
The pattern across the batteries. A means all three are at roughly the same level; B means one is noticeably above or below the other two; C means two contrast, one relatively high and one relatively low; E means an extreme difference between at least two.
Plus and minus signs (V, Q, N)
Marks after the letter showing relative strengths (+) and weaknesses (-) by battery: V for Verbal, Q for Quantitative, N for Nonverbal. “Relative” means compared with your child’s own other scores.
Related tests and terms
Achievement test
A test of what a child has learned in school subjects such as reading and math. The CogAT measures reasoning instead.
Iowa Assessments
An achievement test (reading, language, math and more) from Riverside, which also publishes the CogAT. Schools often give the two together, so reports can compare reasoning with achievement. See the CogAT and the Iowa Assessments.
IQ test
An individual test such as the WISC-V, given one-on-one by a licensed psychologist. The CogAT is not an IQ test, and its scores cannot be converted into an IQ; see is the CogAT an IQ test?
MAP Growth
A computer-adaptive achievement test in reading and math by NWEA, scored on the RIT scale and often given more than once a year. See CogAT vs. MAP Growth.
OLSAT and NNAT
Other ability tests some schools use. The OLSAT® (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) covers verbal and nonverbal reasoning; the NNAT® (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test) is nonverbal only, and NNAT3 is its current edition.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CogAT composite score?
The composite is an overall score that combines your child’s three battery scores, Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. Like the other CogAT scores, it compares your child with children of the same age or grade. It is a handy summary, but the three battery scores show where your child is relatively strong. Schools differ in which they look at, so ask yours.
What are CogAT levels?
Levels are the versions of the CogAT for each grade: Level 5/6 for kindergarten, 7 for 1st grade, 8 for 2nd, 9 for 3rd, 10 for 4th and 11 for 5th. At Levels 5/6 to 8 the teacher reads every question aloud and the subtests are untimed. From Level 9, children read on their own and each subtest is timed at 10 minutes.
What is the difference between CogAT Form 7 and Form 8?
Both are current forms of the CogAT. They share the same three batteries and nine subtests, and the same number of questions per subtest at each level, so the question formats your child practices apply to either one. Your school decides which form to use, so ask if you want to know which one your child will take.
What does battery mean on the CogAT?
A battery is one of the three parts of the CogAT, each built around a kind of reasoning: Verbal for words and ideas, Quantitative for numbers and amounts, and Nonverbal for shapes and figures. Each battery has three subtests. Reports can show a score for every battery, which helps you see whether your child’s reasoning is even or stronger in one area.
What is a raw score on the CogAT?
A raw score is the number of questions your child answered correctly. It is hard to read on its own, because subtests and levels have different numbers of questions, so the publisher converts it into percentile ranks, stanines and Standard Age Scores. Those converted scores compare your child with children of the same age or the same grade, which makes them far more meaningful.