# What is a good CogAT score?

> There is no single “good” CogAT score. A Standard Age Score of 100, stanine 5 or a percentile rank near 50 sits right in the middle of the comparison group; stanines 7–8 are above average and stanine 9 is very high.

Source: https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/good-score/ · Thinkling parent guide · Updated 2026-10-18

## Key takeaways

- There is no single good CogAT score: every score describes where your child falls among children of the same age or the same grade.
- The middle is a Standard Age Score of 100, stanine 5 or a percentile rank near 50, and CogAT calls the whole range of stanines 4–6 average.
- Stanines 7 and 8 (percentile ranks 77–95) are above average, and stanine 9 (percentile ranks 96–99) is very high, the top band on the report.
- A stanine 7 means the same relative position in kindergarten, 2nd grade or 3rd grade, because each child is compared with their own age or grade.
- Schools and districts set their own rules for gifted programs, so ask yours which scores it looks at instead of relying on numbers found online.

## Why there is no single “good” score

The [CogAT®](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/) has no pass mark. The publisher compares your child’s results with those of other children of the same age and the same grade, and reports where your child falls in those groups. A score is not good or bad on its own; it describes a position.

When parents ask what a good score is, they usually mean one of two things:

- **How does my child compare?** That question has a clear answer, and this page gives it, using CogAT’s own descriptors: average, above average or very high.
- **Is it enough for a program?** That depends entirely on your school or district, which sets its own rules. No website can answer it for you.

## The CogAT score range at a glance

A CogAT report can show three kinds of scores, each with its own range:

- **Standard Age Score (SAS):** reported from 50 to 160, with an average of 100. It compares your child with children of the same age.
- **Percentile rank:** from 1 to 99. It is the percentage of children in the comparison group who scored at or below your child’s score.
- **Stanine:** nine broad bands, from 1 at the low end to 9 at the high end.

So the best possible result, on paper, is stanine 9, a percentile rank of 99 and an SAS at the top of the reported range. The table shows how stanines, percentile ranks and CogAT’s descriptors line up.

| Stanine | Percentile ranks | CogAT descriptor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 9 | 96–99 | Very high |
| 8 | 89–95 | Above average |
| 7 | 77–88 | Above average |
| 6 | 60–76 | Average |
| 5 | 40–59 | Average |
| 4 | 23–39 | Average |
| 3 | 11–22 | Below average |
| 2 | 4–10 | Below average |
| 1 | 1–3 | Very low |

Our guide to [CogAT stanines](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/stanines/) explains each band in more detail, including roughly how many children fall into each one.

## Average, above average and very high

### Average: stanines 4 to 6

The exact middle of the comparison group is an SAS of 100, stanine 5 or a percentile rank around 50. CogAT’s “average” label is much wider than that point, though: it covers stanines 4, 5 and 6, which run from percentile rank 23 to 76. More than half of all children land in these three stanines, and any of them is a perfectly sound result.

### Above average: stanines 7 and 8

Stanines 7 and 8 cover percentile ranks 77 to 95. Together they hold about one child in five. A child in stanine 8, for example, scored as well as or better than at least 89 percent of the comparison group.

### Very high: stanine 9

Stanine 9 covers percentile ranks 96 to 99, roughly the top 4 percent of the comparison group. It is the highest stanine and the one CogAT describes as very high.

A percentile rank of 90 does **not** mean 90 percent of the answers were right. It means your child’s score was equal to or higher than the scores of 90 percent of the comparison group.

## Does a good score depend on grade?

Less than most parents expect. Every CogAT score is already compared with children of the same age or the same grade, so a [kindergartner](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/kindergarten/) and a [third grader](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/3rd-grade/) who both reach stanine 7 hold the same relative position, each among their own peers. The scale does not raise the bar for older children; the questions do that.

What changes with grade is the test itself. Kindergartners take Level 5/6 and [second graders](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/2nd-grade/) Level 8, with every question read aloud and no clock. From Level 9, usually in 3rd grade, children read on their own and each subtest is timed at 10 minutes. The questions get harder, and the comparison group grows up with them.

### Age scores and grade scores

Reports can show an age comparison and a grade comparison, and the two do not always match. A child who is young or old for their grade meets a slightly different group of children in each comparison, so the numbers can differ a little. Neither one is the “real” score; ask your school which it uses.

## How schools use CogAT scores

Schools often use the CogAT to help identify students for gifted and talented programs, but a score is usually one piece of a bigger picture. Schools usually look at several kinds of information, such as ability tests, achievement tests, teacher observations or rating scales, and work samples.

Rules, cutoffs and timelines vary by district, so this guide does not list any. These questions get you the answers that matter where you live:

- Do you look at age scores or grade scores?
- Do you use the composite, single batteries, or both?
- Was this the full test or the shorter Screening Form?
- What other information do you consider, and when are decisions made?
- Will my child have another chance to be considered in a later year?

## What to do with any result

1. **Read the battery scores first.** Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal results often say more than the composite, because they show where your child is relatively strong.
2. **Find the ability profile.** A short code such as 7A or 8B (V+) sums up the level and the pattern; our [ability profile guide](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/ability-profile/) decodes it.
3. **Think in bands, not points.** One test captures one morning. A child who was tired, nervous or new to the format might score differently on another day.
4. **Keep the numbers between adults.** Young children easily attach a number to themselves. Praise effort instead: “You did your best thinking, and we’re proud of you.”
5. **Talk with the school** before drawing any conclusions about programs.

A CogAT score is also not an IQ score, even though the SAS uses 100 as its average; see [is the CogAT an IQ test?](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/is-it-an-iq-test/) For a walk through a whole report, read our guide to [CogAT scores](https://www.thinklingapp.com/cogat/scores/). And if you practice at home, keep it in proportion: Thinkling does not predict CogAT scores or percentiles, and its readiness estimate is not one.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a good CogAT score for 2nd grade?

The same as for any other grade. Second graders take Level 8, and the publisher compares their results with children of the same age or the same grade, so the scale keeps its meaning: stanines 4–6 are average, 7–8 above average and 9 very high. A stanine 7 in 2nd grade is as strong, relative to peers, as a stanine 7 in 5th grade. For program decisions, ask your school.

### Is a good CogAT score different for kindergarten or 3rd grade?

Not on the score scale. Kindergartners take Level 5/6, with every question read aloud, and third graders take Level 9, where children read on their own and each subtest is timed at 10 minutes. The questions are very different, but each child is compared with children of the same age or grade, so a stanine 9 is very high at both grades.

### What CogAT score do you need for a gifted program?

No single score applies everywhere. Each school or district sets its own rules, cutoffs and timelines, and schools usually look at several kinds of information, such as ability tests, achievement tests, teacher observations or rating scales, and work samples. Some may focus on the composite, others on single batteries, age scores or grade scores. Ask your school or district for its criteria rather than relying on numbers you see online.

### What is the highest possible CogAT score?

The top of each scale: stanine 9, a percentile rank of 99 and a Standard Age Score of 160, the highest value reported. Stanine 9 covers percentile ranks 96 to 99, roughly the top 4 percent of the comparison group, and CogAT describes it as very high. Each of these numbers compares your child with children of the same age or grade, not with a fixed standard.

### Is a stanine 6 a good CogAT score?

Yes, it is a solid result. Stanine 6 covers percentile ranks 60 to 76, so your child’s score was equal to or higher than the scores of most children in the comparison group. CogAT still labels it average, together with stanines 4 and 5, because the average band is wide. The battery scores and the ability profile show whether one area stands out.

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