Grade guide
CogAT for kindergarten: a calm guide for parents
Kindergartners take CogAT Level 5/6. The teacher reads every question aloud and every answer is a picture, so no reading is needed. Your child’s job is to listen, look carefully and choose, and those are skills you can build at home in a few minutes a day.
Key takeaways
- Kindergartners take CogAT Level 5/6, with the same three batteries as every level (Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal) and nine subtests in all.
- Every question is read aloud and every answer is a picture, and there is no clock on each subtest: the teacher moves the group along together.
- For a five-year-old, classroom skills matter as much as the thinking: hearing the whole question, checking every picture and sitting through quiet work.
- Prepare with a few minutes of playful practice on most days, mixing puzzles from all three batteries and asking “How did you know?” after each one.
- Ask the school for the date and whether it’s the full test or the Screening Form, keep the test week light, and call practice “puzzle time,” not a test.
On this page
Which level kindergartners take
Kindergartners take Level 5/6 of the CogAT®, the Cognitive Abilities Test. Like every level, it has three batteries (Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal) with three subtests in each, nine in all. The current forms are Form 7 and Form 8.
The CogAT measures learned reasoning skills: noticing patterns, seeing how things are related and applying a rule to something new. Schools often use it to help identify students for gifted and talented programs. Whether your school tests in kindergarten, and when, is up to the school, so the first step is simply to ask.
How the test works for a five-year-old
At Level 5/6 the teacher reads every question aloud, and every answer is a picture. Your child does not need to read a single word. There is no clock on each subtest either: the teacher moves the whole group along, one question at a time.
That means the thinking is only part of the job. A kindergartner also has to:
- listen to the whole question before pointing at anything,
- look at every picture in the row, not just the first one that seems right,
- mark the answer in the right place, then wait for the next question,
- stay settled through a stretch of quiet work next to classmates.
For a five-year-old, these classroom skills can be the real challenge, and they are exactly the part a parent can help with at home.
The nine subtests at Level 5/6
The table shows each subtest, what it looks like at this level and how many questions it has.
| Battery | Subtest | What your child does | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal | Picture Analogies | Two pictures that go together, then a third picture: the child picks the picture that goes with it in the same way. | 14 |
| Sentence Completion | A question is read aloud and the child picks the picture that answers it. | 14 | |
| Picture Classification | Three pictures that belong together; the child picks the picture that belongs with them. | 14 | |
| Quantitative | Number Analogies | Pictures of amounts change by a rule (for example, one more); the child applies the same rule. | 14 |
| Number Puzzles | Two trains carry objects; the child finds the car that makes both trains hold the same number. | 10 | |
| Number Series | Beads on an abacus follow a pattern; the child picks the rod that comes next. | 14 | |
| Nonverbal | Figure Matrices | Two shapes change in a certain way; the child changes a third shape the same way. | 14 |
| Paper Folding | A sheet of paper is folded, then holes are punched or shapes cut; the child picks how it looks unfolded. | 10 | |
| Figure Classification | Three shapes are alike in some way; the child picks the shape that belongs with them. | 14 | |
| Total | 118 | ||
Verbal battery: pictures and words heard aloud
In Verbal Analogies (picture analogies), two pictures go together, like a bird and a nest, and your child finds the picture that goes with a third one in the same way: a dog goes with a doghouse. In Sentence Completion, the teacher asks a question such as “Which one do you use to cut paper?” and your child picks the picture that answers it. In Verbal Classification (picture classification), three pictures belong together, say an apple, a banana and grapes, and your child picks the one that belongs with them: a pear, not a carrot.
Read aloud: “Which one makes honey?”
Show the answer
Answer: B. Bees make honey. The spider and the butterfly are small animals too, which is what makes them tempting.
An original practice question from Thinkling, in the same format as the test. Not a real test item.
Quantitative battery: amounts, not arithmetic
The math here is about seeing amounts. Number Analogies show pictures of amounts that change by a rule, for example one cookie becoming two cookies, and your child applies the same change to a new picture. Number Puzzles are picture puzzles about making amounts work out. Number Series uses a bead abacus: the rods follow a pattern, and your child picks the rod that comes next.
Nonverbal battery: shapes only
Figure Matrices, Paper Folding and Figure Classification use only shapes, in the same format at every grade. At this level the changes are simpler: a shape turns black, a folded paper has a hole punched in it, three shapes share one feature. For a young child, this battery can feel a lot like a puzzle book.
How to prepare a kindergartner
At this age, preparation should look like play. Aim for a few minutes on most days rather than long sessions, and stop while your child still wants more.
Listening to directions
Play “Simon says” with two-step directions: “Simon says touch your nose, then clap.” Read a short riddle and ask your child to keep their hands in their lap until you finish. Both build the habit of hearing the whole question before answering.
Looking at every choice, then choosing
Line up a handful of toys and ask, “Which one can fly?” Before your child grabs one, have them touch each toy and say yes or no. Ask the teacher how answers will be marked on test day, and practice that motion in a game, such as neatly filling in a circle under a drawing with a crayon.
Sitting through a test
Sitting at a table, working on one task while an adult reads aloud, may be new for your child. Build it gently: a “puzzle time” at the same table and the same time each day, growing from a few minutes to a bit longer over the weeks. Celebrate sitting and trying, not right answers.
Talking about thinking
After any puzzle, ask “How did you know?” A kindergartner who can say “because they’re all fruit” is practicing the reasoning the test looks for, and you learn where their thinking goes off track.
Keep the word “test” low-key. Calling practice puzzle time keeps it playful and pressure-free for a five-year-old.
If you want help with the daily part, Thinkling reads every question aloud in a friendly voice, so a kindergartner who can’t read yet can practice alone. A daily 5-, 10- or 15-minute mission keeps sessions short, and practice tests in the real format let your child get used to working through a section without hints. Our guide to using practice tests explains when to add them.
A simple prep timeline
- A few weeks before: ask the school for the date and whether your child will take the full test or the shorter Screening Form. Start short practice on most days, mixing puzzles from all three batteries, and add a sit-down puzzle time a few times a week.
- The week of the test: keep practice light and familiar, with no new kinds of puzzles. Protect bedtime and keep routines steady.
- Test day: a normal breakfast, an unhurried arrival and a calm goodbye: “You’ll do some picture puzzles with your teacher. Just listen and do your best.” Our test day tips cover the rest.
Afterward, ask what was fun rather than how it went, and leave it there. Your child’s job was to show up and try, and that is done.
Frequently asked questions
Does my kindergartner need to read for the CogAT?
No. At Level 5/6, the kindergarten level, the teacher reads every question aloud and the answers are pictures. Your child needs to listen carefully, look at all the pictures and choose one. Early reading is not required, although a good listening vocabulary helps with the verbal questions, so reading stories together is still worthwhile.
Is the kindergarten CogAT timed?
Not with a clock on each subtest. At Levels 5/6 to 8, the teacher reads the questions aloud and paces the whole group, so children move along together. The 10-minute limit per subtest starts at Level 9, usually in 3rd grade. If you want to know how long the testing sessions will be, ask your school.
How long should a kindergartner practice each day?
A few minutes is enough. Five-year-olds do best in short, playful bursts, and stopping while your child is still enjoying it makes the next session easier to start. Short practice on most days, mixed with everyday games like sorting socks or making patterns with blocks, tends to work better than one long weekend session.
What should I tell my kindergartner about the test?
Keep it simple and calm: they will do some picture puzzles with their teacher, some will be easy and some tricky, and that is completely fine. Avoid talking about programs or results in front of them. Children this age pick up on adult worry, so a relaxed tone matters more than the exact words you choose.
Should my kindergartner take a practice test?
A practice test in the real format can help a kindergartner get used to hearing a question, choosing a picture and moving on without help. Keep it short, split it into one battery per sitting, and treat it as a rehearsal rather than a score. Daily short practice should still make up most of the preparation.